Electrician advise.

[Ray Jac]

Hello, I'm new here and I dont really know how this work but im willing to give it a try. I have a yamaha ls2000 and i want to do the whole electrical new in the boat, is this possible on a jet boat? I found an electrician that told me that this work was not possible to do because the cables on this type of boats come pre-assembly and the only thing he can do is repair whats damaged. What do you guys think?

 

[Compatico]

It's doable, but I wouldn't want the job. There's a lot of specific requirements for the engines with plugs, and heat issues, wire sizes, insulation requirements, etc. Not to mention the ECM's and throttle sensors, etc. On older carb engines, there's a lot less electronics to worry about. But newer boats with fuel injection is a different story. If you have an issue, fix that one issue. Re-wiring the entire boat would be a nightmare, just like trying to re-wire a car from scratch.

 

[2kwik4u]

It's doable, but I wouldn't want the job. There's a lot of specific requirements for the engines with plugs, and heat issues, wire sizes, insulation requirements, etc. Not to mention the ECM's and throttle sensors, etc. On older carb engines, there's a lot less electronics to worry about. But newer boats with fuel injection is a different story. If you have an issue, fix that one issue. Re-wiring the entire boat would be a nightmare, just like trying to re-wire a car from scratch.

100% agree.

I've been involved with converting old muscle cars to EFI, as well as setting up electronic transmissions in non-electronic trans vehicles. This level of wiring takes a certain level of detail, planning, and experience that is hard to find. I consider myself extremely detail oriented, a bit OCD, and very heavy on the planning side.....and I still screwed up a good number of connections and had to go back and redo parts of harnesses.

It's not for the faint of heart, or anyone in a rush.

 

[Jgorm]

It's a 100hr job.

 

[alan1]

I have Yamaha AR240. And I also want to do it whole electrical. Is it really possible?

 

[zipper]

If you cannot find a pre-wired harness, buying marine wiring and cables in bulk is expensive. Many colors and sizes to buy if making up your own. I have rewired and added many circuits on our Beneteau. I appreciate a clean installation after working on other PO's Rats nests. Not my boat, but the difference is obvious. Hiring someone for me would be cost prohibitive, but their work may be worth it if it looks like this.
Before and after.

 

[2kwik4u]

@zipper......judging by your other work on display here.....you would have no problem making wiring look like that.

I used to do voice and data cabling for large buildings. Entire floors of CAT6 runs horizontally, then fiber connections between floors, all terminating back to a single room for cross connects. That level of cable management shown above is expensive from a manpower standpoint, and often NOT a value add. It takes longer to install, and it also takes MUCH longer to maintain. If I had to go into a facility that looked that clean, I would automatically add 20% to the job to ensure I left it in the same condition I found it. The first picture there is obviously NOT how you want it done either. There is a happy medium between "super cleanly routed, and overly tied down" and "just randomly thrown together/rats nest".

The best value you can add when doing wiring is BULK cable management, and individual wire labels. Each end has the name alphanumeric key on it, and they match each other on both ends. Then you "stuff" the cables into a bulk panel. It looks "clean enough", and is VERY quick and easy to service.

This isn't my work, found the picture on the internet......BUT, you can see how before is WAY wrong. It's a mess and can't really be managed well. The After is, IMO, the appropriate amount of cable management. The wires are neatly groomed back into cable ducting, where they disappear from view, but are still easily accessible for removing, adding, or changing in the future.


Here's a good example of how to use cable ducting with multiple components within a panel. This is FAR more serviceable should you have to troubleshoot something along the way. Clearly we aren't going to be putting NEMA panels into boats at our scale, however a few pieces of cable ducting between amps on a large installation could easily clean the wires up nicely, and remain VERY serviceable. Will also help keep the power wires away from the signal wires to prevent signal disruption.


