BOAT WIRING TUTORIAL - Instructional Video
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- Опубликовано: 27 июл 2024
- Our wiring connector kits are now available here: tomstoons.com/products/marine...
This video is aimed at leading beginner DIY boat folks through the basic wiring of lighting on a boat. We've mocked up a pontoon boat and the electrical components that go on it to show you how we go about running electrical and making electrical connections at lights, switch panels, and more.
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At 9:15 = Complete rebuild.
I recently inherited a 1988 Polar Kraft, 24ft pontoon.
Thanks for your videos! They are very helpful!!!
Much appreciated!
Glad the videos have been helpful!! Hoping to help guide those pontoon restorations for folks regardless of the size and scope of the project!
I'm preparing everything so I can build my pontoon, which is my dream and your videos are helping me a lot with the details. Thank you very much. (Brazil).
Awesome! Thanks for watching and thanks for sharing all the way from Brazil!!
Great video. Almost here on our pontoon. Just took off old fence paneling and putting new stuff on. This is not far behind. Glad I went with your advice on the wiring harness. Didn’t have one for my jon boat build and took a lot more wire and time 😂
You're moving right along then! It's like a broken record in my videos when I mention the harness and then always follow it with a big push for people to buy it. It's the one thing that MUST be on every boat I restore otherwise I'd lose at least half a day, if not more, building one...and it wouldn't be as clean, wouldn't have the proper color-coded wires, etc.
Awesome vid Tom! Thanks for making these “boat wiring for dummies” videos. Got all my pontoon stuff coming next month so trying to get everything in order so tear down and install goes fairly smoothly. And for me, this wiring stuff has me on edge. So thanks for putting together SS Cavitation. Guess that makes you Captain Cavitation? 😆 Thanks again my friend…
I was hoping this one would show things from a different perspective to make it less overwhelming. Sometimes being able to see everything altogether is helpful, versus trying to see bits and pieces come together while working around, under, and on top of a whole boat. I guess I'll have to take that title if I'm going to be driving the ship!
Another excellent tutorial video.
Thank you! Hope some folks out there find it helpful!
This video is coming at a perfect time! My fencing has been the hold up until now. I installed it along with the seats last week and I'm ready to start wiring my boat. This video just took away about 90% of my stress for this part of the build. I thank you for that! My only question is how to wire in my 5 channel stereo to the switch panel or is that even necessary? You did mention an off/on for a subwoofer but did not elaborate.
Glad the timing was right for you! I didn't want to add in an entire stereo install to this video and make it complicated...but yes, I would wire a stereo head unit into the switch panel just like I added the underseat lights or the under deck lights. Your stereo will have a black ground wire, and then a red and a yellow power wire. I believe the yellow is meant to stay connected to the battery positive post to always supply power to the stereo for memory....but I'm simple and I just combine the red and yellow into one positive. I'm always paranoid about anything drawing down my battery. Plus most people are just using their bluetooth from their phone anyway and don't use the memory of the head unit anyway. If you have a 5 channel amp you'll need to wire the amp with heavy gauge wire to the battery or battery switch, but the head unit could still be powered from the switch panel accessory wires, and the sub woofer could be tied to a switch in some cases as the trigger to turn it on or off.
Hope that makes sense!
YOUNG MAN DARN I WISH I COULD GET TO YOU I HAVE GAVE UP YET BUT I HAVE A 50HP 4 STROKE COMMING SOON , THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP
Don't give up! You've got this! I wish we could just travel around and help folks like you with some of the trickier stuff. The last few videos I've shared have been aimed at simplifying electrical to give more folks confidence. I'll keep going and I'll keep making more videos that break it down in detail!
Totally watching this tonight.
Hope you find it helpful!
Where can I find the color code breakdown for what color wire goes to what component . You’ve been a monster help to me and I thank you for it I’m changing fron a circuit breaker system it a fuse box with rocker switches. Love the videos your a wealth of knowledge
We’ve got videos about the wiring harness and break down the colored wires. I’ve not seen a chart other than the instructions that come with the harness we use on every boat.
