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2019 EZ Drive Fitment - After Market Stern Turn


cmargosi

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Here is my ibox install location.  Against transom as close to port side rear locker as I could get it to keep the 1/0 wire runs to a minimum.  

68B274E7-A531-4C33-B53A-D2C7CEA00CCF.jpeg

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2 hours ago, oldjeep said:

I'd run as soon as I saw "we use 2 gauge wire, 1 gauge pulls more voltage."  What now?

When I saw that note after they gave me the diagram, I was pretty concerned. 

I'm no electric scientist, but that didn't make sense to me. Especially not after they told me that they had already learned the hard way 2ga was too small.

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4 hours ago, COOP said:

Our customer have loved them.

Where did they ground the ibox? If they ran a ground all the way to the batteries thats a problem. You can ground it to the engine block.

The motors draw alot of current, trying to draw through to small of a wire is like trying to drink a milkshake through a coffee stick. You have to work harder but still cant get enough. 

The larger wire will transfer current more effectively.

If you hold the switch down for a long time you will see a voltage drop, these pull over 125amps of current. 

 

My understanding was that the ground was to the engine block. 

I think the problem was with the cabling size that they used. Surprised they wouldn't have had heat issues with the smaller wires either. 

Your last point is interesting. The guys over at YG said that they never see issues with the install, but then said that they do see issues and it's usually because when people put it in the water for the first time they do donuts for 15 minutes showing it off. 

It's been hard to try and get the straight scoop from either party here in my situation. 

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2 hours ago, djheywood said:

Coop one question for you.  On my install I am grounding the ibox to the 3rd battery then grounding the battery to the motor ground.  (There is not many threads left on the motor ground so I don't think I can get 2 more 1/0 lugs on there.)  Are you saying this will cause me issues?  The 3rd battery is only about 2 feet further away from the motor ground.  I am using all 1/0 cable.  it is the largest size the ibox can handle, but it fits fine.

 

Thanks for the help.

Brian

Typically you want the shortest ground possible.

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7 minutes ago, BarliBear said:

My understanding was that the ground was to the engine block. 

I think the problem was with the cabling size that they used. Surprised they wouldn't have had heat issues with the smaller wires either. 

Your last point is interesting. The guys over at YG said that they never see issues with the install, but then said that they do see issues and it's usually because when people put it in the water for the first time they do donuts for 15 minutes showing it off. 

It's been hard to try and get the straight scoop from either party here in my situation. 

Yeah you do donuts for 15mins you will see some voltage loss.

 

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2 hours ago, djheywood said:

Here is my ibox install location.  Against transom as close to port side rear locker as I could get it to keep the 1/0 wire runs to a minimum.  

68B274E7-A531-4C33-B53A-D2C7CEA00CCF.jpeg

This is where we have been putting them as well.

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2 hours ago, djheywood said:

Here is my wiring diagram for reference.

 

 

IMG_2457.jpg

 

Where did you mount your 3rd battery? I was talking to my dealer about this and figure I'd have to rig up some sort of platform/box in one of the ski/pnp lockers. Getting a third power source close the i-box sounds like it's really important especially considering on the 22LSV, the batteries are all the way up in the bow which I believe is unlike most other models. 

 

Did you upgrade your alternator as well? I'd have to imagine under normal spot usage for a couple of 180's every few minutes, it would be fine without it. 

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My batteries are also in the bow, I didn't want cables run that long.  On my 2020 MXZ the third battery fits under the port side seat, towards the stern, pushed against the wall dividing to the rear locker.  Its a perfect fit.  

I may try to run the ground to that engine bolt in addition to the battery negative.  May be a tight squeeze but ill have to give it a shot.  I did not upgrade the alternator.  With my setup and the Blue Sea 7611 ACR isolator I should not need to but i will post once I get out on the water and see how things go.

 

 

IMG_2432.jpg

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I installed this myself on a 2016 23 LSV.  

I don't have any pictures but can give advice. 

I did move the underwater light on the thruster side.

