installing a lcx-27

[MuskyBug85]

I bought one yesterday and thought this should be easy, after opening the box a thumbing through the book i decided it might be a little harder then i thought, who has installed them and are they as tricky as they look?

[SM1]

I have a 27 in my fisherman. Depending on how mech inclined you are (im not an expert but I have learned a few things)its not bad at all.

What boat are you putting it in??

Lots of little things to consider but its essentially power to the unit and power to the gps(antenna).

[MuskyBug85]

i am put it in the bow of my alumnacraft tourny pro 175, i looked at the wiring and i am wondering if i will be able to "steal" the power source i was using for my fl-18 i had on the bow.... i also plan on puting a globe map in the back and using the same puck as i am using for the 27.

[SM1]

Im thinking what you have in mind should work fine. One thing to make sure of is putting in the in-line fuse (included w/ unit) on that power source if it doesn’t already have one someplace else.

I don’t know if you have a spot picked out for puck placement..if you haven’t, think it out good. I put mine in back starboard side. I have since installed 4 downriggers and two more rod holders (in addition to the two that were already there) and im wishing it wasn’t back there now. I work around it but I might end up moving it out of that area. I did not want it on the bow for loading/unloading stepping on it type purposes. Just something to think about.

[Northlander]

Mount it to the bowmount trolling motor.

[MuskyBug85]

thanks so much for the help, i think if it warms up a bit it will be a sunday project.

[Deep_Sinker]

I installed my 27 last spring, no biggie for a novice. Biggest chore for me was just running/hiding the wires. Also, I was told to wire into a manual off/on switch as the gps puck will still pull current even when the unit is off. It's a good Sunday afternoon project.

[sparkyaber]

very easy job. Hardest part is not having the right parts on hand. Like electrical terminations. I found since to buy a bunch and just keep them on hand. Yes there will be a small draw on your batteries. I use the boat enough and also keep a charger on it. I also have a circuit breaker for the whole boat, trip that when it is going to sit for a while. REMEMBER, only power the nema back bone once. I have heard that that is a common mistake installing more than one unit.

[PerchJerker]

If you spend the time to read the directions and think about your setup and layout you should be able to get it done, the most complicated part is working in the limited space in the boat. The more networking you do the more complicated it gets and the longer it takes to get it all in and working correctly but for the most part it is plug and play.

[ChuckN]

Quote:

i also plan on puting a globe map in the back and using the same puck as i am using for the 27.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think you can use one GPS puck for 2 Lowrances? Or at least used simutaniously...

[setterguy]

Yes you can use one puck for two units, that is exactly how mine is set up....and yes you can use them simultaneously with no problems.

As far as the install goes nothing too tricky just depends on where your fuse panel is located. Take your time, lay it all out to make sure you aren't putting the puck where you would step into the boat ect.

[ChuckN]

Thanks. It's been a few years since I installed my Lowrance/network. Good to know! I've seen some boats where they have installed a puck for each graph, front and back of the boat.

My boat has a main power switch, so I wired the GPS puck (and everything else) to the fuse panel so I can shut it all off when not in use.

[MEGASLAM]

I recently bought one too and had the same feeling. I'm definitely encouraged by the posts. Please post back when you're finished with any surprises you found. Regretabbly I won't be able to get my boat out of storage until mid-April.