Helix 5 DI Chirp + GPS G3N

[lazyMlazyK]

I just picked up a Helix 5 DI Chirp + GPS G3N for the kayak I'm setting up for summer fishing, and will use this for ice fishing also.  I got to looking at the ICE conversion kits, and noticed that there is no in-line fuse included with the kit, and the y-adapter is made to connect straight to a battery.  This has me wondering - for a stand-alone system, where the only thing hooked up to the battery is the one fishfinder, how crucial is a fuse, really? Aside from a short across the terminals, and assuming the wire jackets remain intact, how big of a deal is it to run without an inline fuse?

[ice dawg]

I have never had a fused ice fishing sonar and have never had a problem. I started using a flasher for ice fishing in the early eighties. If this is a concern for you just install an inline fuse holder.

[Baetis62]

I've pondered the same thing.  I run the same unit on my Tundra on the ice.  I considered wiring direct to the battery on the sled but ended up using one of the power boxes I made from an ammo can which has the fuse block...just to be safe.  A few years ago I also rigged up a harness so I could run my LX5 off of my Milwaukee Fuel Batteries.  Super light set up but not fuse protected so I only pull that out occasionally.  Its probably not an issue to run without but as dawg says rigging the inline fuse isn't difficult or expensive.