1987 Outrage 18: Path of Wiring to Bow Lamp - Moderated Discussion Areas

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Author Topic:   1987 Outrage 18: Path of Wiring to Bow Lamp

lizard posted 11-08-2009 09:32 PM ET (US)
A few questions regarding navigation lighting on my Outrage. The bow lights operate off a Cole Hershee switch and knob, that has a stop half way out, that turns on the light on the pole in the center of the center console. Is this a stock set up? Is this considered an anchor light?
When the knob is pulled all of the way out, anchor lights go off and the port bow light (red) lights. I pulled the cover off of the starboard (green) light when it did not light, and there was no bulb or socket. Someone had put a wire nut on the wires. There was a knot below the nuts. The wire takes a sharp 90 degree turn to starboard through a 1/2" hole. Assumedly, it does another 90 degree turn heading aft.
I put a multi-meter on the bare wires and got a reading of 3.6 volts. It would not light the new bulb and socket that I bought.
The stern light is off of the boat and inoperable at this time.
Is the bow lighting in the area between the rub rail and its housing or behind the housing? Is it secured anywhere along the way or could I expect to pull it freely back towards the switch, with a new length of wire attached at the bow end?
If not, how hard is it to remove rub rail and will it go back in again?
Thoughts, suggestions, comments are welcome.
Thank you.
AZdave posted 11-09-2009 01:38 AM ET (US)
The correct switch wiring is shown on the Reference page under Electrical. My Outrage 18 is five years older, but probably the same set-up as yours. I have replaced the rub rail on my boat and can speak to the placement of navigation lamp wiring. The wire emerges from the hull on the starboard side about as far forward as the center console. It then runs between the two parts of the rub rail to the starboard light, dives into the hull, reappears, and tracks around the bow to the port light. I would be skeptical about pulling wires through this limited space. The hull colored base or track of the rub rail is an absolute booger to handle and install, but the rubbery insert was not a big deal. You could start at the stern on the starboard side and strip it out. Then you could see where you were with the wiring. I have no idea how you could get a reading of 3.6V. The reading should be 12-13V if the circuit is good, or zero if the circuit is open. Good luck, and try to analyze with no assumptions. Dave
jimh posted 11-09-2009 08:55 AM ET (US)
The switch wiring is shown in
http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/navLightSwitch.html
The low voltage that you have measured at the lamp socket most likely results from a voltage drop across some resistance in the wiring that is feeding that circuit. If you only measure 3.6-volts with the current drawn by a meter, the resistance in the wiring must be very high.
lizard posted 11-09-2009 10:23 AM ET (US)
As you might expect, when you buy an older boat from someone else, the wiring in the center console is a rat's nest. I have not examined the wiring in the console, as it relates to this problem, in any detail. It took me SEVEN different automotive/marine stores to get the correct light socket for the starboard bow light.
Dave- I was afraid that the wire would not pull through the rub rail easily. In my 80+ year old home, all of the original knob and tube wiring was tacked down to studs inside the walls.
This is a new multi meter, and each time that I tested, I got 3.6 volts. The masthead light is working as is described in Jim's link below, so that is good to know. When one side of the masthead light came on, and later the other, I was worried about that wiring as well.
Jim- excellent link and article. I suspect I am about to become very familiar with the reference section, which I sometimes overlook.
Tom W Clark posted 11-09-2009 10:36 AM ET (US)
Replacing the wire to the bow lights is easy. You remove the rub rail insert, run new wire and replace the insert.
It is almost to be expected that the original wire the factory ran is no longer delivering enough current. Whaler did not use particularly good wire; it is merely 18 gauge lamp cord essentially.
A much more durable and robust wire is a marine grade wire that has the strands tinned. Increasing the wire size to 16 gauge will offer a greatly reduced chance of voltage killing resistance. The trouble is most 16 ga. marine grade wire is too bulky to fit within the rub rail insert.
I have found the best solution is to use ANCOR's marine grade Speaker Wire in the 16 ga. size. This wire is fully tinned but does not have an extra layer of sheathing around it it so it will fit nicely inside the Whaler rub rail. It is not too expensive either.
lizard posted 11-10-2009 10:45 AM ET (US)
Thank you Tom. I was not looking to undertake the removal of the rub rail, but suspected that was the solution. Are there any other repairs/improvements/maintenance, that are affected by the rub rail, that you would recommend doing while the rail and insert are off of the boat?
