Shopping list for Grady re-wire 1987 seafarer 228

[DoctorOctopus]

A friend of mine who is an electrician offered to rewire (for free) my 1987 seafarer 228 Grady with a 2012 Yamaha F225 XCA.

I plan to take him up on it! Its Free! he says he will rip out all the old wiring and just rewire, probably one long days work.

The boat is a 1987 and the wiring is TERRIBLE as per all Grady's of that era. A heap of old wiring for the original mercury in there

add ons include a windlass, trim tabs, live well, wash down, underwater lights, removable downriggers. I have removed the aft fuel tank so the fuel switch on it is useless.

• He suggested a hundred feet of tinned red and black hookup cable, 14-gauge. I'm tempted to do ABCY colors but it gets quite expensive and not sure the lengths I'd order of each color.
• I will probably buy a box of 100 Butt and Quick Connectors (and ring connectors?). Not sure if I should buy all 14-16 gauge connectors ...
• I plan to buy a panel at NEWwiremarine
• I will go with push button circuit breakers although my electrician prefers blade-fuses
• Anything else? new battery cable? replace accessory fuse panel?
• Would anyone add an ACR charge relay? (I have a 1/2/both/off switch) if so which one?
• already replaced the big red button circuit. breaker with a 40A 285 breaker

Does anybody know what gauge wire I need? Is the Grady panel 12-gauge? my original owners manual provides few details for that era and I have not found a newer useful seafarer manual.

 

[Holokai]

Demolition of old circuits/wires might be a pain as the harness was installed before all of the final trim work and you likely wont be able to pull all of the old wire out (especially wire to the navigation lights/horn/all around/and anything else fore of the helm).

Aux feed cable is 8 ga but best to confirm all wire sizes using the total circuit length and current draw. Blue Sea Systems has an app with a calculator or you can look up charts.

Double up the number of connectors and make sure you get the ones with good quality with adhesive heat shrink lining.

I’d consider getting single pair marine grade wire and some clear head shrink so all circuits can be labeled on the jacketing with clear heat shrink (no adhesive needed) over to keep the labels safe. 14ga will likely be good (or overkill) for everything except maybe trim tabs and bilge/washdown pumps. Greg’s Custom Marine Wire has good prices and can also do custom heavy gauge/battery/main feed cables

Blue Sea Systems or Yandina combiner. Yandina is simpler and doesn’t require the extra fuses/cables the ACR does.

Might as well swap out the fuse panel for a new BSS model.

Coat all exposed termination points in Boeshield or No-ox-Id grease after rewire is complete.

 

[Hookup1]

It’s generous offer to rewire your boat but not an electricians job. More of an electronic technician job.

Are you pulling individual wires or building a harness and pulling it? I would recommend pulling some different color wire so you can document what connects to what. Also a labeling machine and as above clear shrink tubing over it.

Look at Sherico in Pompano Beach FL for tinned wire in different colors and connectors. Also stripped wire.

Sherco Automotive & Marine Supplies - Buy Electrical Wiring Products & Repair Tools

Sherco Auto and Marine Supply has been a dependable vendor of USA Made Automotive Parts & Accessories, Electrical Wiring Supplies, Tire Supplies, Oil Drain Plugs & Gaskets, Automotive Wire Connectors, Tinned Copper Lugs, Parts and Shop Supplies for over 30 years.

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Make sure he uses a professional quality crimper that works with the connectors you are using. Are you shrink wrapping the connectors on?

You really should talk to members who have done this for pro’s and con’s and tips how to tackle this project.

Short of a burned up wiring harness I don’t think I would replace all the wiring. I would trace wires in the old harness and carefully splice extension wires on.

 

[Doc Stressor]

I re-wired my 1986 Seafarer twice during the 5 years I owned it. The wiring was really that bad! Without heat shrink connectors or tinned wire, things would start to fail after only 2 years. It was not as bad a job to do as with a modern boat. As I recall, all the wiring runs through conduit tubes or right under the gunwales (or hangs in the bilge). Fish tape is your friend. Once the lights are removed you have easy access to their wiring. Nothing is foamed in. The only difficult part was the windshield wipers. I never did the engine harness wiring, so the job took less than 1 day.

Hang and support the new wires using modern standards. Don't try to follow what Grady originally did.

You are getting good advice in the above posts. There is really not that much wiring on those old Grady's.

