richg99
Well-known member
No wonder I have always liked open boats better.
This craft ( 2000 LOWE 16-58 bassboat style..completely covered decked boat)..see my avatar for a pix.... lost power to the console. I, no doubt, contributed to the problem...but I don't know enough to trace it out.
When installing a new fishfinder, I shorted out the FF power wires. From that point on, I have had no power to the console. I wonder if I blew a fusible link some place, since no other fuses are blown.
I have power at the stern battery compartment and through the breaker. The wires then disappear into the port side of the rear wall. The wires no doubt feed forward; they then wind from port to starboard.......and....somewhere..... hidden beneath the aluminum and plywood decking...change from stiff 8 gauge to flexible 10 gauge.
I get NO power at a connector block coming out beneath the console. The 10 gauge wires, along with a ton of other wires, come out of a two inch grommet on the starboard side.
So far I have removed the rear seat base...but that only allowed me to view more of the main stern hatch area. I thought I could pull the baitwell/fish well out for more viewing, but after cutting off a half dozen rivets, I find that the plastic well was put in place before the decking was added.
If I knew, for sure, the routing of the wire, and the point where the stiff 8 gauge is transferred to the flexible ten gauge, then I'd cut an access port to find what happened.
As an alternative to tearing up the boat...and lacking any diagram of where to tear a hole...my wife suggested that I simply run a new set of wires. She is one smart girl..she is! She's helped in every way possible for 51 years now. I think I'll keep her!
I pulled some new flexible ten gauge wires from the battery compartment in the stern to under the console. I used the side rails as a conduit, since I couldn't get the new wires pulled through the old mess.. It appears that her suggestion is going to do the job. When I apply power to the fuse block, ( under the console) everything seems to work fine.
However, i still don't like not knowing what went wrong. If anyone has torn one of these covered over bassboat designs apart, and could shed some light on what and where things are under the decking..I'd still like to "do it right".
For now, I think I can button everything up tomorrow and be back fishing by Monday.
regards, and thanks for any help or input. Rich
This craft ( 2000 LOWE 16-58 bassboat style..completely covered decked boat)..see my avatar for a pix.... lost power to the console. I, no doubt, contributed to the problem...but I don't know enough to trace it out.
When installing a new fishfinder, I shorted out the FF power wires. From that point on, I have had no power to the console. I wonder if I blew a fusible link some place, since no other fuses are blown.
I have power at the stern battery compartment and through the breaker. The wires then disappear into the port side of the rear wall. The wires no doubt feed forward; they then wind from port to starboard.......and....somewhere..... hidden beneath the aluminum and plywood decking...change from stiff 8 gauge to flexible 10 gauge.
I get NO power at a connector block coming out beneath the console. The 10 gauge wires, along with a ton of other wires, come out of a two inch grommet on the starboard side.
So far I have removed the rear seat base...but that only allowed me to view more of the main stern hatch area. I thought I could pull the baitwell/fish well out for more viewing, but after cutting off a half dozen rivets, I find that the plastic well was put in place before the decking was added.
If I knew, for sure, the routing of the wire, and the point where the stiff 8 gauge is transferred to the flexible ten gauge, then I'd cut an access port to find what happened.
As an alternative to tearing up the boat...and lacking any diagram of where to tear a hole...my wife suggested that I simply run a new set of wires. She is one smart girl..she is! She's helped in every way possible for 51 years now. I think I'll keep her!
I pulled some new flexible ten gauge wires from the battery compartment in the stern to under the console. I used the side rails as a conduit, since I couldn't get the new wires pulled through the old mess.. It appears that her suggestion is going to do the job. When I apply power to the fuse block, ( under the console) everything seems to work fine.
However, i still don't like not knowing what went wrong. If anyone has torn one of these covered over bassboat designs apart, and could shed some light on what and where things are under the decking..I'd still like to "do it right".
For now, I think I can button everything up tomorrow and be back fishing by Monday.
regards, and thanks for any help or input. Rich