Anything that you would run up there?
I have often thought about bow lighting, for night runs, but hear that bow lighting can often worsen/blind night vision. Your thoughts?
AZdave posted 11-10-2009 03:54 PM ET (US)
I see local fishermen running on plane at night. They have high intensity, narrow beam lights like those used by off-road racers. Seems to work OK. If the lights are mounted or held so that their beams splash on the boat, night vision will be lost. Keep in mind that human eyes that have exposed to very strong light (say out on the water in a white boat on a sunny day) may have a reduced level of visual purple for several hours afterwards. That translates to reduced night vision. Your night vision comes from receptors called rods that are not very sensitive to red light. That's why the submariners might be seen in movies wearing red goggles for hours before surfacing. It might even be an idea to use red LED area lighting in boats.
jechura posted 11-11-2009 01:36 AM ET (US)
The complete rub rail insert does not have to be removed to get at the bow wiring. Just start gently prying out a section on the starboard side near the console and move forward to the light and around the bow to the port light. In this picture you will notice the two set of wires coming out of the hull for both the port and starboard lights. You will also see that the wire is quite a bit beefier than lamp cord wire.
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/jerrym4/Mics/?action=view& current=IMG_7212.jpg
at the starboard light
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/jerrym4/Mics/?action=view& current=IMG_7210.jpg
at the port light
http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/jerrym4/Mics/?action=view& current=IMG_7209.jpg
jimh posted 11-11-2009 08:41 AM ET (US)
Jerry--Those pictures are great. They show precisely how the wiring is run to the navigation lamps at the fore of the boat.
The wire I have seen on a Boston Whaler that is associated with the navigation lamp circuit is always a paired cable, similar to lamp cord, and with the conductors identified by black insulation on one and gray insulation on the other. In the ABYC color code, GRAY is used for navigation lighting. It would be hard to find marine grade lamp cord with those colors to use as a replacement cable.
Cf.: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/wireColorCode.html#BW
bbh posted 12-06-2009 01:25 PM ET (US)
Is that wiring solution--under the rub rail--consistent with the entire Boston Whaler boat line, especially the older ones?
jimh posted 12-06-2009 02:20 PM ET (US)
Yes.
jimh posted 12-06-2009 02:26 PM ET (US)
In reviewing the pictures of the OEM wiring on Jerry's classic Boston Whaler OUTRAGE 22 for the navigation light circuit which runs concealed behind the rub rail, I noticed a couple of things that could be improved:
--there is some drill flash left on the holes in the plastic insert which looks rather rough. It could cut or abrade the insulation of the wiring. If re-doing this wiring, I would chamfer the holes and break the edges to prevent wire chafing.
--the holes into the hull are not sealed and could admit water. I would use a bit of electrician's putty (often called DUM DUM) to seal the passage of the wire though the hole into the hull. This would also serve to act as a grommet to protect the wire from chafing.

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Author	Topic: 1987 Outrage 18: Path of Wiring to Bow Lamp
lizard	posted 11-08-2009 09:32 PM ET (US) A few questions regarding navigation lighting on my Outrage. The bow lights operate off a Cole Hershee switch and knob, that has a stop half way out, that turns on the light on the pole in the center of the center console. Is this a stock set up? Is this considered an anchor light? When the knob is pulled all of the way out, anchor lights go off and the port bow light (red) lights. I pulled the cover off of the starboard (green) light when it did not light, and there was no bulb or socket. Someone had put a wire nut on the wires. There was a knot below the nuts. The wire takes a sharp 90 degree turn to starboard through a 1/2" hole. Assumedly, it does another 90 degree turn heading aft. I put a multi-meter on the bare wires and got a reading of 3.6 volts. It would not light the new bulb and socket that I bought. The stern light is off of the boat and inoperable at this time. Is the bow lighting in the area between the rub rail and its housing or behind the housing? Is it secured anywhere along the way or could I expect to pull it freely back towards the switch, with a new length of wire attached at the bow end? If not, how hard is it to remove rub rail and will it go back in again? Thoughts, suggestions, comments are welcome. Thank you.
