Wiring in old boat

[Dennis Logston]

Hey guys, i need some help for my boat. I just got a 1982 15' Bass Tracker and need to figure out the wiring. The wiring right now is a total mess. I am going to pull 99% of the wires and redo it. But i have no idea how i'm going to wire everything up. I have for right now 2 batteries up front. Everything i need to wire is the bilge pump, airerator, fish finder, 70lb trolling motor, lights, a cig lighter slot. I don't know how to wire them all up and the wiring right now is a mess. I know i shouldn't run them straight to the battery because they could blow without a fuse. But are there any panels that would make everything simple and easy to hookup and run to the batteries?

Thanks

 

[Driftingrz]

Make your life easier and grab a Switch panel with built in fuses or circuit breakers. theres even a few with a built in cig lighter outlet, if you go this route you can cut down on the amount of wires and only run 2 heavy guage wires to the battery using bussbars etc.. im no expert so im not gonna tell you HOW to do it. ill leave that for someone else. it is SUPER helpful to sit down and sketch out the boat with where the electronics are gonna be mounted aswell as battery and switches then figure out how to connect it from there.

https://www.iboats.com/Marine-Switch-Panels/dm/cart_id.695433082--session_id.672737295--view_id.216629

heres one with inline fuses behind the panel, not as easy as circuit breakers but theres quite a few boats on this site with this panel

theres a few threads in the electrical section that may help out with wiring if you take a look around

heres the first one i found

https://www.tinboats.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=24267

 

[RivRunR]

Yep, you need a switch panel (or switches + a fuse panel) for your bilge, aerator, and lights.
The fish finder and cig socket don't need to be switched, only fused.
The trolling motor should run thru a circuit breaker directly to the battery.

You didn't say how the boat was powered, but assuming it's the trolling motor, and that the motor is 12V, I would put that on one battery, and everything else on the other.

If you're pulling all the existing wiring, I'd recommend replacing it with tinned marine grade wire. A good source for wiring stuff is Tinned Marine Wire

If you need more info on how to wire those up just shout.