Installing electronics on a kayak can bring on many challenges. One of the major challenges are how to wire through the kayaks bulkhead and what products are manufactured to cap large drilled holes post wiring the fish finder. This article covers common Types of Hull Pass-Throughs.

After a lot of research here are a few types of hull pass-through caps for wiring electronics on your kayak.

Rubber Stopper 1/4″ – 1.5″ Drill

Commonly used for drain plugs and scupper holes the Rubber stopper can also be used for Thru Hull Wiring. Simply with a sharp box cutter cut a slit from the outer diameter to the center hole. This will allow you to pass the wire into the center of the stopper. Runt he connecting plug through the hole and simply press the stopper in small diameter of the flange first to make a seal. This method works but is not recommended for a permanent install. The stopper over time can come loose so check it every now and then. It wouldn’t hurt to silicone them in.

Cable Gland 1/4″ – 1″ Drill

The cable gland is a wiring connector that is able to match wire diameters with a grommet that seals tightening down a lock nut.

On the bottom of the gland is a threaded portion that is able to pass through a drilled hole in the hull and tightened down with an included ring nut. Cable glands do work great but the only problem i see with them is the protrusion they create. They are easily snagged by fishing line. In areas that fishing line will not snag they are great.

Cable Clam pass through 1″ – 2″ Drill

Cable clams are a good solution but protrude the most. They require 4 large screws holes perfectly aligned. Personally I think they are the most unsightly for applying on a kayak. They are purposed more for boats. They are also the most expensive and hardest to install.

TH Marine CeaCap 3/4″ Drill

The CeaCap is the most flush option but will only work with cable plugs that will pass through a 3/4″ hole. It is threaded and will turn the wire 90 degrees so it is flush with the hull. IT will allow for two 12 gauge wires to pass through.

West Marine Wire Cap 1″  Drill

The best out of them all I have found for large connectors is the West Marine Wire Cap. Fish finder connectors with 1″ diameter will work with this cap to cover the required hole to pass through the wire for both the transducer and the power. You may run two wires at 14 gauge through this cap max and 1 wire at 8 gauge id say max.

If your in the market for a spare Torqeedo battery you may want to consider purchasing the Travel 1003 S/L battery. The battery is a little larger but packs 200 more watt hours. This means more distance for you. Designed for the 3HP 1003 Travel electric outboard motor the battery is also compatible with the Ultralight 403 system.

As the 1003 S/L battery is still very light at 9.9 lbs it only weighs 3.5 lbs more than the Ultralight 403 battery. It does not require any additional adapters or cables as all of the existing Ultralight 403 throttle, cables, and charging devices are compatible with it.

Similar to the Torqeedo Ultralight 403 the  Travel 1003 battery has the integrated GPS for your remote throttle readouts and will be compatible with the Torq Trac app for smartphones.

The chart below shows the comparison between the included 403 battery and the spare 1003 battery.

Now for the real question. How much more does the larger battery cost? The Travel 1003 MSRP is $699.00. The Ultralight 403 MSRP is $599.00. For the $100 difference the performance is worth it.

One feature the Travel battery does not have is the auto shut off when inverted. This should not be a problem if you are clipped into the magnetic key. If you fall out of your kayak or flip the motor will shut off anyway.

Although the housing and size is a little larger the battery still fits inside the Jackson Big Rig’s rear hatch.

This past weekend I tested my new Travel battery. The first thing that became apparent to me was that the length of time the display read 100% charge compared to with the Ultralight battery. Granted the battery is brand new.  I was able to fish over 5.5 hours basically full throttling all day between drifts. At the end of the day i had well over 47% of battery left. Typically on the 403 battery i would have had around 20% left.

I will attempt to compare more of the usage between the two  in a future post.

Please visit http://www.torqeedo.com/us/technology for more information.

Water, salt, dirt, and corrosion are the worst components for damaging your cable connectors.

Unlike a motor boat where the cable connectors are typically protected from most of the harsh weather conditions kayaks are completely exposed. Were out there taking waves over our bows landing on sandy beaches and constantly getting rained on.

For a small cost you can protect your cable connectors to obtain the maximum lifespan out of these expensive cables.

The  solution is simple.  Dielectric Grease and Caps that are designed to protect the patruding end of  a nut and bolt.

The result is a water tight protected Cable plug. To should still be careful  takes it from getting sand or other debris. The grease it will stick and make  a pretty big mess.

You can find these screw protectors at your local hardware store. They come in different sizes so measure the cable end you would like to protect prior to purchasing them.

I put the dielectric grease on the female plug then place the cap over it. This added protection should prevent corrosion and extend the life of your electronics cables.