1970 MONTAUK Navigation Lamp Wiring

[Red Diver]

I have a 17' 1970 Montauk that I have just re-powered with an Evinrude E-TEC 90. The wiring block on the port side of the stern has disintegrated. The molded-in wiring has corroded with the molded-in wires too short to access. Has anyone devised a repair? Or a way to access the wiring?

[jimh]

I had a similar problem. I illustrate my method to make use of the original wires below:



With Boston Whaler boats having some wiring embedded in the hull, it often happens that only a very short portion of the conductor extending out from the hull survives after 30-years of neglect. My method shows a way to make attachment to those very short stubs of wire. The new extension wires are soldered to the stub of the old wires.

You also need to apply some sort of insulation. This is a good situation for a paint-on insulation, such as a liquid electrical tape insulation. But be sure you have made a good contact with the old conductor before applying. Once you paint it with black liquid insulation it will be very difficult to get back to a bare wire to redo the connection.

Originally published in 2012 at

http://continuouswave.com/ubb/Forum6/HTML/003295.html

[Red Diver]

jimh--thank you for responding.

Years ago I did exactly what you described. However, my problem is now beyond your fix. The molded-in wiring has become so short that it cannot be accessed.

Do you anyone know how the wires run? Straight down? Off to the side?

If I knew which way the wires ran, I was thinking of creating an access hole in the hull lining to get at them.

[jimh]

The person most likely to know more details about the location of the wires for the navigation lamp circuit embedded into the space between inner and outer hull molds of a Boston Whaler MONTAUK boat is Chuck Bennett at Boston Whaler customer service.

[Red Diver]

Many thanks. I will reach out to him.

[jimh]

I don't know for certain how the wiring to the navigation lamp at the bow was run on your 1970 MONTAUK, but a typical method in c.1972 was to run the wiring on the outside of the hull, and to conceal it under the black vinyl insert in the rub rail. See the FAQ on this topic:

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q4

The FAQ offers some alternatives for repairing the wiring if the existing wiring was run internally in the space between the hull and deck liner.

[jimh]

If the original wiring for the navigation lamp at the bow that is run inside the space between hull and deck liner has signs of corrosion, it may not be particularly reliable. It is typical that insulated wire with some corrosion seen at the exposed conductor will often have that same corrosion creeping into the wire under the insulation for several inches. And there could be other instances of corrosion in the wire. Considering that for a 1970 boat the wire is now 46-years-old, even 46-year-old copper wire with vinyl insulation kept in a cool dark drawer is probably not the most reliable choice for a circuit. A 46-year-old copper wire exposed to sun and water is likely to be even lower in reliability. On that basis, I recommend you run all new marine-grade tinned copper wire to the navigation lamp using the post-1972 method described in the FAQ. Here I am assuming your c.1970 boat has the appropriate rub rail type. If not, you might consider upgrading the rub rail at the same time.

[Red Diver]

I spoke with Chuck Bennett as you suggested. He picked up on the first ring, so it was my lucky day. My boat was built 7/14/1971, the molded in wiring was laid along the gunwale but could have been displaced by the injection of the foam. Chuck told me that a couple of years after my boat was made Boston Whaler stopped foaming-in the wiring and put the wiring under the rubrail, [at the same time] they changed the rubrail from the simple white vinyl that my boat has. I agree with you and Chuck: the best fix is to replace my rubrail and run new wiring under it. Thank you for the responses to my posts and the referral to Chuck Bennett

[69wailer]

Where would the wires enter the hull from the rub rail? Through the side or transom? I have purchase a tan box and a terminal block and plan on doing this but not sure where I should mount the box and where I should drill the hole for the wires to enter the hull. Pictures would help. I also used flat 16 gauge two conductor marine grade wire from bestboatwire.com

Thanks

[jimh]

In an article in REFERENCE on rub rails at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/rubRail.html

the epoch of the change to the two-part or three-part rub rail with vinyl insert and plastic receiver track was c.1972.

Perhaps a reader with a post-c.1972 MONTAUK with the new-style rub rails can provide an illustration of the location of the navigation lighting wiring box in the stern of the boat.

I would expect that the wiring would NOT be bent around the stern quarter at the transom and lead across the transom, as that would put a big bend in the wiring, expose that wiring to damage if the hull corner hit hard against something, and put a hole in the transom at an import point of strength.

On my 1976 SPORT 15 the wiring was run through the hull about a foot forward of the transom. The wiring was on the Port side. In the FAQ on navigation lamp wiring, which you will find at

Q4: How Do I Repair the Wiring for the Combined Sidelights at the Bow?
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q4

the method is described in more detail. When drilling a hole from the outside of the hull and drilling through the rub rail receiver track, I would probably angle the drill downward so that the exit of the hole through the cockpit gunwale or inwhale was lower than the height of the rub rail, that is, I would NOT drill that hole from the rub rail receiver track perfectly level into the hull so it exited right at the same height. At least, that is what I think I would do. Take a close look at the hull and see if that makes sense.

Here is a view that appears to show a MONTAUK with the navigation lighting circuit terminal block on Port, near the transom, about 12 to 16-inches in front of the transom:



Here is another view of a MONTAUK, and it shows the electrical box on the Starboard side, also ahead of the transom:



Note in both views the height of the electrical box is significantly lower than the rub rail receiver track center. I think you will need a long drill bit to make this hole. Again, a call to Chuck Bennett may provide more details.