I would connect it to master power switch output and of course an inline fuse

Lakemaster

You and me both!

Not sure specifically about the SOLIX, but there *are* certain updates on the HELIX units that you cannot go back beyond. Depends on whether or not the update includes a new basemap, IIRC.

I didn't measure it, so that's kind of difficult to answer. Sorry! It doesn't take much though.

Thank you!

LOL I know, I know... I have another channel that I've kind of been pouring my time into, and I've also changed jobs - and been promoted - and we moved, AND had a baby - all since I last published on here. I do have a bunch of footage from a couple outings this past summer with my buddy from @ThankfulOutdoors, and we are also planning to get back after it this summer as well. I know the original premise of this channel was to upload a bunch of "raw" footage, but now I've got several nice cameras that shoot 4k, and between the two of us I think we have... 5, maybe? GoPros. Should make for some epic videos! I'll try to get a 3-4 minute teaser up from some of last summer's footage. Thank you so much for watching, and for the encouragement!!

@@RealLifeFishingWI congrats on the baby!! Wow you been busy 🥳🥳🥳 cant wait to see all the fancy nature footage 👀

Thank you!!! I actually was able to finish the video for my other channel faster than I thought, so I edited some stuff up quick from last summer and published it. It's short, at just over 2 minutes, but I'm pretty happy with it. Let me know what you think!

@@RealLifeFishingWI cool! What is your other channel called? 😅

That's a pretty solid idea at a reasonable price! The only issue I think I would have with this is that whenever I happen to find one with my lawnmower (we had some construction done a couple summers ago), they are always rusted. I don't mind spending the extra couple of bucks to get stainless wire.

That's awesome, I'll definitely check that out! Thanks for the lead!

Thank you for the kind words! Actually, the 175 is rated for a 150, so no need to go to a 185. Overall, I am happy with the choice I made. While there are times that I do find myself wishing I had a bit more top-end speed, the 115 does a great job at low-speed trolling. I'm not sure the 150 would be able to troll as slow as I'm able with the 115. A big reason I chose the 175 over the 185 is that most of the water I fish is small and skinny. The upgrade from the 165 classic to the 175 competitor has already created some problems with me not being able to get where I used to be able to go, so I can't imagine going even bigger again. Combine that with the additional cost, and for my style of fishing I'm just not sure I see a big advantage. Having said all that, this boat was a bit of a compromise for me. I wanted to switch to the competitor for the added stability due to the wider beam (the 185 and 205 both have the same beam as the 175, so nothing to be gained that way), and that has worked out well. It does much better in bigger water/chop than the classic 165 did, but it's still not AS good as a 20 or 21 foot glass boat would be - and again, that wider beam has kept me out of a few spots I used to be able to get into. In a perfect world, I'd sell this boat, buy another classic 165, AND buy like a 21' Triton with a kicker or something for when it was big water time. Thanks for watching!