On the 2016 raptor there is a ground point on the motor which I used, and also there is a + terminal just in front of the engine on the port side that I ran my 1/0 gauge red wire to.  There is a breaker running off of there for the Surfgates and Wedge also I believe.  It is a much shorter run that going to the battery and there is a 2/0 factory wire from this terminal up to the battery. This is much easier than trying to run the wire under the floor also. That is where YG told me to run the power to. I did get some check engine lights at first related to low voltage, but this was resolved with a new battery.  It a marine cranking, size 24 battery, nothing special, and I have not had issues since I replaced that.  YG said they would supply a 170 watt alternator if needed, it was several hundred dollars IIRC.  

I powered the Livorsi throttle control red wire off of an unused power cable for a rear video camera that was a factory option that I did not get.  It was just hanging under the dash and powers on with the boat so I tied into that.  I strongly recommend the throttle control over the joystick.  It does not power off after a few minutes and doesn't require moving your hand off of  the throttle so you can control steering wheel, thruster and throttle at the same time. 

There were a few other bumps along the way, but I got it done and it works great.  I agree that it is a bit of a work in process and waiting a few months or a year may make for a better product and easier install experience.  For instance, there were at least three different versions of the install instructions that I saw from the time of purchase (Black friday 11/2019) until install (4/2020). I would not be surprised if Malibu went to the horizontal design at some point.  

 

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I used this thruster on my M235 all last season M6 engine with 100 amp Alternator. Issues I had was with power . If your just going to use this a couple of times to get in and out the dock you are fine with the standard alternator and battery setup, but if you want to use throughout the day to help with positioning the boat while picking up riders then you need more Juice ,  We found running our sound system and the odd bursts of the thruster would bring up low voltage causing screen freeze.  

For this season I have installed the 170 amp Alternator Kit from Malibu . 

If you factory order a boat with sturn turn it  comes with the 170 amp kit.  

Ez drive website also has this 170amp alternator listed on there site as well. 

For anyone thinking about installing it I think its a great product and good build quality , installation is pretty easy, give yourself 8-10 hrs 

Only negative for me is it goes  to sleep mode after 10 minutes . this means I have to power it up before its ready to use again . I am waiting for a response from EZ drive  as I think the throttle control may overcome this. once they come back to me I will post response .

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The throttle control does not power on or off except with the boat, unlike the joystick which powers itself off every few minutes. 

the throttle control is also a less complicated install as it does not require drilling a hole in the dash, and there is not the separate large joystick control box that you need to find space for under the dash.  I had the joystick briefly (did not drill hole yet in the dash, fortunately), and I much prefer the throttle control.  It takes a little getting used to, and I reversed the way it works vs what YG recommended.  The joystick with left/right vs up/down movement is a little more intuitive.  

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3 hours ago, borris said:

The throttle control does not power on or off except with the boat, unlike the joystick which powers itself off every few minutes. 

the throttle control is also a less complicated install as it does not require drilling a hole in the dash, and there is not the separate large joystick control box that you need to find space for under the dash.  I had the joystick briefly (did not drill hole yet in the dash, fortunately), and I much prefer the throttle control.  It takes a little getting used to, and I reversed the way it works vs what YG recommended.  The joystick with left/right vs up/down movement is a little more intuitive.  

 

Appreciate that feedback. I waited until they released they released and could show me a pic of the throttle control before I purchased. 

Good to hear that it doesn't power down either with the throttle control. I didn't even know that was an issue with the dash control setup. 

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10 hours ago, LucasC said:

I used this thruster on my M235 all last season M6 engine with 100 amp Alternator. Issues I had was with power . If your just going to use this a couple of times to get in and out the dock you are fine with the standard alternator and battery setup, but if you want to use throughout the day to help with positioning the boat while picking up riders then you need more Juice ,  We found running our sound system and the odd bursts of the thruster would bring up low voltage causing screen freeze.  

For this season I have installed the 170 amp Alternator Kit from Malibu . 

If you factory order a boat with sturn turn it  comes with the 170 amp kit.  

Ez drive website also has this 170amp alternator listed on there site as well. 

