Wiring... what a mess

[Shakespeare]

This is just an observation, not a question. I hooked up my VHF and chartplotter last Thursday on the DLV and was just amazed at the rats nest in the console. :o Maybe I'm just a bit jaded from prior years of wiring control panels, but I was stunned at the lack of workmanship and neatness in the wiring harness. I really didn't see a convenient place to tag into for accessories, so I just used a compression splice on a pos and neg wire just hanging under there... and hoped for the best. It got me through the weekend but I see where I'm going to have to straighten all of this out. Thinking about pulling a large conductor cable from the bat to a breaker buss and having some terminals under there for easy access... not that crawling up under the console is easy, unless you work for the circus.

Just my little Monday morning rant.

Mike C.

[Harry]

Hmmm, Maybe the guy wiring your boat had a Monday mornig hang over ?

I thought mine was rather neatly done.

[Shakespeare]

In defense of CS, it *may* have been the dealer with some of the add-on wiring... but I can't say with any certainty. None the less I'm going to straighten it out and I'll post an article when the project is done.

[Harry]

Mike, 009
Just a heads up, CS reads our site (and they love it BTW) and saw your post here about your wiring concerns.

They sent me a personal e-mail about it.

Here's part of what they had to say.

If anyone ever is having a problem with wiring you can refer them to our website to do a customer inquiry and put in the message that they are looking for a wiring diagram and I will send one to them.

Pretty cool huh?

I e-mailed them back telling them you had since posted here, explaining part of the problem may have come from the dealers wiring in add on's.

CS customer service seems to be great and they seem to care about the buyer even after the sale !! 010

[Randell]

I needed a wiring diagram a few months ago. I contacted Tammy at C/S.
She e-mailed it to me in just a few minutes.

From what I have seen the wiring is pretty basic. Bundle the harness slap the
floor track on it and make the connections. Nothin pretty about it.

There is a post deep on the MSN board where the this guy pulled all the wires
and routed them neatly to each device. Man I wish I had the patience to
do that !

~Randell

[o2bfishn]

shakespeare,

I ran two 8ga. wires (+&-)(please fuse the pos. line) from a battery shut-off switch under the rear deck to the console and into a fuse block. Wired all my accessories to the fuse block. Easy solution .

o2bfishn

[Shakespeare]

I ran two 8ga. wires (+&-)(please fuse the pos. line) from a battery shut-off switch under the rear deck to the console and into a fuse block. Wired all my accessories to the fuse block. Easy solution .


I've found a 100 amp dual buss bar at http://bluesea.com/category/9/35/productline/185 that looks like it'll fit the bill. I'll mount something like that in the console, distribute the wiring to the various locations, fusing it of course, and get everything all wrapped up nice and neat. I like the idea of a main bat cutoff as I've already bumped into the motor trim button on the throttle arm, several times. I shudder at the idea of a child getting up there screwing around with the trim and possibly hurting someone.

Just to clarify my situation... the wiring to the switches and breakers mounted on the console face is in good shape, formed neatly and organized, but the wiring harness from the underdeck chase to that point looks like grandma's hair on a bad hair day. It has been crudely wrapped with electrical tape, wires doubling back and looped, and totally unsecured... just flopping around on top of the gas tank. I'll post some pics when I get the chance.

[Shakespeare]

Mike, 009
Just a heads up, CS reads our site (and they love it BTW) and saw your post here about your wiring concerns.

They sent me a personal e-mail about it.

Here's part of what they had to say.

If anyone ever is having a problem with wiring you can refer them to our website to do a customer inquiry and put in the message that they are looking for a wiring diagram and I will send one to them.

Pretty cool huh?

I e-mailed them back telling them you had since posted here, explaining part of the problem may have come from the dealers wiring in add on's.

CS customer service seems to be great and they seem to care about the buyer even after the sale !! 010


Thanks Harry. Yeah, I'm aware that someone from CS lurks around the forum... and I truely appreciate their concern. Believe me, if I find anything that warrants the factory's attention, they'll certainly hear from me. I can't say this wiring issue is a factory defect or poses any safety or operational issues, but cosmetically it could stand an overhaul and one thing is for certain, it (the wiring) doesn't lend itself towards being easy to add accessories, without adding to the mess. I'm going to straighten it out and I'll probably document the effort and post it in the 'Trick Your Skiff' forum. I just have to wait until the gas tank is almost empty 'cause I gotta' pull that sucker out of there to a have total access to the interior of the console.