Top speed - do keep in mind that I have many extra hundreds of pounds of stuff on board due to carrying a 4th battery, as well as the Just Encase boxes and all the associated lures, so... With me alone in the boat, on flat water, I can JUST get up to about 40MPH on GPS if I trim it just right. With a buddy or two in the boat and a wee bit of bumps on the surface, I typically run around 35-36MPH or so. My best advice about buying a boat - if you want new, wait for the boat shows. Around here, they are usually in like January/February. Don't be afraid to buy a leftover model from the previous year - that typically where the BIGGEST discounts are on new inventory. Before you say "Oh, buying used will save me so much money" - if you'll have to finance the used purchase, it makes sense to look at new. Just like with cars/trucks, interest rates on new boats are usually better than on used. And not that I'm a financial advisor, but with the term lengths most lenders are willing to go on boats and other recreational toys, you can usually afford a lot more boat than you may have initially thought. In addition, don't be afraid to buy in the dead of winter at those boat shows - many dealers will gladly store the boat for you until spring when the roads are clean enough to easily pick it up without worrying about snow or salt. Lastly, I prefer to buy that time of year because you'll likely bring it home in March or April when the daytime highs are only in the 40s or 50s, and the roads are clear - but the ice isn't off the lakes just yet. This gives you PLENTY of time to tinker in the garage and get the boat set up exactly the way you want it, electronics installed, tested, all that stuff - before it's actually time to go fishing. If you want to buy used (private party), I find the market is best RIGHT before it's time for guys to have to store them for winter. Here in WI, this year, that time started a couple weeks ago. I see listings popping up all over Facebook with language like "motivated seller" "must go" and other dead giveaways. When someone is planning to buy a new boat, the last thing they want is to have the additional expense of winter storage for something they know they won't own next year - or worse yet, storing it in their own garage and then having nowhere to put the new boat they bought at the boat show in January because nobody wants to buy a used boat from a private-party seller in the middle of a snowstorm. On the flip side of that coin - the WORST time of year to buy a used boat (again, private party) is in spring. There's a whole fishing season ahead of you, and people know that spring is when everyone wants to buy - again, because you won't have to deal with winter storage, and you'll get the instant gratification of being able to use it immediately. This time of year is actually when I sold my last bass boat, before I switched to Alumacraft and bought the Classic 165 I had before this competitor. It was a 1998 Stratos 201 Pro XL with a 200 Merc on it that would do 70 MPH. It was ALL beat up - needed new carpet, the gelcoat was in terrible shape, it had a few gouges in the hull that I had repaired but the paint didn't match, the top cap had a crack in it (most likely from an impact - it was like that when I bought it) right next to the console, the trailer brakes didn't work, and one of the tires was nearly flat. It was late February, and I sold it for $4500 MORE than I had paid for it a year and a half earlier - less than a week after listing it for sale.

Thanks for the kind words, and thanks for the lead on Moores Lures! I just looked that up, and he's a few hours from me, but I'm up there fishing all the time. I'll have to stop in one of these days. Thanks for watching!

Hello! I got it from Lure Parts Online, I believe. Thanks for watching!

I don't recall the name, but I believe I got it from Lure Parts Online. Thanks for watching!

LOL Thanks! It's been a couple years since I've uploaded to this channel (got tangled up in another channel that's actually doing quite well (about a completely different and unrelated hobby)). But, as a result of that other channel, I have invested in some pretty nice camera gear, as well as better audio gear. I have some footage from several fishing trips this season that I need to sit down and edit, and get posted. Planning to start this channel back up in a couple months as a winter project, so look for more cool stuff to come! As for the transducer, that's going to depend on the model of graph you have. Those long skinny ones in the video are for the Gen 2 MEGA imaging units (I have Helix 10s). If memory serves, the Gen 3 look very similar, and I can't recall if I've seen a Gen 4 yet. All my fishing buddies have Gen 2s or Gen 3s, and nobody I know has the coin to replace them every other year just because the next generation came out. They still work great, and none of them have broke yet, so.. No upgrades! Setting up boats is always a pain, it's one of my least favorite things to do. The boat in this video is actually my old boat, an Alumacraft Classic 165 CS. I replaced it a couple years back now with a Competitor 175 CS, and I made a video about how I rigged that one. There have been a handful of changes/updates over the past couple of years, so I need to make an update video about the neat stuff I've done since the last video. Thanks for watching, and I'm really looking forward to posting more on this channel in the coming months. I hope you enjoy the new stuff, the audio & video will definitely be improved. :)

The seat came with the boat. Alumacraft calls it the "captain's chair" I believe. That's how my dealer referred to it anyway. It was an upgrade of a few hundred dollars. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn't do it - at least not in a competitor. It's a bit too wide for this platform. I believe it's standard equipment on the larger Trophy models, like the 195.

In this video I believe those are #8 blades. I've never used #9, but I have made some with #10. But yes, I believe the ones in this video are #8.

I don't recall the name, but I believe I got it from Lure Parts Online. Thanks for watching!

Thanks, you too!

Thank you!

I connected my heading sensor to main power. No reason that I can think of to have it on it's own switch. If it's boat is on, I want to know the heading. LOL