New to boats need help on wiring

[Big Keepers]

Re: New to boats need help on wiring

Yeah crimping two wires in one butt connector is a bit hacky but its convenient. I opted to do my boat that way as opposed to buying the quick disconnects with extra tabs on them.

 

[jtexas]

Re: New to boats need help on wiring

I keep looking for butt connectors that join 3 wires or even four, never have found any - wonder why nobody makes those?

 

[wildmaninal]

Improved wire diagram that I drew up

Improved wire diagram that I drew up

Hey Jtexas I believe I know what you are talking about on the joint crimp connectors. I haven't seen any for sale around here, but I haven't been looking all that hard either. I have a couple of the 3 way in our drawer of connectors though been in there for years, I think we still have them.

I drew up another diagram, I moved the negative bus bar away from the fuse block so it wouldn't be confusing with the negative wires coming back to the same area. Maybe it can be of some help to someone else. You all were right about getting off the hip pocket for the wires, I can't even break out the check book even though I'm drawing unemployment at the moment I am digging into change and still have more wire to buy lol. My brother said look under the console on his boat to see how it is wired, that wasn't much help at all. He owns a Stryker bass boat, made by the same people (if I'm not mistaken) who made mine. Back by his battery box wasn't bad though, not many wires at all. I am having trouble figuring out how to hook up the bilge pump (not electrical) just hooking it up, can the bilge pump and aerator be hooked up on the same hose?

Chat later

wildmaninal

 

[jtexas]

Re: Improved wire diagram that I drew up

Re: Improved wire diagram that I drew up

that diagram comes up way to small to read on my screen.

The bilge pump should be a submergible pump that just sits down in the bilge....the livewell pump is normally *not* a submergible pump. Bilge pump water is going out the boat, livewell pump water is coming in.....how can they share any plumbing?

Does your boat have a thru-hull fitting for the bilge pump discharge?

 

[wildmaninal]

about the plumbing

about the plumbing

The hull has a fitting in the very back by the plug hole for one hose and it does have the fitting on the side of the boat for another hose. The live well only has one hole if I remember right, and I just bought the fitting for it because it was missing the part to hook the hose to. I only have one live well located at the center of the boat towards the back. Sorry about the diagram being to small, can't upload anything over 2 megabytes so I had to down size it. Even at that I didn't have a problem viewing it through windows picture and fax viewer for XP windows it will also let you zoom in.
I do have a submersible aerator (one of three aerators that have) for the live well, but I might end up giving it to my brother.

Chat later.

wildmaninal

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: New to boats need help on wiring

Well I have the wires ran for the bilge pumps, I don't have the bilge pumps installed or plumed yet that is probably going to be more tricky then the wiring. I am going to run two bilge pumps I bought another at Academy it only has a one hose hookup, there will be one for the live well and the other for the back of the boat. I have it hooked up were I can turn it on at the front of the boat or at the driver's console, same for the lights, I also plan on adding one more power trim switch to the front of the boat and aerator switch. I have the lights setup were you can cut just turn the rear light on (by front or driver's console switch), by just pull the 3 way switch to the first on position then you pull it all the way out and it will turn them both on. I have the horn wired up with a push button at the driver's console, I still half to mount the horn.

I have it setup were you can pull the switch out once and it will operate the live well bilge pump then you pull it out all the way it will operate both bilge pumps unfortunately but it shouldn't hurt. It might be a little tricky running the extra switch for the power trim because it uses a ground hooking to the switch, if I hook it right I should be able to wire it from the driver's console trim switch to the front trim switch. Even more fun will be fastening all the wires down to secure them. Also have the cigar lighters installed at the front and driver's console. Can you use PVC pipe for hooking the pumps and aerator up?

Wildmaninal

 

[jtexas]

Re: New to boats need help on wiring

a little confusing about the bilge/livewell pumpout switch - what if you get water in the bilge and want to pump it out, but have fish in the livewell? Or if the livewell is empty but you have water in the bilge? those pumps are pretty tough, but run it dry for too long and it'll burn up. Toggle switches are pretty cheap.

Also, most riggers won't put pumps inside livewells on account of they might raise the temp, or electrocute the fish. I use a submergible pump-out pump inside mine anyway.

PVC will work - my livewell intake is plumbed with garden hose, the bilge I have a regular bilge pump hose, which discharges into the splashwell.

Don't forget fuses.

 

[wildmaninal]

about the switches

about the switches

Well I was going to buy regular flip toggle switches for the accessories but I could find any with a long neck to fit through the hole on the drivers console or the piece that I made up for the front console. The boat was setup with pull switches, you know I can't find any off on pull switches here in town except for the one that was sitting in the boat when I got it and it still works. Academy sports (our Generic Bass Pro shop) doesn't have anything but 3 way (off on on) pull switches. Sure I have found them on the Internet for $16.00 plus shipping, heck for that I'll just use 3 way pull switches from here in town and hook one thing to them. I wished I could find a 3 way that would cut the 2nd on to off while pulling it all the way out.

Most likely if the fish are in my live well they are going to die anyway, why not give them some shock treatment ? I'll have so many switches on the drivers console and front I'll have to buy the store out of there stock of labels. I'll half to find some 2 way pull switches switches I guess.

