total rewire

[bassandbamafan]

hey gang, i have a question. ok, i have a 97 travis edition 205 cajun. i think the chipmunks and field mice have gotten into my rig and chewed up some important wiring. replaced some of the fuel lines already but i am wondering if i need to rewire the whole thing now. just how hard is it to rewire? upgrade and modernize everything. and where could i get everything to do such a thing? is it worth it? the rig is paid for. i am upgrading my electronics little by little. wanting to add power poles, etc as well. if it's too expensive, i may just sell it. it all woks, but i really don't know if it's worth the time, money and effort. love the boat. smoothest ride but just wondering if maybe it's time to buy a newer rig.

[willwork4fish]

It's not too expensive but it is a lot of work. If you're going to do it you pretty much rip everything out and start from scratch. To make it easier you'd probably want to pretty much empty the rigging compartment (gas tanks, chargers, batteries etc). You can also clean up the rigging compartment too, fill all the old holes, paint it if you want (bilge paint).

You'll need a lot of different colored wire, new fusebox, negative buss bar and a lot of connectors, have a fish tape and some good wire strippers and a lot of heat shrink. I've bought a lot of stuff from Wholesale Marine, ebay and amazon.

[barbarian]

All depends on how clean and 'right' you want on the redo. It can be as simple as or as up to date and complicated as you want.

[bassandbamafan]

thanks !! if i do it, i want it RIGHT and as up to date as possible. the best of everything. it has the original wiring, 22 years old, so..... it will take me a while i know. but can you maybe give a place ot start? like which brand is the best and so forth?

[willwork4fish]

I used a combination of 10, 14 and 16 gauge wire depending on the load and Blue Sea fusebox, bussbar, cut off and switches...most of that I got from Wholesale Marine. I bought a giant kit of heat shrink connectors off of Amazon.

I made my own "harness" (really just a bundle of wires) from the rear to the console and another from the bow to the console. My fusebox is under the console with a negative buss in the rear compartment and up by the bow.

[bassandbamafan]

ok. thanks so very much !! i will research this further before i start. IF i do this. not really sure i want to. i may just decide to seel this one and buy a newer model. looking at every option right now.

[brushsjigs]

Under the console can be a nightmare, everything else not so bad. Be sure to use a fuse box, and not tapping into the battery for everything. 10 gauge from battery to thebox.. Take your time

[Scott S.]

It's easy. look up marine wire color codes, pink is fuel, purple is ignition, blue are lights, and so on. Buy the colors you need, get the tinned wire. It's simple.

[bqtoot]

One of the first things you want to do is have a plan. Go through your boat and write down/draw the current wiring. Identify how each circuit is ran and if any improvements can be made (factory isn't always the best). Once you have a plan, go through it again and re-check everything on your plan...I guarantee you will find errors. Sounds like overkill, but trust me, you will thank yourself later. I recently completed a rewire of my boat (along with plumbing and painting the bilge) and had I not made a plan, it wouldn't have gone as smooth. Once you have a plan it's easier to see where improvements can be made. It can be as expensive as you want it to be. Just don't take short cuts...you'll be tempted! While in the depths of your boat, you'll also see that plumbing, painting etc. is do-able and easier when all the electrical is out. Good luck, shop around for parts and take your time.

[92basshawk]

And by all means, use the old wires to pull the new ones......

[bassandbamafan]

again folks, THANK YOU SO MUCH !! this is not going to be a project i take lightly.

[84rickygreen]

I have a1984 Cajun Ricky Green Fishin’ Machine. I cleaned up all of the wiring and added new wiring when I upgraded the electronics. I replace every switch, pump, hose, hose clamp, screw, pass through fitting, and added compartment lights. I stripped the boat of all carpet and took it apart to ease the accessibility. Wet sanding and polishing took care of the top cap. I had a Gator Hull applied to make sure I would never leak again! The project took me a little over a year to finish but the results are worth it!

[wmitch2]

Used this when I re-wired. Easy, fast and clean. AND when a fuse is blown, a red light comes on for the bad fuse so you don't have to pull each one until you find the bad one.


https://www.boemarine.com/blue-sea-5...ative-bus.html

[bassandbamafan]

again, thank you all so very much.

[willwork4fish]

I have a1984 Cajun Ricky Green Fishin’ Machine. I cleaned up all of the wiring and added new wiring when I upgraded the electronics. I replace every switch, pump, hose, hose clamp, screw, pass through fitting, and added compartment lights. I stripped the boat of all carpet and took it apart to ease the accessibility. Wet sanding and polishing took care of the top cap. I had a Gator Hull applied to make sure I would never leak again! The project took me a little over a year to finish but the results are worth it!

bassandbamafan, I'm pretty sure I have an extra one of these in my garage brand new. I'll cut you a deal on it if you're interested.

[bassandbamafan]

an extra what? boat? or gator hull?

[willwork4fish]

an extra what? boat? or gator hull?

sorry, quoted the wrong message. An extra Blue Sea fuse box. 12 fuses and a negative buss

[Scotchstraight]

I'll take it if your still selling