Aloha!
From the beautiful, but tough on wiring island of Oahu on the Waianae coast for you Tuna and marlin chasers. This is my first post to a forum although I've been gleaning information from this site for awhile now. Great resource! I will be undertaking the task of rewiring my boat and I am going to attempt a DIY job. I'm going to need some advice, tips, and general reassurance I am doing the right thing. I am a DoD employee about to be furloughed for the next couple months on Fridays and will be attempting this project with my extra time. A little history and info on the boat, engine, and prop combination.
1992 Grady White 245 Explorer
Volvo Penta 5.7 gas (Holley) 570a
290 DP
Original wiring and starter that just failed.
After getting the seloc book out, charging the batteries, getting a separate car battery to test, and doing the solenoid/starter testing from the battery itself (Hotwire at starter, etc.) it was not engaging the starter. I can't tell you how difficult a spot they put this in on an I/O. What were they thinking! I attempted to remove the bolts, but they were not budging with my small 9/16th inch wrench. After buying a longer socket/drive combo, the handle was now to long to turn it without hitting the side of the bilge. Take off the exhaust manifolds? Not a chance, due to my inexperience and fear of not being able to get the bolts off and back on.
Discouraged, and sun beaten, I listened to my soon to be wife and called a mobile boat mechanic from craigslist. I talked to him for twenty minutes he agrees to meet me at the boat the next morning. When he gets on the boat, he immediately starts griping about older boats, how he has a 30 ft. Pursuit, he's been sound boats his whole life, he doesn't need the money, and how generally he wouldn't take my boat out a mile with the wiring the way it is. Kept beating on me about battery cables, ignition switch, condition, as he looked in the engine compartment. He must have said "all joking aside 30 times!" So 4 hours later, 250$ down for labor, and one ground wire replaced, he agrees its the starter after a thirty minute phone call, and gets it removed. We hook it to his truck battery and nothing. I was exhausted from the biting of my tongue as he complained endlessly about my boat wiring, general confusion (befuddled was a word used frequently), and general poor attitude. He wants to build all the batter cables custom at 5 $ ft., heat shrink, change to the ignition switch, battery select switch, and all connectors.
What do you think can I do something like this at less than 50$ per hour? I do think I could do the cables, install starter, etc. with some great grady help.
Carl
From the beautiful, but tough on wiring island of Oahu on the Waianae coast for you Tuna and marlin chasers. This is my first post to a forum although I've been gleaning information from this site for awhile now. Great resource! I will be undertaking the task of rewiring my boat and I am going to attempt a DIY job. I'm going to need some advice, tips, and general reassurance I am doing the right thing. I am a DoD employee about to be furloughed for the next couple months on Fridays and will be attempting this project with my extra time. A little history and info on the boat, engine, and prop combination.
1992 Grady White 245 Explorer
Volvo Penta 5.7 gas (Holley) 570a
290 DP
Original wiring and starter that just failed.
After getting the seloc book out, charging the batteries, getting a separate car battery to test, and doing the solenoid/starter testing from the battery itself (Hotwire at starter, etc.) it was not engaging the starter. I can't tell you how difficult a spot they put this in on an I/O. What were they thinking! I attempted to remove the bolts, but they were not budging with my small 9/16th inch wrench. After buying a longer socket/drive combo, the handle was now to long to turn it without hitting the side of the bilge. Take off the exhaust manifolds? Not a chance, due to my inexperience and fear of not being able to get the bolts off and back on.
Discouraged, and sun beaten, I listened to my soon to be wife and called a mobile boat mechanic from craigslist. I talked to him for twenty minutes he agrees to meet me at the boat the next morning. When he gets on the boat, he immediately starts griping about older boats, how he has a 30 ft. Pursuit, he's been sound boats his whole life, he doesn't need the money, and how generally he wouldn't take my boat out a mile with the wiring the way it is. Kept beating on me about battery cables, ignition switch, condition, as he looked in the engine compartment. He must have said "all joking aside 30 times!" So 4 hours later, 250$ down for labor, and one ground wire replaced, he agrees its the starter after a thirty minute phone call, and gets it removed. We hook it to his truck battery and nothing. I was exhausted from the biting of my tongue as he complained endlessly about my boat wiring, general confusion (befuddled was a word used frequently), and general poor attitude. He wants to build all the batter cables custom at 5 $ ft., heat shrink, change to the ignition switch, battery select switch, and all connectors.
What do you think can I do something like this at less than 50$ per hour? I do think I could do the cables, install starter, etc. with some great grady help.
Carl