For anyone thinking about installing it I think its a great product and good build quality , installation is pretty easy, give yourself 8-10 hrs 

Only negative for me is it goes  to sleep mode after 10 minutes . this means I have to power it up before its ready to use again . I am waiting for a response from EZ drive  as I think the throttle control may overcome this. once they come back to me I will post response .

 

Thanks for the heads up about the alternator. Nice to hear from someone who's been using it. 

Based on this, I'll pickup the stronger alternator. Do you need a 3rd battery setup as well at that point? Would be nice to avoid this for less cabling, parts, etc.

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Some feedback. I purchased 19 25lsv a few months ago. Took out once, brought back and had the dealer put it on. I have the switch on the throttle which is really nice. I have 2 battery setup and the smaller alternator. Been out twice since. I use it in small bursts. The thruster draws a lot of power as mentioned. I mainly notice it if I have the music loud and hold the button down over 10 seconds. Next move is to get 175amp alternator. Forum member mentioned I should do a 3rd battery before alt. I like the idea. 

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5 hours ago, asnowman said:

What model of alternator are people upgrading to? 

Its a balmar xt-vt-170-ir2.  the main power lead that runs from the Alternator to starter motor is fused at 120Amp   Malibu sells the altinator with the right Power and earth lead , I ordered from them as not to void any warranty .

http://www.balmar.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/PDS-XT-VT-170-IR-IG.pdf

I Run 3 Batteries , Position 1 Boats electronics&stereo. has 2 batteries linked in parallel and Position 2 , 1x battery starter motor & thruster  

Edited by LucasC
mistakes
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18 hours ago, borris said:

The throttle control does not power on or off except with the boat, unlike the joystick which powers itself off every few minutes. 

the throttle control is also a less complicated install as it does not require drilling a hole in the dash, and there is not the separate large joystick control box that you need to find space for under the dash.  I had the joystick briefly (did not drill hole yet in the dash, fortunately), and I much prefer the throttle control.  It takes a little getting used to, and I reversed the way it works vs what YG recommended.  The joystick with left/right vs up/down movement is a little more intuitive.  

Thanks for the heads up . do you know how much the throttle cost 

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When I ordered my kit is was an upgrade of about $250 IIRC, but that is with swapping out the other joystick, so maybe a little bit more if you are buying it on its own?

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Great thread! 

We bought a new 2019 Axis T23 this year, so a similar hull to the 23LSV.  We have a bunch of kids and their spouses who are not regular drivers and will be driving it, so I am concerned about their ability to dock the boat at our dock.  And our launch site is on a channel with a current going through it, so getting the boat straight on the trailer is a little bit of a challenge.  Also, my wife drove the Axis and called it a pig compared to her Mastercraft Prostar 205 ski boat.  But the Prostar almost sinks when you fill it with ballast to surf behind, and is a pain to change sides for a goofy footed surfer.  So we're look forward to having a dedicated surf boat .  For me, even though  a stern thruster is a pricey addition, I think it will make the surfing/driving experience much more pleasant.  So we ordered one through the group buy  on this site. 

I have installed PerfectPass with a thru hull paddlewheel before, so I'm not hesitant to cut through the hull.  But I thought I'd match up the template to the standoff mount before cutting through the hull, and the template is wrong.  So beware!  I noticed COOP has highlighted this earlier in the thread, Thanks.   

I've appreciated all of your detailed posts and I'm sure they will help as I get on with this install over the next few weeks.

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ya the newest instructions say to use the rubber purple gasket as the template.  An update for anyone following, with my battery isolator and 3rd battery I am seeing the boat voltage drop from 13.8-14 when the thruster is not being used to 11.8-11.9 during use.  I never noticed any issue with the stereo and got no warnings, but I didn't use it a ton either.  I was seeing a Yellow triangle w exclamation mark on the screen next to rpm but couldn't find a fault or error code anywhere.  Dealer is looking at the boat now.  I'm holding off on the alternator upgrade until at least next season and see how this does for a while.  i'll report back.

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On 5/6/2020 at 11:07 AM, djheywood said:

Here is my wiring diagram for reference.

