chartplotter fishfinder install

So I started working on my boat a few weeks ago and realized that I had noticed my fish finder was failing.  Given that if I wanted to replace it I had to do it before the boat went into the water, I decided to do it. I picked a Raymarine E7D mainly because my current units worked for over 15 years and I was familiar with them.  I decided to install the unit in the old electronics enclosure cover.  This isn't ideal because they are exposed to the world, but I noticed that all the other boats in my marina had electronics even more exposed. I decided to keep my charplotter even though the E7D is a multi-function display (MFD). I will use it until it goes up and dedicate the MFD to fish finder mode.  I had my marina install the new transducer mainly because it required under the waterline holes be drilled and they had it at a reasonable price.  Next was the mods to the mounting panel I did at home.  The first picture shows the templates and the second shows the old chartplotter (RC420) set where it is to go.  I plan on putting a new plate on or a cover plate when that one is done.  At the same time I did this I decided to do two things that were out of scope for the install.  One was pretty straight forward and I figured I had the dash apart I should replace the side panel that wasn't replaced when I got the new engines.  It was cracked and wrapped.  The new side panel is shown below with the trim tab controls installed.  The second out of scope item was driven by having a VHF radio that supported DSC or digital signal calling, which means it can send and or send and receive position data via NMEA 0183.  The radio is in the radio box above the helm.   The new MFD (and the old one for that matter) has NMEA connections and I thought I would set up the system to support that again while I was wiring up the E7D.  Well that was a mistake. The day of the install I got the display wired and mounted and the side panel on.  Then I started to look at what it would take to get the NMEA up to the radio.  This was going to require running 8 wires up to the box through the hardtop tubing.  I found an unused 10 gauge wire running up there but the first problem was were did it come out under the dash. The second problem was what wire could I find that was 8 conductor stranded in a small enough size to be run up there.  To solve the wire location  problem I had to take apart the area under the seat where the wires came in from the hardtop and then traced it back under the dash.  I then attached a weed whacker line to the 10 gauge wire and pulled it through.  Once done I decided that I needed 2 pull wires in case I lost the new signal wire or it broke.  Both happened by the way multiple times.  The second problem had me go to West Marine (the wire they had was too big) then to Home depot (only had solid core telephone or CAT5 cable, would break under vibration) and finally a electrical supply house (didn't have anything like what I needed). In the end I went back to West Marine and bought wire that was 1.5 to 2 times the diameter of the 10 gauge wire.  As I said I spent 4-5 hours trying to pull this wire though. As I was doing this I realized that the radio I had only needed 2 of the 8 wires and only sent location data and wouldn't receive it and display on my MFD.  In the end unless I upgrade my radio this isnt half as neat as I thought it was going to be. After a long hard day I buttoned everything up and caulked the panels, but then I said I should do the other side panel which doesn't require getting under the dash but has 10 switches and lettering on it which is going to require some real work. Also I can now route the engines data to the MFD (and vice versa) via the NMEA 2000 or deviceNet network that they can share. That looks like it is straight forward but will require a cable or two and opening the dash again (nice summer project).     

Below are some more pictures.  Under the side panel, the MFD and old chartplotter as installed, under the seat (you can see the orange weed whacker line used to pull), The radio box, the display's wiring (re-purposed the old engine terminal strips that were left after getting the new engines).