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« Last post by msteinkampf on October 30, 2025, 02:04:55 PM »
This is an old thread but one that has been cited as a reference, so I thought I would revive it with some additional information. I am starting to work on my 1995 245 Explorer wiring system, and as one would expect for a boat that has had more than one previous owner, it’s a mess. Here are pictures of my “black box” that contains the circuit breaker for the helm power and fuses for bilge pump float switches and stereo/memory. The unit was hanging loose by the wires in the stern compartment.   As you can see, a previous owner removed the fuse caps, effectively cutting power to the fused circuits. On inspecting the bilge pumps, I found that fore and aft float switch wires had completely deteriorated, the aft bilge pump and float switch wires had been cut, and a new (undersized) aft bilge pump had been installed and wired separately. I’m not surprised that this was done, since bilge access was limited until I cut an access hatch in the rear fishbox. The forward pump had been directly connected to a helm switch, bypassing the deteriorated float switch there. The old pumps worked perfectly once they were removed and cleaned; I plan to replace them using new float switches. Several things about this black box caught my eye: (1) The breaker is 50 amps rather than 40 amps as described above. Perhaps that is typical of the 1995 245 Explorer. (2) Unlike previous descriptions, there is only one power lead entering the box. Turning one of the battery switches to “Off” cuts power to everything in the box. The wiring looks original; could it have come this way from the factory, or did a previous owner change the wiring in the distant past? (3) The fuses appear to be mislabeled. I’m pretty sure the orange wire supplies stereo/memory, the larger brown/red wire is for the aft bilge pump float switch, and the smaller brown/red wire is for the forward pump switch. (4) There is a yellow wire in the bundle that leads to but does not enter the black box. The other end of this wire ends in the helm and is not connected to anything. What could this wire have supplied? I’ve already splurged on some Blue Sea Systems waterproof fuse holders, and I’m planning to restore a separate power lead to the fused float switches unless someone thinks this is a bad idea. Comments would be appreciated. M
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« Last post by kaptainkoz on October 30, 2025, 01:20:22 PM »
Thank you Dan I really appreciate the praise. I will tell you this …. Keep your eye out for the opportunity to make the time. I too got massively sidetracked by life but the pieces fell into place and I was able to get this far. I don’t know what tomorrow brings and I hope I can finish the boat. I have enjoyed the process and the creative outlet so every step has brought me deep satisfaction even if I was to stop today. My best suggestion is get a 1-1/2” binder and start dream-storming ideas. Think of something? Jot it down, punch 3 holes and put it in there. See a fitting or part you like? Print it out and put it in there. My binder has been an invaluable collection of day dreams and think tank. It became the blueprint that sped the process once the resin started pouring. Did I use everything? No. But if I didn’t it became the platform that I improved off of. It has taken me much longer to finish than I ever anticipated but mostly because I keep moving the finish line as my confidence grew. That’s okay as I said I enjoyed every day working on it… except for maybe sanding old fiberglass in August!!!! Planning also lets you remain diligent for deals. Most of my purchases were from Craigslist and now Facebook Marketplace at massive savings. You just have to keep looking and strike fast when it hits. 50 year old teak out of an attic doesn’t come around often. The build doesn’t have to be expensive. Thanks for looking at my build. I wish you luck and look forward to following your journey.
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« Last post by DanB on October 30, 2025, 12:42:55 PM »
It really is coming along nicely! Hopefully I will start back up very shortly on the 250 CCP after getting sidetracked over the last couple of years.