 

[TikiCharterFishing]

I suggest you run 2/0 or 4/0 red wire from the battery switch(es) to a new red wiring buss that is centrally located in the boat console. Also run a matching size black wire from the batteries to a new wiring buss. Then install one or more new fuse blocks to feed all the circuits fore and aft. Many circuits will be 16 ga with a few 12 ga and 10 ga mixed in. These circuits I’d run with 2 conductor marine cables.

 

[DoctorOctopus]

It’s generous offer to rewire your boat but not an electricians job. More of an electronic technician job.

Are you pulling individual wires or building a harness and pulling it? I would recommend pulling some different color wire so you can document what connects to what. Also a labeling machine and as above clear shrink tubing over it.

Look at Sherico in Pompano Beach FL for tinned wire in different colors and connectors. Also stripped wire.

Sherco Automotive & Marine Supplies - Buy Electrical Wiring Products & Repair Tools

Sherco Auto and Marine Supply has been a dependable vendor of USA Made Automotive Parts & Accessories, Electrical Wiring Supplies, Tire Supplies, Oil Drain Plugs & Gaskets, Automotive Wire Connectors, Tinned Copper Lugs, Parts and Shop Supplies for over 30 years.

www.sherco-auto.com

Make sure he uses a professional quality crimper that works with the connectors you are using. Are you shrink wrapping the connectors on?

You really should talk to members who have done this for pro’s and con’s and tips how to tackle this project.

Short of a burned up wiring harness I don’t think I would replace all the wiring. I would trace wires in the old harness and carefully splice extension wires on.

The electrician (Union automotive and general electrician for the city of NY that can basically do anything)wants all the wire pulled from the boat and will re-wire it all.

The other Grady 226 he did had two barrels of wire including the original Johnson OMC harness and a Mercury engine (presently Yamaha)


He says it’s easier than tracing all day long. (Label bundle and send everything out )
This is where what’s easy for an electrician differs from what’s easy for an amateur I guess ! Lol

thank you for the wire link. I also saw good deals on wire from greatlakesskipper.com that have random lengths of various wire for various boats.

is there a harness for a grady?
I was going to terminate everything on a bus bar.
For heat shrink I have some clear tubing but this seems an amazing solution : non-oem printable heat shrink tubing that fits in a inexpensive brother p-touch label maker

USUPERINK 2 Pack Compatible for Brother HSe-231 HSe231 HS-231 HS231 Black on White Heat Shrink Tube Label Tape use in PT-D210 PT-D400 PT-E300 PT-E500 PT-P750WVP Printer (0.46''x 4.92ft,11.7mm x 1.5m) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07H9V9Z3H?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_1J1GV6N9Y8R618E1ACNM

Brother P-Touch Cube Color Smartphone Label Maker, Bluetooth Wireless Technology, Multiple Templates Available for Apple & Android Compatible – White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RSC7ZH?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_RVEM2JYH828CGK3XW4ZN

 

[DoctorOctopus]

I suggest you run 2/0 or 4/0 red wire from the battery switch(es) to a new red wiring buss that is centrally located in the boat console. Also run a matching size black wire from the batteries to a new wiring buss. Then install one or more new fuse blocks to feed all the circuits fore and aft. Many circuits will be 16 ga with a few 12 ga and 10 ga mixed in. These circuits I’d run with 2 conductor marine cables.

This is a great suggestion. Presently I have 2/0.
I’m upgrading all 16-ga wire to 14 and all 12-ha to 10 as they use the same blue/yellow connectors

 

[DoctorOctopus]

I re-wired my 1986 Seafarer twice during the 5 years I owned it. The wiring was really that bad! Without heat shrink connectors or tinned wire, things would start to fail after only 2 years. It was not as bad a job to do as with a modern boat. As I recall, all the wiring runs through conduit tubes or right under the gunwales (or hangs in the bilge). Fish tape is your friend. Once the lights are removed you have easy access to their wiring. Nothing is foamed in. The only difficult part was the windshield wipers. I never did the engine harness wiring, so the job took less than 1 day.

Hang and support the new wires using modern standards. Don't try to follow what Grady originally did.

You are getting good advice in the above posts. There is really not that much wiring on those old Grady's.

This is encouraging!

