This is a review and how to for NMEA setup from the engine, battery and devices.
FYI… this is not an ad and I am not associated with this company. I have purchased items from them and referred others over to them all with positive experiences. I like to support small companies and passionate people.
When searching about NMEA I found conflicting information and it seemed like a spiderweb at first. Luckily, I ordered an NMEA kit from Golden Channels (Marine Wire Cables Mounts - Golden Channels Home) and had a great experience. Eric was extremely helpful.
Why I chose them is that they make shorter engine cables and also can do custom lengths. The stock Tohatsu cable is 20 feet, which is way too much cable for my Whipray. I did not want excess cables coiled up in my stern storage.
Eric made me an 8 foot cable, and also a shorter battery drop cable, then a 6 footer to run to my Simrad. He also guided me on how to make the right connections.
I’ve included some pics of the kit below. Worked flawlessly.
The biggest challenge was getting the engine drop cable ran through to the engine with all the other cables. Luckily, there was one last spot in the grommet, but it was a tough squeeze.
A few points:
I did a dry run to make sure it all worked before running everything in its permanent spot. This included wiring directly to the battery instead of my power hub.
The engine has to be running for data to be sent.
My Simrad allows me to configure what info I want on the side overlay - this allows me to watch my navigation and also my engine data at the same time. Extremely important when jacked all the way up - I can see my engine temperature. Amazing how 1" can raise the temp 20 to 30 degrees.
Here is the kit:
An important point, probably the most important, is that NMEA works on a backbone / bus system. The beginning and the end must be terminated. Off the backbone you run drop cables to your devices, and from your engine, but the system must be powered. I read not to use the same battery as the engine battery on some other sites, but that is a misconception. It can be ran to the starting battery, but the power should be fused. I ran to my power block and used a 5A fuse as recommended by Eric.
The engine drop is on the left, the battery drop in the middle, and the drop my Simrad on the right. I have another pic lower down that shows these parts in detail. The series of these connections make the “backbone.”
Next is the male engine plug located in the electrical box near the front of the engine. It is tight, but I was able to connect and tuck it back in.
And the female end of the engine drop cable - this plugged into the above, then was ran through the grommet with the harness, throttle cables, etc.
Next is where my Simrad is located. This console was from the Skiff Shop, and I modified it to make it sturdier by bonding star board under the fiberglass. I did not punch any holes in the console shelf, the cables are ran to the side and tucked away. I did have to add a switch for GPS, which was quite fun considering how thick the original side console is. Luckily my dremmel made it easy for me.
Now a little more detail - below is a kit from Tohatsu.
1 - the engine drop
2 - the battery drop (again, must be powered)
3 and 4 - terminator (each end must be terminated to close the data feed)
5 - NMEA “T” connections - this allows the backbone to the extended, allows for a drop to be connection, and then termination.
6 - this is a Tohatsu gauge that has NMEA, but this could be any device - a GPS, fuel level sensor, etc. This is shown as an example, it is not required.
Note, this backbone can be as long as you want it with numerous devices - this example is the smallest and easiest example. A longer backbone cable could be ran off #5, but it would require a T connection and terminator as shown.
Another important point - the power, engine drop and devices can be any order.
Hope this helps. And here is a link directly to Golden Channel’s NMEA page: NMEA Components & Starter Kits Archives - Golden Channels
