I like to buy stuff locally whenever I can to support our local businesses. They provide a lot of support and service on stuff when you need it. The service people at the marina have already been helpful in giving me wiring diagrams on how to wire it up for 24 volts so it meets all the coast guard specs. So I'll probably just spend the extra buck to get the wire from them. The wire they got is really nice wire. It's got a type of insulation that's really flexible, where the automotive primary wire I was going to use before I discovered this is really hard and stiff. You can tell just by handling it that it's high buck, high quality wire and it says Ancor Marine Grade on it.
I put dielectric grease on all the terminals on the 24 volt switch panel I installed. And there's a harness connector in there that connects the switch harness to the boat's main harness. I put dielectric grease on all the pins in that connector too. The pins in that connector looked like they're silver and they weren't corroded at all after 22 years.
I have to reconfigure the power bus in the stern for 24 volt. So I'm going to remove the old 12 volt two strip one and replace that with a new three strip 24 volt bus. The marina has a SeaSense 24 volt bus for $260 and it's a nice one with manual-reset push button breakers on all the circuits so I can get rid of the old glass fuses and stuff in there. Those automotive style fuses are a problem on marine applications too because they corrode. I've had to wiggle those sometimes to get lights to come on and stuff. So it's time to replace all that too.l
Yep - I like Kevin's acronym for BOAT. The trolling motor was $1,500. The new Humminbird electronics are $2,000. By the time I get done with this boat I'll have to
Break
Out
Another
Thousand a few times over.
Edit: But, on the other hand, have you priced new boats lately? A tiller boat is the only thing to have if you're serious about fishing on inland lakes. Console steer boats, of the same hull length, don't have any deck space. Alumacraft don't build the Backtroller anymore, but they got one that's similar to it - the Tournament Series, or whatever they call it now. A boat like this new, with a 40 horse Merc Chink Motor on it, and equipped like I'm equipping this one, is almost $17 Grand.
So when fishing is the favorite thing that you and your wife like to do, you can afford to
Break
Out
Another
Thousand to upgrade an older boat. If the hull don't leak, the transom is good, and she's structurally sound, it's not like it's going rust out, wear out, or the wheels fall off it like an old car.
--
Chris