Well it was time to enhance the bait tank on my G3. The tank is built into the front of the console with a padded top to double as a seat. The 16 gallon tank is insulated (double walled) and is 11" x 21". In a perfect world the tank would be round or oval to keep bait from bunching up in corners. Having a "D" shape with two rounded corners makes it better than square and does just fine.
The problem with my setup was the bait I use doesn't like the warm lake water that the boats aeration system pumps in. I mainly fish for stripers and my bait of choice is Blueback Herring. To date I had been rotating the water was little as possible to add air and clear out contaminated water. Then I would rotate frozen water bottles to cool the tank. This workout ok, but I would still lose the weakest bait fairly quickly.
The tank setup on my kayak utilizes a water pump, as well as a bubbler, so I decided it was time to do the same to the boat. I did not want to just hang a bubbler off something in the boat and have to deal with wires plugged into my one and only outlet. Well all know this must be kept clear for phone charges. I mean you have to have a full battery for all of those fish pics!
Initially I was just going to run a single switch. The more I thought about it the more I realized I needed more than one switch. I mean I knew I would eventually be adding more accessories so why not add the switches now and utilize them when needed? I went with a 3 switch panel with USB charge ports and a volt meter. I went with this one rather than one with more switches because of my mounting location. This was the largest panel I could fit there. If I need more than three I can add another panel at the bottom of the console, just above the opening. As of right now I have used 2 of the 3.
The Panel
After what seemed like hours of research, I went with this one I found on Amazon.
LINK
It did not take much research for the bubbler. I had been discussing this with a friend and he pointed out bait tanks he was looking at and they used this particular one on their builds. I liked that it had two lines and had screw tabs for permanent mounting.
LINK
I also ordered two donut air diffusers to replace the stones that came with the unit. I used similar in the past and it seems they put out a smaller bubble. This puts more air into the water. The only issue with these are that they tend to be light and want to float up. I would have to velcro them down or add weights (I can transfer the weights from the stones). I used velcro in my kayak tank and that worked great. For now I will stick with the stones and save the donuts for later.
LINK
The Light(s)
Initially I went with a Shoreline sealed light from Walmart. LINK But, after getting it installed and hooked up, it was a dud and would not come on. Grrrrr. I replaced it with 2 LED strip lights I also found at Walmart. These had 3M tape strips on them for easy install. I could not find a link for these. They were Premium flex strips from the automotive section at Walmart. $29.99
Installing the system was fairly straight forward. Although not for the faint at heart, very doable.
I started with the panel. First I removed the steering wheel. For this you remove the plastic center cap by prying up on it with a small screw driver. It should come right out. Then you remove the nut and washer and pry the wheel up and off. It helps if you leave the nut on just enough to protect the top of the shaft and tap with a hammer as you gently pry up. Once the wheel is off, there is a small pin on the bottom of the shaft that can fall right out. This pin keeps the wheel from just spinning on the shaft. Remove this and place it in a safe place. Then remove the two screw from the collar that sits behind the wheel and you will now be able to remove the 8 screws and release the dash panel.
The existing switch wires won't let the panel all the way off. You can note where these wires connect and remove them all or just let it all back enough to access the area to drill your hole.
Once I got my dash panel off I checked to see if anything would be in the way of drilling the panel. My fuel gauge wires were routed behind the panel so I had to unhook those, move them aside, and put the dash panel back. Now I was ready to mark the location of the switch panel.
Before I could work with the switch panel I had to remove the gauges and switches from the panel so it would sit flush to the dash. The switches come with a wiring diagram so you know how to put it back together. Once this was done I positioned it where I wanted it and taped it in place. Then I drilled holes where the screws would go and screwed it in place. Once in place I traced the inside of the panel to see where I would need clearance.
At this point I used a drill bit and drilled the center of the gauges and each corner of the switch openings to mark the area under the dash panel. This would allow me to mark the section to cut out to allow room for the switches.
The console in this area is made of 1 inch thick wood with thin layers of fiberglass on each side. I used a 4 inch hole saw positioned over the holes I drilled previously. Other than the lower corners, this allowed everything to fit in the dash. I had to use a small coping saw to notch out the outer-lower section of my hole to fit the outer switches. Then I put the switches and gauges back in the panel and checked for fitment. Then I connected the positive and negative wires to the boats fuse block and ground block. The presence of these under the console made hookup a breeze. There are several open spots for adding more stuff. I just had to add a fuse to the terminal I selected. I put in a 30 amp.
Once I had this wired and saw that it would work I left it hanging and moved on to the light install.
Initially, as stated above, I installed the Shoreline light. I did this by drilling a hole between the junction of the tank and the console to run the wires. To minimize holes, I used marine sealant to secure it in place. This turned out to be a wise move later. After hooking up the wires t the switch and testing... no light. After a serious of test on the ground and current, it had to be replaced. I ran out to Walmart and picked up the strip LEDs. I cleaned off the sealant from before and stuck the new lights on and ran the wires. Perfect. Note: I did have to shorten each strip by one section, about 3 inches.
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| Shoreline Dud |
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| You can see the reflection of the strip lights here. |
The bubbler was even easier, although more time consuming, than the light. I drilled a hole at each corner of the tank (at the sec) and ran my hoses. Then I mounted the bubbler to the flank under the console at the floor. All that was left was to wire to the switch and clean up.
After I cleaned everything up I put the dash back together and attached the panel. Once that was done I put the steering wheel back on then put away my tools.
All that was left was to fill the tank with water and test everything out.
The short version (4 minute video) ....
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