Wiring from Scratch

[BrendellaJet]

Im a dumb harley mechanic and was thinking about doing the same to my boat this winter. I have a couple questions...Why is the ammeter a fire hazard? And I see alot of boats using butt connectors. Wouldnt it be alot stronger to solder every connection? Just a couple rookie questions for the jet boat gurus.
The ammeter is a hazard because it has full system voltage running through it, not just to it, but through it. A volt meter has fused power running to it.

[GAWnCA]

here are all the before pics i could find there are 2 pages
http://www.msnusers.com/martinoboat/wiring.msnw?Page=1
Do you think it's a good idea to have the terminal block located right in the path of back-wash? I never have understood why people do it this way.
I does look like you have/had the same mess I'm looking at. I don't have a terminal block anywhere, though.
I think I'll check out Molex and see what kind of snap/locking connectors I can get so that I can disconnect wire runs as I might need to.

[PC Rat]

Do you think it's a good idea to have the terminal block located right in the path of back-wash?
I've wondered that myself. I mounted mine up high on the transom.
I used the non-insulated terminals and bulk heat shrink tubing with the glue in it. I figure that if I crimp it first, I don't risk breaking through the insulation. The crimp for a non-insulated terminal seems a little tougher than insulated also. I've heard some people say that soldering the connection makes it more brittle - I don't know.
Here's another color chart:
Blk -Grounds-General
Blk/Brn -Pump Grounds
Blk/Red -Voltmeter Grounds
Blk/Org -Isolated Accessory Grounds
Blk/Yel -ignition stop
Blk/Grn -Water Level Sender Ground
Blk/Blu -Lighting Grounds
Blk/Gry -Nav Light Grounds
Blk/Wht -Battery Parallel Solenoid
Brown -Pumps-General, Bilge or Sump (Manually Switched)(Also alternator starter to Ign.)
Brn/Red -Pumps, Bilge or Sump
Brn/Org -Power feed to Auto Bilge Switches-Pumps, Fuel/Oil Tranfer or Priming
Brn/Yel -Baitwell or Aerator
Brn/Grn -Fresh Water Pump/Water Maker
Brn/Blu -Head Pump
Brn/Vio -Washdown Pump
Brn/Wht -trim pos sender
Red - Battery Feeds Unprotected
Red/Vio -Misc. Accy. Main Feed Protected (fused) from batt to trim panel.
Pink -Fuel Sender
Org/Blk -Audio System Feed
Org/Brn -Electric Head-Sanitation System
Org/Red -Wiper Port
Orange -Accessories common feed- Dist Panel to Acc switch-Anode Electrode-Mercathode
Org/Yel -Diesel Pre-heat
Org/Grn -Wiper Stbd
Org/Blu -Communications Equipment
Org/Vio -Navigation Equipment
Org/Wht -Wiper Center
Yel/Blk -Choke - Neutral saftey trans mounted
Yel/Red -Start Solenoid(starting circut), Neutral Safety
Yel/Org -Powered Ventilation, Fans
Yellow -Bilge Blowers -(also alternator DC output)
Yel/Wht -Rudder Angle Sender
Grn/Red -Stop Solenoid/Kill Switch
Grn/Yel -AC Grounding
Green -Bonding
Grn/Wht -Engine Trim in and or tilt down
Grn/Org -Engine Independent Trim down
Blu/Blk -Cabin Lights
Blu/Brn -Oil Temp Send
Blu/Red -Cabin or Cockpit Lights Port
Blu/Org -Engine Independent Tilt Up
Blu/Yel -Lighting Circuits to Remote Send
Blu/Grn -Cabin or Cockpit Lights Stbd
Blu -Instrument & General Lighting
Blu/Vio -Courtesy, Boarding Lighting
Blu/Wht -Engine Trim Outand/or Tilt Up
Light Blue -Oil Pressure
Vio/Red -Eng. or Generator B+ from Breaker
Vio/Yel -I/O Trim Up (ballast bypass)
Vio/Grn -I/O Trim Down
Vio -12v Ignition-Generator or Engine
Vio/Wht -Trim "Trailer" switch
Gry/Blk -Mast Light
Gry/Red -Spotlight Remote
Gry/Org -Docking Lights
Gry/Grn -Strobe or Beacon
Gry/Blu -Spreader/Flood Lights
Gry/Vio -Windlass/Winch
Gray -Navigation (running) Lights, Tach. Send
Gry/Wht -Anchor Light
Wht/Brn -Temp. Alarm or Indicator
Wht/Red -Fuel Alarm or Indicator -((Ignition module to Dist.)Mercury Thunderbolt Ignition)
Wht/Org -Fire Alarm or Indicator
Wht/Yel -Air Flow Alarm or Indicator
Wht/Grn -Water Press/Flow Alarm or Indicator - ((Ignition module to Dist.)Mercury Thunderbolt Ignition)
Wht/Blu -Oil Press Alarm or Indicator
Wht/Vio -Voltage Alarm or Indicator
White -General Alarm Usage, Yamaha Kill Switch
Tan - Water Temp sender
Tan/Blu -Warning system sense wire (Audio warning)
Pink -Fuel sender

