Building a cheap and effective waterproof battery box to supply power for my Eagle CUDA s-map fish finder/GPS.
The fish finder is available at Cabella's
http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/links/link.jsp?id=0065672020560a&type=product&cmCat=froogle&cm_ven=data_feed&cm_cat=froogle&cm_pla=2070102&cm_ite=0065672020560a for about $199
I needed a cheap battery box that would secure my battery and provide a decent amount of water resistance but yet also be easy to remove and connect. I also wanted to have a box big enough to hold two batteries so I could add lights to my TI at a later date.
I think I have found a good way to do that and am going to share it here now.
I opted for a Otterbox 3500, about $30
http://www.otterbox.com/waterproof-cases/otterbox-3500/I then added a PERKO two-pole water proof connector found at West Marine
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=112199&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10109&subdeptNum=10611&classNum=10615 about $20,
I also purchased a WKA12-5F-RC AGM battery
and a WK12V500 charger
all from Batteries Plus
http://www.batteriesplus.com/product_search/32633-Werker-12V-5AH-AGM-Battery-with--dot187-Terminal-DASH--DASH-WKA12--5F.aspxI then assembled the connector to the box using stainless steel hardware and nylon lock nuts,
being sure to apply a thin coating of marine grade RTV to all sides of the gasket and connector.
I also sealed the connector from the back with RTV being sure to squeeze a small amount into the bottom of the connector pins.
I then potted the male connector end with RTV so as to protect the cable ends.
I placed a 3 amp fuse in line on the positive side of the battery, note the spade connectors that allow you to by-pass the fuse in case of emergency.
Save your battery charger box and use it as a perfect spacer for the AGM battery in the otterbox.
Apply industrial strength VELCRO™to the bottom of the otterbox,
And to the area just under the rear seat in the TI.
And secure the box and plug it in.
It works very well for the Eagle fish finder and has days of power under normal use. The beauty of buying this unit is that it has a decent set of fish finder function and has a decent GPS with 1000 way points that you can use to describe 100 programable paths. It also has a great compass and digital display with depth, speed, water temp… etc.
I chose to build the battery box and order a second sounder head and mounting device (About $80 from Eagle/Lowrance) and I installed that in my AI. Now I simply take the battery and the fish finder to whatever Kayak I am going to use for the day and saved the cost of having to buy a second $200 fish finder!
Total cost for the battery box, with charger, $97.50.
My total cost to put fish finder/GPS on both Kayaks is somewhere around $400, box included.
I hope this help some of you out.
Peace