 

[wildmaninal]

About the bilge

About the bilge

I could always reverse the hook up (I haven't got the pumps installed yet) I could hook it up were you pull the switch out one time just to pump the back of the hull out, the pull the switch again to activate the live well pump out right I know it still will be running both. The other bilge pump I have has an inlet hose plus a outlet hose, that is the one I would like to use for the live well (not exactly inside the well) even if I half to drill an extra hole. Be my luck I would have the pump inside the live well and throw a big fish in there and it tares my pump out.

I got to got to the marina, holler at you later.

wildmaninal

 

[jtexas]

Re: About the bilge

Re: About the bilge

Usually "bilge pump" refers to a submergible pump - but the livewell pump, if you put it in water it will short out & stop working. The inlet should be attached to a thru-hull fitting on the transom *below the waterline*, and the discharge should flow into the livewell through a sprayer bar. Most livewell pumps have a threaded pipe as an intake, which goes throught the transom and is fastened on the outside with a nut. Needs to be thoroughly sealed with 3M 5200 Marine Adhesive Sealant.

There should also be some kind of overflow drain for the livewell - so you can just turn the pump on and let it run.

Bilge and livewell fill on one 3-way wouldn't be so bad - you don't really care if water's coming into the livewell while you're pumping out the bilge - it would be like you said the first time - either livewell only, or livewell & bilge. I got a little confused, thought we were talkin bout livewell pump-out.

I kinda prefer Academy to BPS usually go there first to see if they have what I need.

 

[wildmaninal]

Parts I wished I had

Parts I wished I had

I am kicking myself in the but for junking that glastron boat, I believe it had the live well fittings that I need, I know it had a sprayer bar. The boat is still up on the big brush pile on my uncles land but covered now from the tree service companies dump. I mights half to take the tractor up and dig it out with the front end loader when ever it stops raining. And I thought I had every thing I needed off of that boat .

I went to the Marina and I had to deal with this one women, she wasn't there the last time I bought that first dpdt switch for the trim (the man already had it sitting on the counter when I walked in). I just looked on there hangers on the sales floor to see if they had one and they didn't so I thought well they must have it behind the counter. The lady gets off the phone and I told her what I needed, the first thing she does is walk out to the sales floor to look for it (I thought oh no she doesn't know what I am talking about somebody help me). She goes to the parts stock behind the counter and finds one switch not even packaged and I looked at it (she didn't know if it was a DPDT) neither did I but it has six prongs though momentary on off on used for a power trim. I bought it for $4 plus tax it looks used, the first one cost $7plus tax new in the package and I delt with a younger man when I called the place the first time. There computer was down they couldn't look up the fuel pump rebuild kit for my motor, or the switch for that matter. They didn't have a good assortment of live well or transom fittings.

Sorry Jtexas if I confused you earlier, I am about confused all around though . No seriously, I shouldn't be in any rush to get the boat done because the water level over here in bama is way down past winter level, mostly do to the drought I guess. All though there is crappie season comming up though :r almost forgot about that.

wildmaninal

 

[wildmaninal]

picture of my challenger boat

picture of my challenger boat

You may be able to make out were the previous owner started sanding on the boat. Over all the condition of the floor and transom seems to be good. I thought about having my one of my uncles (who owns a apolstry shop and boat repair) sow snaps onto the carpet so I can anchor it down and even remove it if I want. The boat behind it leaned against the tree is a ThunderCraft Ski boat bottom part of the hull.

wildmaninal

 

[wildmaninal]

Near Completion

Near Completion

Just about done with the wiring. I have it setup were I can control everything except the horn from the Bow (front of the boat) or at the driver's console were I have the horn button. I anchored the fuse block down in a nice what should be a nice dry area, mounted the horn near it also. I used fire or heat resistant wire split casing (like they use in automobiles) to run the wire harness through. I didn't want any more holes drilled in the hull so I used zip ties to anchor the harness down were I could (one area was the steering box). All I like is buying some big eye crimp connectors for the negative wires coming from the bilge pumps and aerators then the back will be complete besides cleaning with shop vac. I got to buy some more zip ties to tie the casing around the wire in a few more spots, more fuses and 3 more pull switches for the bilge pumps. Want to add the trim switch to the front console board I made but I might risk ruining the wooden board I stained and drilled holes for, the neck of the switch is to short to fit all the way in through the board so I will need to make a square hole the size of the switch then add a plate to mount the switch on to then anchor the plate/switch. I have the submersible aerator operating on the same switch as the fill aerator (so maybe I wont burn anything up). I pull the switch once for the submersible, pull it again for both the fill pump/aerator then once the live well is filled also with fish, push the button back to the first position to leave the submersible running. Yes I have in line fuses at the battery (30 amp on each of the 3 positive wires) one for the main 12 Gage running to the fuse block, one for the trolling motor, and one for the power trim.

Went to go fishing with my brother yesterday (3rd) and his power trim quit working. Thinking it was in the brushes in the motor again, we took it apart and my brother sanded down the brushes some more. Well it ended up still only working sporadicly like before so I got to find a power trim pump motor for a 75 model 115hp Evinrude....Any ideas where to look. I found some on Ebay a while back before his trim motor went out now that I he needs one we can't find any, tried a few other websites also. He had the pump number but forgot to right it down for myself. Needless to say we didn't go fishing after that, and the fish were biting to . I am just trying to help my brother out one reason being he doesn't have the time to look for parts. I'll half to try to post pictures of the wire harnes when it's finished. I have pictures of the progress, not very pretty lol.
Hope rats or mice don't get into my boat and chew what loose wires exposed they can get to.
wildmaninal