Faria Depth Gauge

[ohiowake2]

Ok guys. My 2001 SAN does not have any type of depth gauge. I purchased the Faria depth gauge off of nautique parts but I am still very nervous about putting holes in the back of my boat for the water temp and the actual transducer. Do I just put some of that 5200 sealant around where the cables will be going through? Thank you in advance you guys have helped me a lot on other projects I have done.

[homer12]

Use a depth sounder that can be epoxied in your bilge and just read through the hull. You don't have to make a penetration.


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[Aebert2668]

A typical thru-hull transducer will have a ring with three screw holes that goes inside the hull and a flanged exterior that goes on the outside of the hull. Choose the exact size hole saw and carefully select an area for the transducer. Measure 8 times cut once! 3-5 inches in front of the drain plug is a good area in many Nautiques measure inside from the drain plug and then measure underneath the boat to make sure there are no obstructions. I like to drill a small pilot hole once I've chosen the site. Blue tape the bottom area around the pilot hole for when the hole saw cuts through. Feed wire from the transducer up from the outside hole, run a bead of 5200 on the inside of the rim, have acetone or paint thinner ready to remove the excess. A little 5200 goes a long way. Tighten screw ring until 5200 is seated and ring is snug, add three stainless steel screws if necessary. MAKE sure they aren't longer than the hull thickness. A dry fit once the hull is cut and before you add 5200 is a good idea, try to use a flat as possible part of the hull. Not absolutely critical with just a plain depth sounder. Also, make sure the drill and hole saw will fit in the access hatch unobstructed- not forced to angle it. Think about all aspects so it goes well the first time. Don't worry 5200 is amazing stuff and you'll be cussing more about trying to remove the transducer 10years from now than it leaking. 12 volts to the gauge at the dash, you could use an accessory switch if you have on or direct wire to the closest battery with a 1 amp inline fuse. Easy project, just take your time and plan carefully. Good luck, sorry about the lack of brevity, but a hole in your hull takes planning!

[ohiowake2]

Will that 1 amp inline fuse always be on then? Or do I need to use a toggle switch or something to use to shut off the gauge when I am not using the boat?

[Fgroce]

I would use 4200 for when it breaks and it has to be removed.

[ohiowake2]

instead of the inline fuse I found a purple wire close to the fuel pumps. Are all purple wires usually power on boats? Was thinking of hooking into that and the the depth gauge would always be on when the boat is running instead of using a switch to turn on and off.

[Aebert2668]

Purple wire is almost always ignition. It may be acceptable to hook it into purple and it would only be on when the ignition is on. If you direct wire it your gauge may have a built in switch, otherwise you would need a switch. I'm not real familiar with the 2001 dash, is there possibly an accessory switch that is powered up at ignition that could shorten your wire run. There should be a bus bar, shiny metal bar or circular metal ring with 8-10 gauge wires supplying power from the battery to devices that need electrical power. This location would be a better choice and avoid any interference with ignition, starter solenoid. Most Faria gauges I've seen have an on/off switch built in.