 

 

IMG_2457.jpg

I am going to follow your setup for my install  You mounted the 3rd battery near the stern, any major issues if the 3rd battery was up under the observers locker (or do the wire runs need to stay short?)   How would this setup impact the onboard battery charger?... would I need to swap it out for one that charges 3 batteries?  Question on the BlueSea 7611.. this is there to isolate the 3rd battery so that only the thruster uses it but the boat/alt can still charge the 3rd battery? (is that right or am I missing something.)  What did you use for the 175A fuses you added? Thanks!  Thruster kit is in the mail so just starting to plan out this install.... hoping to learn from everyone else!   

Really don't "need" a thruster but there have been a few times in tight marina's with the wind blowing it certainly would have saved some time and made things easier.  My wife is a pro at maneuvering the boat when we are launching/retrieving and I am glad she learned over the years without a thruster to help.... but I figure why not make it a little easier for those days the weather just sucks.  

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So as with any 12v install, the general rule of thumb is you want to use the largest wire possible and keep the wire lengths as short as possible for the draw.  That is why I put the battery there, it is as close as I can put it to the ibox and the breakers where you will add the included 225A breaker are right behind the seat there too.  The size of the cable Used is 1/0, the ibox cannot take any bigger.  
 

the blue sea 7611 is what allows the 3rd battery to receive a charge when the boat is running.  It was flow automatically from the alternator via the stock battery that you tie into.  When the voltage is above 13.6 it closes, connecting the circuit and allowing the charge to flow to the 3rd battery via the 1 gauge wire I used.  When the boat is off the relay opens, disconnecting the relay and the 3rd battery from the other 2.  It prevents all three batteries dying if there was a draw on one of them.  The downside is all the batteries are effectively connected when you use the thruster and the boat engine is on (which is normal use) this is why I see the voltage drop on my dash when I use it.  The good thing is you have three batteries now for capacity so I’m hoping the momentary drop to 11.8-11.9 is not a big deal but I’m no electrical engineer so I guess I will find out.  The only thing left to do would be to swap to the 170Amp alternator to allow more charge to be flowing to all three batteries reducing the draw when the thruster is used.  Problem is you can’t just change the alternator, which is fairly easy, I believe you also have to change out the wiring up to the batteries which is a little more of a pain.
 

the fuses and holders I got on amazon.  
https://www.amazon.com/NEP-ANL-Fuse-3-Pack-175/dp/B077RJRDN9/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=175+amp+anl+fuse&qid=1589736937&sprefix=175+amp&sr=8-3

This one comes with 250A fuses and I just replaced them.  I couldn’t find a kit with 175A.  Annoying!

https://www.amazon.com/TopstrongGear-Solid-Brass-100Amp-Holder/dp/B07XRLFWN7/ref=mp_s_a_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=175%2Bamp%2Banl%2Bfuse%2Bholder&qid=1589737196&sprefix=175%2Bamp%2Banl%2Bfuse&sr=8-4&th=1&psc=1
 

My wife likes having the stern thruster, it’s just a little extra insurance on those windy days or in a tight spot. 

Good luck!  Check the inside of your transom before you drill.  I had to grind mine with a dremel.  I have a thread documenting it

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  • 2 weeks later...

Dropped my boat off at the dealer for the 20 hr service, and asked them about a thruster (I had already ordered one on the group buy and wanted to see if they would do the install).   They have never done one, and I've installed a paddlewheel in a runabout before, so I'm not afraid to cut through the hull.  And I've gone through the forum posts at length, so I likely know as much as they do.  But I asked them to move the underwater lights and repair the fiberglass from thee old mounting holes so I could spend my time (which is somewhat limited) doing the install.  They called today and said it would take them 6 to 7 hours to do the fiberglass repair and spray the gelcoat!  Coop could have the whole thing installed in that much time!  So it looks like I'll do  some fiberglass repair before the install, using some resin and then Spectrum Patch Paste as recommended by Coop.  Color is Malibu/Axis white, so color shouldn't be an issue.  Dealer here uses Spectrum products, but doesn't carry any patch paste kits, so I'll order one from Spectrum.  Only problem we live in Canada and delivery is slow.  So hopefully I can get the lights moved and get going on the install.  

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