Picked up a 2008 Lowe Roughneck 1448 a few days ago with a 25 hp Mercury. Pretty stoked. It's going to be an awesome river and small lake fishing rig.
Got three questions.
1. I will be fishing the Susquehanna River and other shallow rocky rivers in the PA/VA/MD area and I would really like to have a bilge pump mounted in the transom area.
The battery compartment has a floor in it. See attached picture. And it's about 2" 1/2 high. I really don't think there's any way to mount a bilge pump without cutting out a small area of the floor so the bilge pump can be right on the boat's hull. I don't want the boat to take on a hundred pounds of water before the bilge's finally able to suck out water if I rip a hole in the hull from a rock.
The battery floor is really solid. Do you think it would be enough to just cut out a small circle in the floor that the bilge could fit through or would it be better to cut out a square and try to create a new lip and weld the corners together for better structural integrity?
I will have 2 group 29/31 batteries and a 6 gallon gas tank in there to give you an idea of the weight on the floor.
2. When I install new battery trays, would it be better to use screws or pop rivets with this type of floor? I am going to use the TH Marine plastic trays with metal buckles and I am not really sure how to secure these trays with the recessed mounts with pop rivets. See link for picture. https://thmarinesupplies.com/collections/battery-trays/products/battery-holder-tray-with-stainless-buckle
3. The boat has almost zero wiring in it right now, except for the 12v TM that is on there right now. I am going to add bow and stern navigational lights, a bilge pump, a 24v trolling motor and one or two fish finders.
Would it be worth it to install a buss bar and a switch panel at this time? I could see the use for a buss bar but I am not entirely sure about the switch panel. I was thinking about a going with the Sea Dog 3 switch panel that also has a 12v plug in it so I could use a spotlight if needed. Any thoughts or suggestions about how I can get this boat wired in the best way possible will be appreciated. See link. The product does not say that it is waterproof, though. https://www.wholesalemarine.com/switch-panel-with-lighter-and-battery-tester.html
Thanks!!! Really appreciate any thoughts or suggestions you have.