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« Last post by kaptainkoz on October 30, 2025, 12:52:07 AM »
Getting ready to put the rub rail back on. Before I do I sealed the seam of the two halves of the boat with 5200. There was some original sealant there but I gave it another coat. Buffed the cap and applied Collinite wax to give it a seal for the winter. I also sealed the floor with Star Brite non skid deck wax. I want to make sure nothing stains the virgin gelcoat. It’s so shiny and clean. The photos do not do it justice. It’s breathtaking to me to see it this way. Still some dimpling/orange peel in the gel coat so I may wet sand again in the spring in some spots. May leave it for fear of rubbing through. Who knows. Every blemish is screaming at me right now I need to just move on and let things be. I also installed the floor drains and the hatch drains. The fore hatch drain is 100% complete and drains through the original starboard mid thru hull location. All thru hulls are bronze now. No plastics. The transom floor drains still have to be connected to the thru hulls. Problem is I cannot bend the white sanitary drain hose that aggressively so I will have to install nylon barbed 90’s. I will also have to add a thru hull for the aft hatch drain… probably right next to the starboard aft thru hull. Not thrilled about making another hole in the boat but I’ll get into more detail on plumbing the transom drains later. Still have to figure out what I’m doing with the live well. Right now it has no holes in it at all so it doesn’t drain. Not crazy about draining fish muck into the bilge so I have to rig some sort of pump maybe. I have a few ideas but I can finish that at any time. I do not want to do any rigging without the transom cap in place. If I can install it with the cap in place I can remove it with the cap in place. I don’t want to rig then add the cap then realize I can’t reach something. That cap isn’t coming back off (If I can help it).        
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« Last post by msteinkampf on October 29, 2025, 05:43:12 PM »
We reinstalled the rub rail by cleaning the salvaged rigid vinyl pieces and reinstalling them. The rail had been installed by the builder using sheet metal screws and no sealant, but for the replacement we used truss-head screws and SikaFlex 291LOT, a much more secure attachment in my opinion. We replaced the damaged port corner at the stern by securing one end of the new piece with a screw, gently heating the rail with a heat gun, carefully bending it around the corner, and holding it in place until it had cooled.   We then inserted the flexible insert, starting at the stern and proceeding around the hull. This required using a heat gun to make the insert more flexible. I recall SeaBob saying that at the factory they stretched the insert while installing it to make it easier to install, but we specifically avoided doing this to minimize the risk of the insert pulling out from the vinyl piece at the prow as it cooled. We used WD-40 to lubricate the insert, but soapy water or silicone spray would probably have done just as well. This was a tedious two-man job that required 1 hour and 40 minutes to accomplish, but it looked great on completion. The original insert was gray, but this color is no longer available, and I prefer the look of a black rail anyway.  M
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« Last post by msteinkampf on October 29, 2025, 05:06:44 PM »
I repaired the hull-to-deck joint by grinding down the damaged areas, applying some 6-ounce fiberglass cloth under the lip of the joint, and finishing with polyester structural repair putty and a brushed-on layer of gel coat. We then cut some one-inch-wide spacers from fiberglass salvaged from the deck that had been previously cut out over the fuel tank.  We next reinstalled the Starboard under the bow sprit and applied a bead of SikaFlex 292 (similar to 3M 5200) as high as we could up into the joint.  We then buttered the spacers with the SikaFlex 292, inserted them into the joint space, and secured the joint with sheet metal screws and machine screws with Nylock nuts and fender washers. We used fiberglass spacers inside the cabin as back plates, a tedious two-man job. We then further filled in the joint with SikaFlex 291LOT, a product which I believe is similar to what the builder used to seal gaps in the joint. This was the final result.  After the repair, the bow sprit and prow seemed solid, with none of the flexing that we had encountered before the repair. M
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« Last post by msteinkampf on October 29, 2025, 04:29:23 PM »
Meanwhile, I filled in the cut lines in the deck. Note how the gel coat color changes with sanding.   I didn’t want to spend a lot of time on this job, so after cleaning out the kerf, I just taped off the non-skid, filled in the kerf with TotalBoat polyester structural repair putty, and painted on a couple of coats of gel coat. (I didn’t bother to try to color match this.) I figured that if this repair failed, I could sand it down and apply some fiberglass cloth before gel coating. M
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« Last post by msteinkampf on October 29, 2025, 04:08:36 PM »
I used the matches to drip the pigment onto the spoons. I used some table saw scraps to mix the pigment with the gel coat in the spoons.
M
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« Last post by Ulysses485 on October 29, 2025, 11:54:01 AM »
Nice work! That gelcoat color matching is no easy task! I have to ask, what are the matches for? Safe to assume small mixing sticks?
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« Last post by RickK on October 29, 2025, 11:41:39 AM »
Looks good
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