1997 245 Explorer questions

[cdoyal]

Well, the maiden voyage went well today. Flat calm here in the Great Lakes so it was a good day to see what the boat could do. As I said in a previous post, both bilge pumps are shot but even when washing down the deck, it stayed dry below. Since I've not replaced the fuel sending unit, I don't have a working fuel gauge. I can look directly on the tank and see the analog needle so that helps. Does anyone know the consumption of the 225 Ocean Runners?

[Capt. Bob]

Well if they're anything like my 200 (and they are) they drink like a sailor on liberty.

Using Rick's universal formula you're looking at 22.5 gal/hr at WOT. YMMV based on hull design but...

I've found his formula (HP/10 @WOT =GPH) is pretty damn close to what I show on my flow scan meter.

[RickK]

On my 230 the 250 Yammie uses about 16-17 gph at 28-30mph per the flowmeter.

[cdoyal]

After crawling around in and out of this thing for awhile, I've come to the conclusion that a good winter project would be to rewire this beast. Can anyone recommend a good book for this? I've wired an entire house but 12V is a different animal. On a related note, the main fuse panel in the stern compartment has four, unlabled fuses. Any idea what they're for? One of the first thing I'll do is replace it with blade fuses since the existing plastic box and fuse holders is cracked and brittle.

[Capt. Bob]

Here's two to get you started.

http://books.google.com/books?id=E7uwXs8hj08C&dq=boat+wiring+book+review&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=XFCkSuuGJYeStgfjktAC&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=11#v=onepage&q=&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=oPU28cGSVA4C&dq=boat+wiring+book+review&printsec=frontcover&source=in&hl=en&ei=50-kSuyRH-SvtgeTpMibBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=12#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Have not read either one.
We have an "electrical wizard/contractor" member on the Forum, hopefully he'll post up and steer you in the right direction.

Good luck.

[cdoyal]

Chris,
One other thing you might do.  Remove one of the ground wires and cut the ring terminal off, then strip back some insulation.  See if the wire, which should be shiny copper, is black.  That is corrosion, not a good thing.

Report back, sir.

Bob C

Started re-wiring the fuel sending unit today and found corrosion on grounds galore.

[seabob4]

Chris,
12V is actually quite simple.  All 12V appliances work in basically a "circle" concept, where juice flows from the positive batt terminal to the appliance, be it pump, light, windlass, whatever, and then back to the negative batt terminal.  There will be interruptions in that circle, such as on/off switches and fuses/breakers, but the circle concept remains the same.  The "ground" side is always tied into the engine ground, which is tied into the engine zinc, which allows stray current and static to dissapate to the water.

That being said, the 2 biggest difficulties when faced with an older boat are, 1) Corrosion, and, 2) Running the new wiring.  Chances are all your positive leads will show just as much "black" as your grounds, which means it ALL needs to be replaced.  The biggest problem you face with corroded wiring is resistance.  Causes all your appliances, especially your pumps, to work harder, with reduced efficiency and increased heat.

Check the condition of your wiring at the helm switch panel as well as the breakers.  Chances are, you'll see the same corrosion present there as well.

So, now that you have the good news, it's time to get down to rewiring her.  The most daunting task is to get the wiring where you want it to go.  The 245 has a nice rigging tube on the starboard side running from the bilge to the helm area.  This is where virtually everything eminates from.  

It's not that difficult, especially when you have an entire winter to do it.

Bob C

[cdoyal]

That's a lot of great info. Thanks!
I'm getting ready to order my wire, connectors, etc. and need to decide 14 or 16 gauge for everything (besides battery cable and helm feeds/grounds). Any thoughts?

[GoneFission]

Use the wire size need for the load, but don't go below 18 ga. for anything.  Here's a simple load/wire size rule of thumb:

50 amps/6 ga.
40 amps/8 ga.
30 amps/10 ga.
20 amps/12 ga.
15 amps/14 ga.
10 amps/16 ga.
5 amps or less/18 ga.

The reason you don't want to go below 18 ga. is that 20 and lower can get very hot (think light bulb filament) if shorted before the typical fuse or circuit breaker interrupts the circuit.  If protected with a 5 amp fuse or circuit breaker, an 18 gauge wire will stay farily cool (below about 140 degrees) when the fuse blows or breaker opens.  Also, it is very hard to get a good crimp on a small wire, even when using small terminals.  

Hope this helps - see ya on the water!

[seabob4]

Wellcraft/AS, we used 16 on all but the heavier loads.  At Stamas, 14 on virtually all but the heavier loads.  Pro-Line?  Back to 16.  I like 14.  Gives me a little piece of mind, especially as wire corrodes over time, which it will, and resistance increases.  That's the enemy...

[cdoyal]

Anyone know of a source for a new dash panel blank?  I need to replace the old one because half the screw holes are cracked or broken.

[seabob4]

Chris,
Is there any label on the backside of the panel?  At that time, I believe we were using M&G out of Virginia Beach for our panels/harnesses.  I think this is the same outfit.  http://www.mgelectronic.com/

Give them a call, it can't hurt.

Bob C

[cdoyal]

Well here's a puzzler: I was getting the boat ready for its last voyage of the year and when I turned on the batteries, the aft bilge ran for at least five minutes. It has never worked before. I was messing behind the dash panel with another wiring issue so my guess is I somehow made a good connection to the switch. Anyway, the big puzzler is why I didn't get any water out of the drain plug to speak of while the pump was running. Am I missing something in the way the hull is constructed? Aren't the bilge areas and the area the drain plug drains the same? Also, any idea where this water may have come from? It's been outside in the rain but not THAT much rain.

[RickK]

The aft bilge pump is definitely in the same area as the drain plug on my boat - like a few inches forward of it - so your thinking is correct as to whether there should be water coming out of the drain if the aft bilge is on (and assuming the drain plug is out).
The front bilge is a different story.  I leave the drain plug out while the boat is on the trailer and I usually have the boat jacked up enough to drain out the bilge - at least in the aft.  If you look along the bottom of the boat you'll notice that the keel drops down quite a bit as you move forward along the keel.  So even though the aft bilge is dry the forward bilge may still have some water in it.  It's not uncommon for the forward bilge to come on as I lower the boat onto the hitch - and it'll run for a bit depending on how much water I used to wash her down the last time.

[cdoyal]

Sure wish I could figure out how all that water got in there...