Cleaning Up Stern Wiring

[Hot Runr Guy]

That's the replaceable cartridge style of pump, so it's pretty easy to put a fresh cartridge in. You should confirm if Warriors' wiring completely kills the power to the auto-bilge float switch next to the pump, if so, then I'd prefer the float switch be wired directly to the battery (with a fuse), so even if you turn off the master switch, the pump still operates if needed.

Most of the tin boats I've own had round deck plates in the splashwell, just make sure you get a style that can be sealed. Mine have been threaded with an o-ring.

https://thmarinesupplies.com/product...ut-deck-plates

HRG

[Albertan]

Originally Posted by DBH

Functionally check the pump for auto and manual volume. If it gives good volume output, secure the plate and move on.

There is no access to secure the plate at the moment. I only managed to pull it up out of the bilge area to take that picture by pulling on the wires.

[Albertan]

Originally Posted by Hot Runr Guy

That's the replaceable cartridge style of pump, so it's pretty easy to put a fresh cartridge in. You should confirm if Warriors' wiring completely kills the power to the auto-bilge float switch next to the pump, if so, then I'd prefer the float switch be wired directly to the battery (with a fuse), so even if you turn off the master switch, the pump still operates if needed.

Most of the tin boats I've own had round deck plates in the splashwell, just make sure you get a style that can be sealed. Mine have been threaded with an o-ring.

https://thmarinesupplies.com/product...ut-deck-plates

HRG

That deck plate is exactly what I was thinking of using. I think I'll have to place one to get access to the pump and float to even test them.

[Snowking]

I would just use blue sea systems bus bar in the back of the boat. Since everything should be fused already. They also have battery clamps for your round lugs that convert to the bolt type. For wires you want to hook up direct to the battery. From the picture it looks like you have the bolts and lugs on your battery. You do not have to put everything on to the existing bolt down lugs that way. You should be able to look up your kicker motor model to see if it outputs amps. I would think if it has power tilt and trim it would have a alternator. If not you will have to be carefully about running downriggers with no power being added back in to the battery. For me I would not bother with a cut off switchs for the motors. Just wire those direct to the battery. I sure the downriggers suggest going right to the battery because of the amps they suck down when running.

[DBH]

I would check with Warrior, if you can, before putting an inspection or access port in. I'd want to understand if it is possible, what size(s) they would suggest, and if this is a stressed area, what type of support might be required. BTW, I'm installing a 2nd bilge pump ( auto) as soon as I can unwrap the boat. I don't see how that can be accomplished with the access port on the Lund, so stuff is coming out. I think it's just going to be ugly and time consuming.

[Albertan]

I'd like to add a second bilge pump as well. I'm not sure how (or if it's even possible) to tie it in with the original. That'll likely be a project for next winter though. I'll just make sure the one I have functions properly and call it good for this year.

On a separate note, I spent all day out in the shop and got lots done. I'll have a few surprises to share soon.

[Albertan]

Well, I haven't been posting because I've been busy working in the shop. I'm not quite done yet, but I'm almost there. Which is good because the ice is going to come off my lake any day now and I want to do some on the water testing. Anyways, I thought I'd post some picture of my progress. Hmmm. Where to start?

The battery and its charger were located under the splash well. I debated moving the battery in this thread due to long-standing issues with being stern heavy. I had decided to leave the battery alone, as moving it seemed to be quite complicated to rewire in a different location. But as I continued through the project, it became apparent that there was a lot of additional outboard wiring coiled up under the splash well. By relocating/cleaning up wiring in the splash well, I had enough cable on the 300 to relocate the battery to the TM battery storage between the front seats. The 9.9 kicker required an additional 12" to be spliced in (so close). But as it was only 8 gauge wire and I had all the tools for the job, it was a simple task. I'm stoked to move the 60lb battery forward six feet. Incidentally, I have 360lbs of batteries on my boat!

[Albertan]

With the battery gone from the stern, there didn't seem to be much point keeping the MK 106 back there. Besides, I had to upgrade it to a 2 bank charger to also charge my new electronics battery. Even though the old MK 345 on my boat has work flawlessly for a decade, I decided to upgrade my chargers to new MK230PC & MK345PC Precision Charge units. My rational was that I would be leaving the boat plugged in on the lift for extended periods, and I felt safer doing so with PC units.

Since the relocated cranking battery is sitting where the old MK 345 was, I had to find a new home for both chargers. I decided to mount them in a storage box below my front rod locker than I had never used previously. It turned out to be a perfect fit, with none of the batteries more than three feet away. It also kept with my theme of moving weight forward on the boat. I used to have my chargers hard-wired to a plug near the transom, which was nice for plugging in with the travel cover on. But the plug was under-rated for my new chargers, and Minn Kota voids the warranty on your shiny new charger if you alter the power lead at all. After some hemming and hawing, I decided to put the plug inside the front rod locker above the chargers. It's a nice, covered location for the plug, and I can still run an extension to the splash well before putting the cover on if need be. I also did something a little different...I put a separate plug in for each charger with a Y-cable to connect them. This gives me the option to charge only the 36V TM bank or only the cranking & electronics battery if I wish. I have 15A service to my dock, so this option will let me charge the TM batteries faster if I want to. It's also a bit of a safety thing, since the NOCO plugs I used are only rated for 13A each, but the chargers combined can draw 17A. Probably not a big issue. But a little added safety with some charging option is a win in my book.

[Albertan]

Cleaning up the splash well has been an epic project. A lot of re-routing of wires was required, as well as ordering and waiting for rigging parts to arrive. I wanted to put an access plate in the splash well to give me access to sort the bilge pump. I also wanted to clean up the eyesore rigging of my outboards to a more modern rigging tube. I've been up and down the wiring harness of my boat so many times I know it like the back of my hand now. Unfortunately, my DF300 and its fly-by-wire throttle system have lost communication with each other, with the battery being disconnected and me undoing the harness to re-route wires into the new rigging tube. So now I have to take it in to a dealer to get them to re-initialize everything with a laptop. Oh well...

Because of the range of motion of the main outboard with the jack plate and the trim-tilt and turning, I had to modify the rigging tube to get it to work. Usually, the tube threads into a fitting at each end. On the outboard itself, I zip-tied it to a large rubber grommet which seems to work really well. On the splash well, I had the trim the threads on the fitting so that the tube actually slides in and out of the splash as the outboard is moved around its range of motion. So far it seems to work well, but I'll have to watch it closely on the water for the first bit.

I also put a small 2" cable boot adjacent to the 9.9 & the Vantage to allow me to run their power wires directly under the splash well without big long runs into the boot on the starboard wall as was done originally. I also have the power wires for the down riggers sitting pushed into those boots, ready to be pulled out when the riggers are to be used but otherwise out of the way. I'm really happy with how this turned out. It much cleaner now. I may get a bit more water into the bilge area now if I take a big wave over the transom. But, honestly, the big motor rigging tube and the port and starboard 2" cable boots are all tight enough that the amount of water that would get through them into the bilge area is negligible. I'm still not happy with the fuel lines and primer bulbs, but that's going to be a project for next winter at this point.

[DBH]

That was a big effort, and it looks great.
Still a couple of projects to do before putting the boat in the water.
Hope your CG issues are sorted out now.