Hey Tom, two things..finished running my wiring and clamping it all just underneath the top lip of my Z channels. Then realized when I come to screwing down my flooring, I’m gonna be screwing right into my new wiring. So I’ll redo that tomorrow.
‘Nuther question I have…I’ve run 18AWG wires from two USB chargers on the port side. Then ran a wire from a third USB charger on the starboard side, all ending at the consol. Then there’s a fourth USB charger on my Amazon switch panel. I’m just not sure if I can splice all 4 wires together, ending at one switch on the panel? Thanks for your help my friend. Bin binging on your vids the past several days. Lots of help!! Very much appreciated!!!
Morning David! It sounds like you ran your wiring before putting the plywood on? I usually run the harness into rough position, but leave it laying on the pontoons, not attaching to anything. I tie it up to the deck with wire clips at the very end...it's actually one of the last things that happens before I wrap up a boat completely.
If each charger has its own set of 18 gauge wires then you should be just fine. Take a peek and see if it states the amp rating of the charger, usually right where you plug in. I believe they're typically around 2 amps, which would only be 8 amps on the switch IF all four chargers were being used at the same time (unlikely). Double check the breaker for your switch you want to tie them all to, but usually they're 10 or 15 amp breakers....which would mean you're good to go putting them all on one switch. If you're running your own in-line fuse then you could use a 15 amp fuse to make sure it isn't popping on that occasion that all 4 are running together...or play it safer and use a 10 amp fuse to reduce likelihood of things getting hot on the panel from too much juice being demanded. Hope this all makes sense and is helpful!
@@tomspontoons thanks Tom, that’s a big help. And yeah, thought I’ld be ahead of the game and clamped all the wiring to the Z channels. Did a good job as well, real neat and tight to top of them, exactly 12” apart…😆😆🙄🙄!! Oh boy!! So do you just screw everything to the floor boards and not to the channels? Thanks once again for your advice and help. Much appreciate it Tom!!
@@davidcobb4527 There's probably nothing wrong with screwing to your Z channels...guessing you screwed to the vertical part of the channel? However, I do tie everything to the plywood with plastic wire clips and stainless screws. I need to make a video showing how I tie everything up one of these days!!
almost to this part of my build, but the new wiring harness has the bus bar. Can we get a short video explaining the use of the bus bar?
The buss bar makes no sense to me to be honest. I asked Pontoon Stuff and they said it's not needed to use the harness...I doubt they will continue with that rendition of the harness. The odd part is that the buss bar I got with a couple harnesses I ordered has all the positive leads going to it, not a ground buss bar which I'd more so expect to see. It might be another way to integrate an older electrical system to the new harness. I cut the wires attached to the buss bar and capped them and coiled that part up and it'll be tied up away under the helm. I use the main plug at the helm to plug into my switch panel and away I go!
The one on the switch board. There are red black, red and yellow wires.
The color might not show up great on the video, but I believe you're referring to the orange wires. They are extra 12V connections already wired to switches and already with ground wires, so you can just splice in accessories like lights, stereo, fish finder, etc. to provide a switched power source. The orange with a white strip going through it is for the horn.
Merci beaucoup ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Happy to help!
Hey Tom, thanks again for dumbing this down for us! Watched this a couple times now and think I’m getting more electrical/electritian/electrician savy! But I do have a question…I’m thinking of using that black split wire loom to sheath all my wiring under my pontoon. Do you use it at all? Any pros or cons to using it? Thanks again my friend. Love your videos!! Oh and fyi… your status as a videographer must be gaining popularity. Cause now I get these updates for Toms Toons…but they’re the cast of Homer Simpson…but the cast are Mexican!! 😂
That’s a real odd cartoon version of Tom’s Toons, that’s for sure!!!
I use split conduit or loom where wires might rub on metal edges or when I want to hide them. I like to leave a lot of wires where they’re accessible in case there’s ever an issue. It’s about 50/50 from the manufacturers whether or not they use it on the under side of the deck. I just make sure to tape my wires together neatly and tie them to the deck securely with wire clips.
