Wireing under the CC?

[cphilip]

What a rat nest under this 165 Striper. I see a lot of wires but no real way to get under there without being skinny and long. I'm short and fat. How do you access that space with the Seat/Livewell in the way? For that matter how does that livewell get its water?

I happen to have a Red wire with a wire nut over it dangling down and a Black wire also with no home that I am hoping, when I return with a meter, are going to be constant hot and ground for me but if that fails..

I dread figuring it out. There is a buss bar that I can see but everything going to it seem to be black wires so I assume thats a ground bar?

If all else fails I might just resort to running a wire completely from the battery for this Charter/plotter install. Since everything works now under there I don't really want to mess things up. I risk running the battery dead but I think I'm going to carry along a spare anyway. Over on the other side. and a set of jumper cables.

And so the upfit begins. All I need is just Hot and Ground for this Lowrance unit. I don't need the Com stuff.

[seabob4]

cp, I don't believe the console on a 165 is t/bolted to the deck.  Remove the lag screws, tilt the whole console up to the starboard side, tie it off to a cleat or bow rail...

[wingtime]

Wire nuts on a boat.  Gotta love finding those!  

If you do unscrew the console be sure to rebed the lags with a healthy amount of 5200.  You don't want water to get in there and cause your deck to rot out.

[seabob4]

Wire nuts on a boat.  Gotta love finding those!  

If you do unscrew the console be sure to rebed the lags with a healthy amount of 5200.  You don't want water to get in there and cause your deck to rot out.

Bruce, that should theoretically be...a given...

[cphilip]

Ill have a gander at that angle. Thanks for sending me in the right direction.

As to the wire nut... it appears a PO removed an electronics unit as there is evidence of a neat hole in the top of the console and its place for mounting screws and also a place prepared for the Transponder on the transom. Very neatly done I might add and professional looking install it appears. However the removal may have been quick and dirty and amature.  If I'm lucky that wire is the constant hot and thats why they capped it with a wire nut. To keep if from shorting to anything. It was a magnet to my eyes... so they may have done me a favor. It could have been lost in there.

The buss I see is Ground buss?

[seabob4]

Yes C, a ground bus.  You really don't see positive buses on boats, but you do see quite a few positive terminal strips...

[cphilip]

Wholey Moley... I'm going to be hurting in the morning

I managed to snake the wire through without removing the console. But I bent my body in ways I haven't even bent before. I'm rushing to put everything away before I set up and go stiff.

Couldn't have done it without a good wiring Snake. Must have dropped every thing at least twice. Did it all alone. Mounted the Transponder to the existing piece of Seaboard on the transom. Even took advantage of the wire clips they left behind. All new 3M silicone in every hole. Tucked the wire into the boot going into the Battery compartment, then snaked it up the side tunnel to the first access hole on the starboard side. Then managed to twist my body and blindly feed the snake from the existing wire tunnel over and grab it and make that difficult little 4 foot run to the Center Console. That one was a relief to get done.

So now that is all installed and now just got to install the front cooler seat and change the foot oil. Tomorrow I'll tackle that. I got a Igloo Marine Elite (the one with the actual Stainless Steel hinges and stuff) in 54 quart size that I am going to use there. Fits across the front of the console nicely and fully. Couldn't be any larger and work.

[RickK]

Wholey Moley... I'm going to be hurting in the morning

I managed to snake the wire through without removing the console. But I bent my body in ways I haven't even bent before. I'm rushing to put everything away before I set up and go stiff.