Part 6 of the extended Bass Boat Rebuild will focus on graphs and power.
August 27, 2025
By Thomas Allen
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Catch up on the series:
Even though we had limited space, and an older boat, we planned to rig as much modern technology as the boat space would allow—all while keeping everything functional and comfortable. We planned to add a Humminbird Apex 13 on a BalZout mount at the dash and two Humminbird Xplores up front on a Bass Boat Technologies dual mount —all connected through the renowned One-Boat Network.
The three units will be powered by an exclusive lithium power source from Li-Time Lithium. We went with the Li-Time 12-volt, 140-amp-hour Smart battery to provide hours of juice for the electronics package. More to come on that.
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Out plan was to install two Humminbird Xplores at the bow and an Apex 13 at the dash. We also added a 5-port Ethernet Hub to take full advantage of the famous Humminbird One-Boat Network. We also installed a 6-fuse panel to add a layer of protection for the electronics. The network would be managed through the Humminbird Ethernet Hub , and we decided to wire a fuse panel in between the battery and the electronics to add a layer of protection.
As you’ll recall, we removed the old transducer and of course we needed to install the new one to power Mega Side and Down Imaging . I didn’t love having to drill holes into the pad of the hull, but we added a gob of marine-grade silicone into each screw hole on the pad, and also inside the boat where the screws came through.
We had to install a new transducer beneath the boat on the pad. This was a scary install, but it worked out perfectly. There was a number of wires to extend, terminate and label. Be sure you know what every cable is for, a piece of colored electrical tape that is labeled for what it does will save a lot of guess work. We had to make the most out of what space we had available and that means modifications. We decided to run ethernet and a front fuse panel through the port-side rod locker, which was plastic and offered a great entry point. We had to drill a hole in the end of the plastic cone-like end that protruded into the front access area. Short of it is we managed to attach everything on the wall of the port-side rod locker.
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This is the front of the port-side rod locker. This end of it is located in the bow-access hatch area, and we chose to run graph wires through it. We decided to drill a 1 1/2-inch hole into the end of it which would accommodate the cable bundle. Hole drilled and cables run. This worked for us because we typically kept soft items in that locker like extra PFDs , rain gear , throwable cushion , and the like. We had to finish extend and finish the wires with lugs, so we’ll cover a few other elements of this project first.
The Bass Boat Technologies dual mount at the front would hold the two Xplores, but we had to set it at an angle to accommodate the recessed foot pedal. This was the original plan when we mocked everything up—it actually worked with the limited space available in this boat. We attached it with lag bolts, and if they ever come loose, we’ll replace them with bolts, but that will be a pain for sure.
The Bass Boat Technologies dual mount was positioned at an angle to accommodate the food pedal tray, and made it easier to look at when riding the trolling motor. Lag bolts were our choice to secure the mount to the deck. We opted to hand tighten at the end to be sure they didn't strip out. They are tight. Let’s move to the rear of the boat now. The storage compartment behind the driver’s seat was to hold the electronics power source, so we cleaned it out and placed a Group-31-size battery tray to hold the 140-amp-hour Li-Time lithium battery . We also opened up the access port so we could run the main power line into this storage compartment.
We added a master power switch to cut power when the rig wasn’t in use. This is a critical step for anyone who is running an electronics package like this. Cutting the power will preserve battery life.
This is the rear compartment behind the driver's seat. This is where the power would be positioned to run all the graphs. Yes, we keep some scented varmint repellent in the boat. It seems to work. We added a Group-31 battery tray and a master power switch in this compartment. We drilled holes and used a screwdriver to set the screw--again in an effort to not strip out the holes. Battery time. A perfect fit. With the battery installed, it was time to wrap up the wiring process. Making quality, waterproof connections is also very important. A hydraulic crimper and a heat gun are important tools for this part of the build.
With the battery in place, it was time to run some wires. The main power wire was duplex 6-gauge tinned marine wire. Go big on the main power wire. We ran the wire with a wire snake/fish tape. With the main line ran, it was time to terminate. Copper lugs with shrink tube in process. A hydraulic crimper is an inexpensive but valuable tool to keep handy. If you're going to be rigging boats, make sure you add one to your tool arsenal. Heat shrink tubing is important to finish each connection. And done. I added a little extension to each power cable so it would reach the fuse panel we decided to place in the port-side rod locker. Once all the wires were spliced and terminated, it was time to get the graphs on the mounts.
here is the rigging location for the fuse panel and ethernet hub. Seems like it's in a weird spot at first, but trust me it was our best option and our storage habits accommodate it well. Some final wire rigging. At the dash we chose to use a BalZout mount, in blue, of course, to hold the Humminbird Apex 13 . The base goes on first, and we made sure to not drill into the existing holes we just patched up. The bottom side of this base would have large, heavy-duty washers to hold it tight. These mounts are for real. I highly recommend them!
The BalZout base is simple and sturdy. Here is the mount fully installed. And the color nicely matches the boat's theme. The Apex 13 looks good on the BalZout mount We chose to not drill a big hole to run the wires through the console. Rather, we'll clean them up and zip-tie them to available locations. It turned on the first try! So did the dual Xplores at the bow. It's a great feeling when your wiring works. Here's a look at the finished bow. Clean. A top-down view of the finished bow. And we didn't make any huge mistakes during the rigging process. With everything on the boat, each graph turned on for the first time. And that’s always a great feeling. The final two images show the clean layout of the boat with the Humminbird package fully installed and ready to rock.
Stay tuned for the next part! Still more add-ons to come.
