Results 1 to 3 of 3
  1. #1
    Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Central NH
    Posts
    9

    question about doing some rewiring on a 1990 Lowe Angler Pro 16

    Hey all.

    New guy on the block. I just got a used Lowe Angler Pro 16 (as near as I can figure out) for dirt cheap. It's in pretty decent shape over all, hull wise but the wiring could use a little TLC. The guy that had it before me knew just enough about wiring to be dangerous. He's hacked in some LED strip deck lighting as well as bow green/red LED strip lights. I am pretty familiar with wiring as I am an avionics tech and have many years wiring aircraft, automobiles, etc but this is my first foray into boats.

    He attached the strip lighting to the various locations with aluminum duct tape which makes it look ghastly. Wire that used to be hooked up to various lights originally, is all pulled out and balled up in the various storage wells with black electrical tape over the ends of the wire. For all I know, the wires could be live. In the battery well, there are spaces for two batteries...I'm assuming one is for starting the outboard (a 1990 Yamaha 50hp jet drive that has a few issues of it's own) as well as the rest of the electrical circuits and then another battery just for the trolling motor.

    I guess my question is, are there typically channels under the deck that the original wiring was fed stern to bow and other places in between like in a car or is the wiring typically run under and against the gunwales through wiring channels that are now missing? The wires he attempted to lay in after the fact are running against the gunwales and zip tied but not permanently attached to any of the decking so it is actually a trip hazard.

    If the wiring is typically fed along the gunwales, is there an accepted way of doing this like using some sort of tubing that the wire is fed through?

    As you can tell, I am a total newbie at this bass boat stuff...for the past 45 years, all I've ever fished from was a canoe. I tend to be pretty anal about things, especially when it comes to safety stuff.

    Any suggestions would be most appreciated.

  2. Member CastingCall's Avatar
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    MN
    Posts
    5,058
    #2
    Many times, boat manufacturers will simply gang wires, zip tied periodically, and secure under gunwales with zip ties or other wire cabling hangers. The lower end boats can have some really marginal wiring jobs.
    Guessing you're already planning on rewiring most (all?) of it, so you should plan to encase wires in plastic wire loom, PVC pipe, or irrigation pipe to protect it from chafing against any sharp aluminum edges. Use zip tie hangers, secured with epoxy and you'll never have to worry about the loom falling down.
    Irrigation pipe is pretty cheap, is flexible, and easy to cut with a knife or tubing cutter.

  3. Member
    Join Date
    Jul 2017
    Location
    Central NH
    Posts
    9
    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by CastingCall View Post
    Many times, boat manufacturers will simply gang wires, zip tied periodically, and secure under gunwales with zip ties or other wire cabling hangers. The lower end boats can have some really marginal wiring jobs.
    Guessing you're already planning on rewiring most (all?) of it, so you should plan to encase wires in plastic wire loom, PVC pipe, or irrigation pipe to protect it from chafing against any sharp aluminum edges. Use zip tie hangers, secured with epoxy and you'll never have to worry about the loom falling down.
    Irrigation pipe is pretty cheap, is flexible, and easy to cut with a knife or tubing cutter.
    thanks for the info CastingCall...I was going to do pretty much what you described...use some kind of semi rigid pipe to run wires through along the gunwales...irrigation pipe sounds like just the ticket.