20SF Wiring Redo

[BigLew]

Ron,

WOW, I think you are holding out on us regarding your skill level! It looks very neat and professional!!!!! FWIW, cable color coding is the only thing I don't see and that is likely because the devices concerned do not have a special color ID associated with them. It is a very minor point and i make it only in a general way. "Drip loops" assure that any condensed moisture/water runs DOWN away from the terminals and either drip where it cannot cause/contribute to any deterioration of the terminal connections and I seldom see it used.

Very professional looking, very much indeed. CONGRATS!

BigLew – thanks! Actually for the switch panel, I have a VHF, GPS/sounder, livewell pump, running lights, anchor light, and bilge pump. All of them are red and black wires from the unit. The fuse panel will handle power for the Porta-Bracket, trim tabs, 12 volt accessory plug (cig lighter), fuel gauge, fuel flow gauge, and fused power for the engine hour meter and voltmeter. That leaves me two spare fuses for anything else that might be added in the future. What that would be at this point I don’t know.

I am indeed away of a drip loops – used them all the time with outside wire in the telephone industry. They will be there when the panels are mounted.

[eggsuckindog]

Looks good to me - kinda like mine - easy to trace wires, they wiggle when you pull on them

[McGillicuddy]

Looks like you're doing just fine...
Nice plan. Keep it simple.Look forward to seeing the balance of the project.

[wtenglish]

Looking good Ron!!

Thanks Will. I have been remiss in not updating this deal. I did finish out what I wanted to get done. The wiring, with a couple of exceptions, had been replaced about three years ago. The only wire I totally replaced was the bow navigation lights - they were toast.

This image is the backboard I glassed to the port inside of the console. I mounted a six position fuse panel - it has its own ground buss - and a separate ground buss that serves the switch panel on the console. The extra coil of wiring is the tag ends for the unused fuse positions. This way if I add something in the future I won't have to be taking the wiring all the way to the fuse panel. I can pick up the battery and the ground leads off the coil and splice them in. BTW I used heat shrink splices that are totally waterproof in about half the connections (mainly the smaller wires). I used soldered connection with heavy heat shrink on the others (mainly the larger wires). I find that splices do not hold well on wire larger than than about 12 gauge.


When you compare this next photo to the original you can see the work. The cloth looking strip is a piece of Kevlar strapping that the phone company uses to pull cable through an underground duct. It is extremely flexible, small, and yet has an 1800 pound breaking strength. I found it next to a pit they were working in and they gave it to me. I have it in place from the transom to the console. There is enough there that I can tie it together into a continuous loop. If I need to pull more wiring, I use the loop and pull it through and the tape stays in place for the next wiring job.




This is the transom part of the wiring. You can see the other end of the Kevlar tape in the bundle. That tape was a life saver! All the black looking stuff on the left side of this pic is simply dirt/grease/oil. I am in the process of cleaning all that up as well.



The neat part is that I now have a ton of room under my console on the shelf, and more importantly, everything works!! Actually, everything worked the first time with no mistakes! I amazed myself! I have a spreadsheet with 4everything listed by terminal number, switch number, and if applicable, wire color. Thanks for everyone's encouragement. Had I not found CSC I would probably have lived with the mess!

[thehermit]

Wow...nice job Ron. I like how you roughed the switch panel before installing...makes it very neat and clean!!

[BigLew]

Wanna do MINE????

I can only dream of such stellar results. My work is consistent with that of native Americans...intentionally leave a mistake or less than perfect example in the total work so the Gods can enter and make it right/bless it by the gods.

Absolutely terific!!!!

Thanks to all for all the input and comments. If I had not found and fallen in love with CSC, I would have probably just lived with the existing mess.!

I may now have the courage to tackle removing the Porta-bracket hanging on the transom. Way too much weight on the back end and I simply like an engine mounted to the transom.

One more picture - my wife helping me wire the back of the console...