I'm pretty stoked with how I have my Trident 15 rigged up and decided I would post up some pics and details of what I did. I didn't take the time to take pics of the process, just the end result. When I first bought this kayak, I searched all of the kayak fishing forums to get ideas on how I wanted to rig it up. I was really trying to keep it as clean and un-cluttered as possible and still have everything the way I wanted it. I used marine grade wiring, crimps and heat-shrink on all of the connections. I'm pretty confident this should last a long time without having to mess with it.
Bait Tank and Pump
I didn't have any reservations about putting holes in the bottom of the kayak, so I went thru-hull for the bait pump. This set-up has been rock solid for over a year now, with no leaks at all. That area does come out of the water in certain situations, but not enough to air-lock the pump or compromise the health of the bait.
This is how it is plumbed into the tank
The external hose for the bait tank is removable and gets stored inside the tank when I'm done.
Transducer
After using an in-hull transducer for over a year, I decided to switch it out for a thru-hull. I saw a couple of posts where guys had done this and that was all of the motivation I needed. I used just enough 5200 to get a good seal. I ended up trimming off the excess with an xacto knife. You can see the intake for the bait pump in the background.
This area of the hull had no signs of wear after over a year of use, so that's where I installed it.
I used the pool noodles to help secure the wires from bouncing around too much during transport.
You are not supposed to cut the transducer cable, so it had to go somewhere.
I'm very satisfied with the install and the performance of the thru-hull transducer. It's a major improvement over the in-hull. At this point in time, I have only been out on one eight hour trip and didn't take on one drop of water.
Power
This is what I'm using to power the Garmin 440s and the 500gph bait pump (the pump is on a 7/14 timer switch). It's a 12v-18ah battery that fit perfectly into this Pelican 1200 waterproof case. I have enough power to be on the water as long as I want.
Both the Garmin and the pump have their own fuses. I have been using this same battery set-up for over a year now with absolutely no signs of corrosion.
Here is how it looks on the outside.
This pic shows how it sits inside the kayak.
This is where I attach the wiring harness when the battery is removed. This keeps the connection from getting wet when I clean the inside of the kayak and keeps it secure during transport. I figure the less the wiring moves around the better.
This is what I did to keep the battery box in place. I bought a cheap Boogie Board from Walmart and cut it to fit, using the scuppers to help secure it. I wrapped the whole thing with duct tape, so in case it breaks it won't fall apart.
This is where it fits.
Plenty of room for rods and kill bag
In these next two pics, you can see that I still have plenty of room to store my rods and kill bag, without compromising the electrical rigging.
Looking back...
Looking forward...
That's at least 8' of room to store my gear for launching and landing in bigger surf. My jig stick is 8', so that works for me. I have yet to access the front hatch while on the water, everything fits through the Rod Pod.
Electronics
This is how the helm set-up looks while I'm fishing. The screen on the 440s is easy to see, even with my messed up eyes. Using the white background for the fishfinder makes it easier for me to see the detail. I'm using a Ram "Finger Grip" Mount to secure my VHF radio. I adjust the radio just high enough as not to interfere with the compass. I also carry a FRS radio to communicate with my fishing buds.
I usually keep my jig stick in the rod holder in front of me, when I'm not rigging up another rod. As of now I have a total of six rod holders, which seems sufficient for the three rods I currently use. I'm looking to add one or two more, to make room for another rod down the road.
In this pic, you can see the only external electrical connection, the power and transducer cable for the 440s. The 440s has an IPX7 waterproof rating, but still got the extended warranty from West Marine.
So that's it! My custom rigged Trident 15.
Jason