 

[seasick]

Use the adhesive lined heat shrink tubing and connectors. Use a good crimping tool. Use only marine grade wire. Tinned or not, it doesn't make a big difference. Most Grady wiring was not tinned.
When you start to price out wiring, you will see how expensive the wire is. Using a larger gauge of wire just for the heck of it is not only a waste of money but can result in a larger cable bundle and possible rigging issues fitting all the cables in their original routes. Sometimes two smaller cables are crimped together on one side of the butt connector. That is a common practice for ground wiring in the bilge areas. Trying to crimp a 10 gauge with another 10 gauge won't work in an yellow connector.

When terminating battery cables, you will need a hydraulic crimper ( OK there are other more mechanical ways but good results can be a challenge. Borrow or buy one. Harbor Freight sells a hydraulic tool. It is OK for a job like yours and is a LOT less expensive than other 'brand name' alternatives. For battery terminals, used tinned only and note that the stud bolt diameter for positive and negative connections probably are different

 

[Hookup1]

The electrician (Union automotive and general electrician for the city of NY that can basically do anything)wants all the wire pulled from the boat and will re-wire it all.

He says it’s easier than tracing all day long. (Label bundle and send everything out )

For heat shrink I have some clear tubing but this seems an amazing solution : non-oem printable heat shrink tubing that fits in a inexpensive brother p-touch label maker
White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B071RSC7ZH?ref_=cm_sw_r_apin_dp_RVEM2JYH828CGK3XW4ZN

If your going to label and pull the old harness and built a new one - that makes sense to me.

That shrink label maker is a great idea. I'm ordering one today. Curious to know if the "ink" is affected by solvents. Do you need a special Brother label maker to print these or will an older one work?

 

[circuit_marine]

If you’re doing a re-wire and update, let me know. I run IK Engraving in Wilmington, NC (soon to be Circuit marine). I make dashes, switch covers, & custom parts for a lot of marine shops. I also make the OEM style switch cover for grady whites.

There’s a faster lead time, more reasonable estimate, and a better product in it for you. We do backlit dashes as well. Contact us, we have been doing this over 3 years and have an electrical engineering background and service a few grady dealers. Just made some top dash & E box panels for a Canyon 336 and working on some for an express 330. 910 317 9127

 

[DoctorOctopus]

If your going to label and pull the old harness and built a new one - that makes sense to me.

That shrink label maker is a great idea. I'm ordering one today. Curious to know if the "ink" is affected by solvents. Do you need a special Brother label maker to print these or will an older one work

The Amazon link lists a bunch of brother models it works on. the label maker I use was not listed but it works ! I assume any brother with a TZE type cartridge I have a brother p-touch bluetooth

I will spray with some WD-40 and report on solvent issue

durability testing for tze cartiefes (this is a knockoff tho) is here : https://www.brother.eu/-/media/pdf/...hash=699CD73DEFA2E8988DA5DCE93B720E2A5154C773

 

[DoctorOctopus]

USUPERINK 2 Pack Compatible for Brother HSe-231 HSe231 HS-231 HS231 Black on White Heat Shrink Tube Label Tape use in PT-D210 PT-D400 PT-E300 PT-E500 PT-P750WVP Printer (0.46''x 4.92ft,11.7mm x 1.5m) https://a.co/d/8WPBVUW

They

If your going to label and pull the old harness and built a new one - that makes sense to me.

That shrink label maker is a great idea. I'm ordering one today. Curious to know if the "ink" is affected by solvents. Do you need a special Brother label maker to print these or will an older one work?

They claim to be water, solvent, UV resistant

 

[SirGrady226]

I have the 87 226, purchased it over six years ago after it sat a few years because the owner passed away. The first thing I did was replace the fuel system, tank, hoses, and even the fuel pumps on the original twin Johnson 140 's. Also replaced the shift cables. Then on to the wiring I went. Replaced both engine wiring harnesses, both bilge pumps and their wiring, and fully inspected the main harness. I found that the harness was still very good, but the fuse and ground buss needed a thorough cleaning with contact cleaner and a small brass brush. I then coated them with Deoxit spray with protectant. I replaced a lot of terminal ends with new marine grade type that have heat shrink on them. Also I replaced most of the gauges and the two tachs, installed a blue tooth stereo. The only wires that had rot and corrosion running inside the wires were the ones running below to the bilge pumps, and to the deck lights. They were were easily replaced.