07 X2 LED Install

[Davidb]

Wow, that is a freaking cool project! The install was clean and it looks great!

[wakeX2wake]

thanks for the props... i don't know that i'll ever do it to another boat but i'm glad i got it done on this one

[aaronfuller@windstream.net]

hey wakex2wake your install looks sick... i plan on putting some leds on my x-45 this winter but was just curious how and where you connect the leds wiring into? and some tips you might have i plan on doing the 8mm like you did just in red.

[wakeX2wake]

as far as wiring them in... i simply spliced into the current wiring for the courtesy lights and ran wire from there... i had to run wires for the under the dash, the two front speakers' lights, and the speaker lights at the helm wired in w/ the new "courtesy light" in the front and then each set of cup holders and the other main area speaker lights and wired in w/ the new rear "courtesy light" for the rear all in one connection there... all in the same connection (so as to minimize connections)... where the current courtesy lights come through the seat bases in the front and back is where i made my main connections... the LEDs pull so little current that you pretty much can't overload a circuit in your boat (i put my tower lights all on one switch and i have 24 LEDs in there)... i was able to keep all the wiring out of sight and in place pretty well but i was fairly lucky w/ the x2 b/c under the middle back seat is the transmission and i don't use the storage under the front seat... so all the connections are in very low traffic areas

my only advice is that when taking your speakers in and out... MINIMIZE THIS... those speakers are put in w/ screws that are screwed into fiberglass no kind of nut or anything on the back so once you strip it that's it... you have to go to a type of backing or something different that complicates your life... dont tighten too much and avoid stripping out these holes... also your tower speakers don't have to be air tight... i had water in mine when i took the speakers out of them but i did make sure to get a really good seal when doing them to avoid rattling and future "tighten downs"... i don't know if i answered everything but anything you need just let me know

[aaronfuller@windstream.net]

yeah you answered them all i plan on installing mine this winter so if i come into any complications i will give you a post.. also i will post my pics when i get x-45 done
thanks-wakex2wake

[pagelk]

Nice....I would consider it with my own blue X2, but I have red gauges! Thinking about getting the underwater lights done at Mastercraft of Charlotte this winter. Quick question, looking back, would you do anything differently? Do anything more/not do something?

[wakeX2wake]

the only thing i'm really considering doing differently w/ the project is putting some kind of tint or light deflector on the top half of the main light in the interior of the boat... its kind of bright when you look back and look into it... everything else i'm really happy w/... i'm actually considering putting two more underwaters on the back to make it that much brighter... the water i'm in mostly isn't the cleanest in the world so they don't show up as bright as i'd like but they look great on cleaner bodies of water

as far as things i'd still like to do...

i'd like to find back lights for my gauges that would be blue enough to make them look really blue and also for my ballast gauges... i experimented w/ a few different bulbs and i never could get the look i wanted so i gave up on it

i'd also like to replace the switches so that the tips of the switches are blue instead of red... i'm kind of hesitant on this b/c the red tips on the switches look cool when half of them a lit up but i'd like to know what it'd look like w/ the blue ones

i'd like a panel for the left side of my dash made exactly like the others that had the correct switch labels... currently i have the interior speaker lights on my "wash down" switch and i have my underwaters on my "seat heat" switch... it doesn't matter but something about me would just like them to have the correct labels



the underwaters aren't bad to do yourself... haha before you do be prepared for some rectal fatigue... hahaha read Sodar's thread on installing his underwaters haha good read and he's got it laid out very well w/ some good pics

[azthunder]

Extremely nice touch!! I'm inspired now to do the same...yep, I've decided, I'm gonna do it.

[Justjoe]

Finished installing my underwater lights (first two anyways). Wake, if you were going to put in two more, where would you mount them? I still have two in a box that we were going to put on my father in laws boat. Maybe I'll snake them for mine.

Got the blue switches on my christmas list. My 197 has blue, so I know they look cool.

[wakeX2wake]

if i were putting them on mine i'd have to put them about half way between the exhaust cutout on the x2 and the corner of the boat (i'm sure there's a really cool nautical term for this part of the boat but i don't know what it is) and i'd have to make sure they were at the same hull depth...

i was looking at it w/ a friend of mine and he all but had me talked into putting two more on there... i know you can get a greater intensity of light but that's really not the issue w/ me... w/ the current placement of mine i wish the light would "fan out" wider on the back of the boat... but to be honest i wouldn't have installed them any differently than i did originally...

they look awesome w/ the boat on plane and the whole wake and boat spray glow... there are a couple of bridges we ride under when we stay in town and ride the river and i've had people call me and say anything from "i see your blue a$$ on the water" to "man those underwater lights look sweet from the bridge"

ps i'm a little jealous joe... i would have requested those but i'm not too sure anyone who would drop that kind of dinero on me for Christmas would have gotten them ordered correctly