Over the winter I am planning on a total rewire on my 241 offshore .. The wiring is in really bad shape .. I just got this boat and don't want any problems 20 miles of the beach .. The question is , is there such thing as a prefab wiring harness for a Grady white???? Or will I have to have to run my own wires and try to match the factory color code ?
24 offshore Total rewire
- Thread starter Barometersoup
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Fishtales
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Hi
Good winter project. Unfortunately there isn't a wiring harness. You'll likely need to do it all yourself. Wiring isn't one of GW's strong points so probably better to do it yourself. The only tip I would suggest is to take your time, dress and stake it well and mark the wiring at various points. It will pay dividends in the future.
Good winter project. Unfortunately there isn't a wiring harness. You'll likely need to do it all yourself. Wiring isn't one of GW's strong points so probably better to do it yourself. The only tip I would suggest is to take your time, dress and stake it well and mark the wiring at various points. It will pay dividends in the future.
White electrical tape and a sharpy marker should handle the labeling .. Fishtales,.I'm not sure what you mean by "dressing" and "staking" ... Please educate me
Someone was very kind in saying wiring is not a grady strong point !!!! There are a few companies ( do a google search) that will put together a complete wiring harness based on your switches, accessories, pumps, horn, wipers, boat length, ect. A little more than running individual wires , but much neater and professional.
Fishtales
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not so good = close to GW....
https://www.google.com/search?q=marine+ ... hYOpUaM%3A
nicely dressed and staked....
http://krolelec.weebly.com/uploads/6/7/ ... 44.jpg?312
https://www.google.com/search?q=marine+ ... hYOpUaM%3A
nicely dressed and staked....
http://krolelec.weebly.com/uploads/6/7/ ... 44.jpg?312
I will post some pics of what is in my boat. It's pretty bad .. I also want to relocate the fuse panel to inside the cabin for better accessibility ..
What year is your offshore? Mine is an 88' and has the fuse panel on the inside (cabin) starboard bulkhead inside a glovebox type hatch. Good spot, and it looks original. On my previous Gradys, they were always right under the helm. I too plan on re-wiring my new to me 88' offshore. I work at a Marina full time and have done many wiring projects. Feel free to pm me if you have any questions.
Jason
Jason
If you are going to do the job, make sure you buy marine tinned wire, a good crimp tool, quality crimp connectors ( the heat shrink kind with sealant) and a heat gun.
In some cases, it may be possible to disconnect an existing wire bundle, pull it ( tie a drag line to it for later reinstallation ) and use it in the shop as the template. Whether or not this works depends on many things like spots where the cable may be secured but you can't get to the clamp, stiff cables that no longer flex and perhaps connectors that are too big to pass.In that case, you may be forced to cut the connectors off before pulling and reconnect after the new cables are installed.
Take really good pics and notes. It may be next to impossible to locate OEM engine harness connectors so if you are replacing motor harnesses or gauge engine specific gauge harnesses, make sure you keep the connectors and sufficient lengths of tail wires to reconnect. If you have to splice a harness to a connector it is often best to stagger the splices by making the tails different lengths so that all the splices don't occur in the same place and make a fat bundle of splices . Bundles, if present can be heat shrunk wrapped using wide tubing for a nice look
As you probably already know, do not be tempted to solder the connections. Good quality crimps are the way to go. As mentioned, follow the guidelines for bundling and securing the cable runs.
One more thing to consider is that if you are relocating the fuse block, you should see if that adds overall length to the battery accessory feeds and grounds and if so, will the current wire gauge be correct for the new cable length. Larger cable sizes might be advisable.
Sounds like a 'fun' off season project. Good luck
In some cases, it may be possible to disconnect an existing wire bundle, pull it ( tie a drag line to it for later reinstallation ) and use it in the shop as the template. Whether or not this works depends on many things like spots where the cable may be secured but you can't get to the clamp, stiff cables that no longer flex and perhaps connectors that are too big to pass.In that case, you may be forced to cut the connectors off before pulling and reconnect after the new cables are installed.
Take really good pics and notes. It may be next to impossible to locate OEM engine harness connectors so if you are replacing motor harnesses or gauge engine specific gauge harnesses, make sure you keep the connectors and sufficient lengths of tail wires to reconnect. If you have to splice a harness to a connector it is often best to stagger the splices by making the tails different lengths so that all the splices don't occur in the same place and make a fat bundle of splices . Bundles, if present can be heat shrunk wrapped using wide tubing for a nice look
As you probably already know, do not be tempted to solder the connections. Good quality crimps are the way to go. As mentioned, follow the guidelines for bundling and securing the cable runs.
One more thing to consider is that if you are relocating the fuse block, you should see if that adds overall length to the battery accessory feeds and grounds and if so, will the current wire gauge be correct for the new cable length. Larger cable sizes might be advisable.
Sounds like a 'fun' off season project. Good luck
Jason.. Mine is a 86 and the fuse panel is under the helm...what your boat has is exactly what I want to do..I would appreciate some pics if possible... Thanks ....jbrinch88 said:
Gary
Wiring issues are already popping up... Fuel gauges have quit working ..I'm just going to go ahead and replace the gauges and sending units with updated units ..does anyone know the correct length senders to order???
Seasick ... Thanks for all the good advise.. You mentioned " to not be tempted to solder connections" ...what is the reason for this ? I've always crimped and soldered my connections and splices .. I'm also a big fan of using bare butt connectors then crimping and soldering and shrink wrapping ... These methods have served me well as a auto tech, perhaps this doesn't work well in a marine application ?...
Please educate me .... Thanks,.... Gary
Please educate me .... Thanks,.... Gary
I just pulled mine out today. When i go back down tomorrow to winterize the engine and shrinkwrap the boat, I will take pictures of where the fuse panel is.
I read your pm and I'm not sure how deep the original tanks are in the Gradys. You'd be better off calling Grady and finding out.
I read your pm and I'm not sure how deep the original tanks are in the Gradys. You'd be better off calling Grady and finding out.
Barometersoup said:
There are actually some ABYC (and I think CG, too) codes about this. Soldering is generally NOT to be used since it creates a weak point at the end of the solder. In other words, there ends up being a localized flex point and the wire will eventually break from the repeated bouncing and vibration that a boat goes through. This could lead to a spark which, in a gasoline engine bilge, could then lead to an explosion.
A good crimp, using quality connectors and a good crimp tool, is an EXCELLENT joint. If you add heat shrink tubing, even better. Add adhesive-lined heat shrink tubing, better still. And, you can even get connectors that have a sleeve of heat shrink tubing already attached. When I say "quality connectors.." I specifically mean to NOT use the ones (or the tool) that come all together in a "kit" (usually a small, plastic case with an assortment of connectors and a multi tool). Get tinned, marine connectors.