[roostwear]

Apparently I spent more time under the dash than taking pics, but you can get a idea what's involved.
First layout your gauges the way you want them. This will determine how the circuits layout behind the dash. This is why I dislike the readymade harnesses... they often times determine your gauge layout.
http://www.vintagerodcomponents.com/boat/wire4.jpg
Next, take a little time to measure the terminal spacing and make a sketch. Better yet, take a piece of scrap plywood, cut your holes as they are in the dash and mount your gauges to it. Do as much as you can on the bench, not on your back. As you can see, I used a copy of the wiring diagram that Cas posted as a starting point.
http://www.vintagerodcomponents.com/boat/wire1.jpg
Make sure you leave plenty of wire to make the runs to the engine and other components. Doing as much as you can on the bench also makes it easier to solder the connectors.
Make sure you know which circuits are where and how you will route them.
http://www.vintagerodcomponents.com/boat/wire3.jpg
I mounted the fuse block under the dash to keep it dry and make the layout cleaner. I chose an ATC style fuse block 'cuz you can find them ANYWHERE.

[roostwear]

Oh, one more thing. Practice daisychaining connectors for feeds and grounds. It'll save you a TON of time, and will make a much cleaner layout. The downside is you must do a LOT more planning before starting for it to come out right.
http://www.vintagerodcomponents.com/boat/wire5.jpg

[GAWnCA]

Oh, one more thing. Practice daisychaining connectors for feeds and grounds. It'll save you a TON of time, and will make a much cleaner layout. The downside is you must do a LOT more planning before starting for it to come out right.
http://www.vintagerodcomponents.com/boat/wire5.jpg
This is where the mock-up dash panel would really come in handy. You could make up the entire harness, wrap it up and be ready to just bolt to the gauges when you re-install them in the dash. Where do you get your terminals and preglued shrink tubing?

[roostwear]

This is where the mock-up dash panel would really come in handy. You could make up the entire harness, wrap it up and be ready to just bolt to the gauges when you re-install them in the dash. Where do you get your terminals and preglued shrink tubing?
You could make up the dash and finish the harness after you've routed it in the hull, but you get the idea how much easier it is to do whatever you can on the bench.
The majority of the supplies were bought in bulk at a local electronic supply (Orvac). I don't bother using readymade harnesses or repairing a POS harness anymore..... it's easier to make a new one.

[GAWnCA]

You could make up the dash and finish the harness after you've routed it in the hull, but you get the idea how much easier it is to do whatever you can on the bench.
The majority of the supplies were bought in bulk at a local electronic supply (Orvac). I don't bother using readymade harnesses or repairing a POS harness anymore..... it's easier to make a new one.
I tried using their web site and it goes to no where!

[roostwear]

Their site sucks, but since I'm local, I just head over and stock up. You'll need to do some poking around and find a supplier in your area. It really helps having one local when you need a 16ga lug for a 3/8" stud. You don't need 100 of them, but when you need it, you need it.

[GAWnCA]

Their site sucks, but since I'm local, I just head over and stock up. You'll need to do some poking around and find a supplier in your area. It really helps having one local when you need a 16ga lug for a 3/8" stud. You don't need 100 of them, but when you need it, you need it.
I've got a good electronic supplies place here in town the problem is it's down town and I hate going down there, but for this project it may be the best thing to do and just buy a few extra of everything.