I recently purchased a 2001 seaswirl striper the wiring looks like a rats nest behind my instrument panel, i can't get to my gauges to test or replace them. I purchased a new fuse box and bus bar, How would you suggest I tackle this. I liked your video one of the best and easiest to follow so far Thanks
Usually you can pull the whole gauge panel off and get at the backs of the gauges. I usually replace everything but the engine ignition harness, and just start clean. Find your electrical accessory harness and run that wiring into your new fuse block and switches.
Would like to know how to add a solar panel to this setup so the battery can be recharged (no shore power, no generator/alternator) - sailboat set up with a basic small hp motor. Thanks !
most marine 12V solar chargers have a positive and negative lead coming from the panel or controller...just hook those directly to the positive and negative posts of the battery, and hook the accessory harness to the battery as well. We've done this a number of times and it's worked well!
thank you for the prompt reply@@tomspontoons
Hello, your videos are very good. One question, I can apply this complete system to a regular a key Largo boat
Thank you, and thanks for watching! Yes, these wiring harnesses and instructions can be applied to any type of boat for your basic 12V accessories like navigation lights, interior lights, bilge pumps, simple stereos, etc.
Hi Tom. Are those navigation lights wired in sequence from starboard to port or are there individual power/ground lines that branch out from the nav light switch back in the wire harness/cluster?
Hey! They are spliced together to simply split off in order to run from starboard to port. Meaning not in sequence where the starboard has to be wired in for the port to have power. Hope that makes sense.
C4TT!
Thanks for the comment!!
Morning Tom, well I am now at the point of running all my accessory wires up into my consul to my switch panel. Believe everything is now completed on my pontoon and trust me when I say you’ve been instrumental!! Now prolly a silly question, but using the pontoon stuff wiring harness along with a 6 switch Amazon electrical panel, similar to what you’ve used in other videos, does that combination negate the need for a fuse panel? I don’t recall you using one other than the negative block in this video, but when would you use a fuse panel? Asking for a friend…😂😂👍🏼 Cheers
Glad you're getting to that point on the project. Folks don't realize how much time those details can take! Does your amazon panel have built in breakers next to each switch (supplying each switch with power)? If not, then you should add in a fuse bar or in-line fuses coming off each switch going out to the accessory. Most are 10 amp breakers or fuses. I need to do a video sometime about incorporating a fuse or breaker block into that scenario. With the Pontoon Stuff switch panels they're just so easy because they're already pre-wired with breakers to protect the panel and accessories. I install them so often now that they're back in stock that I haven't used anything else all year so no opportunity to work in another panel.
@@tomspontoons Funny you should mention that, cause after watching/studying your videos, I’m thinking “well this shouldn’t take all that long”! Famous last words!! Don’t get me wrong, it’s been a blast and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it. But yes, certainly not the week or two week project that it takes you and your wife. But as far as my switch goes, the only things fused are the usb and 12 volt chargers and the volt meter. The switches below, on the same panel, are not fused. So you’re suggesting to run that main battery lead to a fuse block, then from there up to the switch panel?
@@davidcobb4527 I'd run the main power and ground to the panel, and then install the fuse block between the accessory and the switch panel. So you'd essentially by running the accessory harness wires to the fuse block. There should be enough wire there to use some of the harness to go from the outgoing power on the switch to the fuse block. I like there to be protection for the switch from the accessory, and protection for the accessory from the switch. Hope that makes sense!
@@tomspontoons yeah it does. Looked at purchasing the fused panels but unfortunately the price difference from Pontoonstuff to our Canadapontoon is virtually double! Shoulda blown the budget and shelled out. Lmao…Budget? No such thing as far as boats go!!! Anyways my friend, once again, thanks for your help. Very much appreciated.
@@davidcobb4527 Glad it'll help! And yes, I have had that complaint about Canada Pontoon for a while now with the drastic price differences. The Amazon panel will work well for you I'm sure, and adding the fuse block in will just ensure that it (and all your accessories) last for a long long time!
What is the yellow wire for?
Which yellow wire are you referring to?
B.O.A.T.
Bust Out Another Thousand
I love boats, but yes, that tends to be true. Although owning a house might take the win for busting out more hard earned cash!