Also......for the love of all things cabling DO NOT use zip ties. They are very easily overtightened possibly damaging the cable, and are single use. Buy a roll of velcro, and a nice pair of shears. Cut the velcro to length where you need it. You can screw straight through it, and it's reusable so the next guy doesn't waste time/money on plastic.

Here are some products (or similar) that I use.

Bulk Cable "ducting" - This keep the cables in place, organized, and doesn't require zip ties or velcro. You can also pull a single cable out without having to undo the whole thing.

Lineman Shears - Use these to cut and strip cables, cut velcro to length, open boxes, whatever. I seriously have about 4 pairs of these all of the house, and at least one pair in the truck. They're damn near indestructible, cut almost anything, and are comfy to use. Klien makes the best IMO.

Roll of Velcro (hook and loop) - Seriously, stop using zip ties, and use this instead. You'll thank me later.
Here's a picture of how I routed a wire in the boat using just velcro strips and the carpet that was already there. Held up all season without moving, even after throwing coolers, toys, towels, beach bags, and other random stuff in that storage area. Makes the wire run look nice and neat too.


Sorry, that post got a little longer than I anticipated. Hopefully someone finds some use in it in the future.

 

[zipper]

@zipper......judging by your other work on display here.....you would have no problem making wiring look like that.

I used to do voice and data cabling for large buildings. Entire floors of CAT6 runs horizontally, then fiber connections between floors, all terminating back to a single room for cross connects. That level of cable management shown above is expensive from a manpower standpoint, and often NOT a value add. It takes longer to install, and it also takes MUCH longer to maintain. If I had to go into a facility that looked that clean, I would automatically add 20% to the job to ensure I left it in the same condition I found it. The first picture there is obviously NOT how you want it done either. There is a happy medium between "super cleanly routed, and overly tied down" and "just randomly thrown together/rats nest".

The best value you can add when doing wiring is BULK cable management, and individual wire labels. Each end has the name alphanumeric key on it, and they match each other on both ends. Then you "stuff" the cables into a bulk panel. It looks "clean enough", and is VERY quick and easy to service.

This isn't my work, found the picture on the internet......BUT, you can see how before is WAY wrong. It's a mess and can't really be managed well. The After is, IMO, the appropriate amount of cable management. The wires are neatly groomed back into cable ducting, where they disappear from view, but are still easily accessible for removing, adding, or changing in the future.
View attachment 115021

Here's a good example of how to use cable ducting with multiple components within a panel. This is FAR more serviceable should you have to troubleshoot something along the way. Clearly we aren't going to be putting NEMA panels into boats at our scale, however a few pieces of cable ducting between amps on a large installation could easily clean the wires up nicely, and remain VERY serviceable. Will also help keep the power wires away from the signal wires to prevent signal disruption.
View attachment 115022

Also......for the love of all things cabling DO NOT use zip ties. They are very easily overtightened possibly damaging the cable, and are single use. Buy a roll of velcro, and a nice pair of shears. Cut the velcro to length where you need it. You can screw straight through it, and it's reusable so the next guy doesn't waste time/money on plastic.

Here are some products (or similar) that I use.

Bulk Cable "ducting" - This keep the cables in place, organized, and doesn't require zip ties or velcro. You can also pull a single cable out without having to undo the whole thing.

Lineman Shears - Use these to cut and strip cables, cut velcro to length, open boxes, whatever. I seriously have about 4 pairs of these all of the house, and at least one pair in the truck. They're damn near indestructible, cut almost anything, and are comfy to use. Klien makes the best IMO.

Roll of Velcro (hook and loop) - Seriously, stop using zip ties, and use this instead. You'll thank me later.
Here's a picture of how I routed a wire in the boat using just velcro strips and the carpet that was already there. Held up all season without moving, even after throwing coolers, toys, towels, beach bags, and other random stuff in that storage area. Makes the wire run look nice and neat too.
View attachment 115020

Sorry, that post got a little longer than I anticipated. Hopefully someone finds some use in it in the future.

Thanks.