How do I identify the fuses on my 2002 282 Sailfish?

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Location
Mazatlan, Sinaloa
Model
Sailfish
Hello all and thank you for any advice. I just bought a 2002 282 Sailfish and the under-dash fuses have no labels. Can anyone please send a photo of the original labels for a 2002 282 Sailfish?
 
Get the wire colors off from the GW owners manual and look at the fuse block. Mine isn't labeled either. Sometime you have to figure these things out on a 23 year old boat!
 
I'm on my 3rd boat at this point. My strong opinion is that one of the most important things to do is take the time to fully document ALL the wiring on the boat. While the manufacturer's manual is decent, it is only the starting point. In this case, your boat is approaching 25 years old, and presumably has had several owners, not to mention various installers/boatyards working on it over the years.

My approach is to take the documentation in stages. Start with the batteries and everything connected to them. Identify every wire. I use Microsoft products to build a diagram. I use powerpoint, but all the shapes work in excel and word too. Once you have the battery wiring diagrammed, work outwards from there - sounds like you may have a single fuse panel. This involves trial and error, but remove each fuse and figure out what does not work. For this diagram it is important to note the fuse size, so you can ensure you have extras for each on board.

The third step is to diagram any NMEA wiring which may be installed.

Fourth is AC, if any exists on the boat.

Once all this is done, you'll know the boat inside and out, and be able to quickly troubleshoot any other issues in the future. I laminated my diagrams and keep a copy in the important documents on board.

This process is admittedly tedious, and you'll do more than your share of head scratching, but the end result is worth the pain.
 
Thanks. Owner's Manual also not labeled. There is an Accessory Wiring and Fuse Chart - I am hoping for a photo of the fuse block with labels
Oh, that stinks.

The other thing to do (which is still quite easy) is to use the wire color code as that will tell you what each circuit is.

EDIT: I see Hookup already did the majority of your homework for you
 
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Get the wire colors off from the GW owners manual and look at the fuse block. Mine isn't labeled either. Sometime you have to figure these things out on a 23 year old boat!
Thank you and Dennis G - I am always amazed how your giving me one more step has me on track to solution!
 
I'm on my 3rd boat at this point. My strong opinion is that one of the most important things to do is take the time to fully document ALL the wiring on the boat. While the manufacturer's manual is decent, it is only the starting point. In this case, your boat is approaching 25 years old, and presumably has had several owners, not to mention various installers/boatyards working on it over the years.

My approach is to take the documentation in stages. Start with the batteries and everything connected to them. Identify every wire. I use Microsoft products to build a diagram. I use powerpoint, but all the shapes work in excel and word too. Once you have the battery wiring diagrammed, work outwards from there - sounds like you may have a single fuse panel. This involves trial and error, but remove each fuse and figure out what does not work. For this diagram it is important to note the fuse size, so you can ensure you have extras for each on board.

The third step is to diagram any NMEA wiring which may be installed.

Fourth is AC, if any exists on the boat.

Once all this is done, you'll know the boat inside and out, and be able to quickly troubleshoot any other issues in the future. I laminated my diagrams and keep a copy in the important documents on board.

This process is admittedly tedious, and you'll do more than your share of head scratching, but the end result is worth the pain.
Very solid advice and I will just be getting started. I have three fuse panels - one under dash, one in upper electronics box and one in second berth for the extensive electronics package - All NMEA which I know nothing about. I am familiar with the Garmin chartplotters, but now I have a Lowrance Radar and a killer 1KW Airmar transponder tied to the Lowrance sonar.

My batteries are set up as 4 batteries in two sets of parallel - since everything DC runs off of Battery switch 1 it seems like I should wire three in parallel and just have one stand alone to start engine #2. Great tip on using Powerpoint for diagrams. I can probably do one for how the batteries are wired and after learning that move on.

I haven't even connected the shore power to see what portions of the AC system work.

Thank You!
 
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Thanks. I needed Hookup's next step to realize I need to go from the color-coded list to the wires at the fuse box.
Sure! It's all pretty easy to do, but I know what you mean. Sometimes you just need that little push in the right direction and then CLICK... it all makes sense.

Do you like spaghetti? That will make sense soon........... :)