AZdave	posted 11-09-2009 01:38 AM ET (US) The correct switch wiring is shown on the Reference page under Electrical. My Outrage 18 is five years older, but probably the same set-up as yours. I have replaced the rub rail on my boat and can speak to the placement of navigation lamp wiring. The wire emerges from the hull on the starboard side about as far forward as the center console. It then runs between the two parts of the rub rail to the starboard light, dives into the hull, reappears, and tracks around the bow to the port light. I would be skeptical about pulling wires through this limited space. The hull colored base or track of the rub rail is an absolute booger to handle and install, but the rubbery insert was not a big deal. You could start at the stern on the starboard side and strip it out. Then you could see where you were with the wiring. I have no idea how you could get a reading of 3.6V. The reading should be 12-13V if the circuit is good, or zero if the circuit is open. Good luck, and try to analyze with no assumptions. Dave
jimh	posted 11-09-2009 08:55 AM ET (US) The switch wiring is shown in http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/navLightSwitch.html The low voltage that you have measured at the lamp socket most likely results from a voltage drop across some resistance in the wiring that is feeding that circuit. If you only measure 3.6-volts with the current drawn by a meter, the resistance in the wiring must be very high.
lizard	posted 11-09-2009 10:23 AM ET (US) As you might expect, when you buy an older boat from someone else, the wiring in the center console is a rat's nest. I have not examined the wiring in the console, as it relates to this problem, in any detail. It took me SEVEN different automotive/marine stores to get the correct light socket for the starboard bow light. Dave- I was afraid that the wire would not pull through the rub rail easily. In my 80+ year old home, all of the original knob and tube wiring was tacked down to studs inside the walls. This is a new multi meter, and each time that I tested, I got 3.6 volts. The masthead light is working as is described in Jim's link below, so that is good to know. When one side of the masthead light came on, and later the other, I was worried about that wiring as well. Jim- excellent link and article. I suspect I am about to become very familiar with the reference section, which I sometimes overlook.
Tom W Clark	posted 11-09-2009 10:36 AM ET (US) Replacing the wire to the bow lights is easy. You remove the rub rail insert, run new wire and replace the insert. It is almost to be expected that the original wire the factory ran is no longer delivering enough current. Whaler did not use particularly good wire; it is merely 18 gauge lamp cord essentially. A much more durable and robust wire is a marine grade wire that has the strands tinned. Increasing the wire size to 16 gauge will offer a greatly reduced chance of voltage killing resistance. The trouble is most 16 ga. marine grade wire is too bulky to fit within the rub rail insert. I have found the best solution is to use ANCOR's marine grade Speaker Wire in the 16 ga. size. This wire is fully tinned but does not have an extra layer of sheathing around it it so it will fit nicely inside the Whaler rub rail. It is not too expensive either.
lizard	posted 11-10-2009 10:45 AM ET (US) Thank you Tom. I was not looking to undertake the removal of the rub rail, but suspected that was the solution. Are there any other repairs/improvements/maintenance, that are affected by the rub rail, that you would recommend doing while the rail and insert are off of the boat? Anything that you would run up there? I have often thought about bow lighting, for night runs, but hear that bow lighting can often worsen/blind night vision. Your thoughts?
AZdave	posted 11-10-2009 03:54 PM ET (US) I see local fishermen running on plane at night. They have high intensity, narrow beam lights like those used by off-road racers. Seems to work OK. If the lights are mounted or held so that their beams splash on the boat, night vision will be lost. Keep in mind that human eyes that have exposed to very strong light (say out on the water in a white boat on a sunny day) may have a reduced level of visual purple for several hours afterwards. That translates to reduced night vision. Your night vision comes from receptors called rods that are not very sensitive to red light. That's why the submariners might be seen in movies wearing red goggles for hours before surfacing. It might even be an idea to use red LED area lighting in boats.
jechura	posted 11-11-2009 01:36 AM ET (US) The complete rub rail insert does not have to be removed to get at the bow wiring. Just start gently prying out a section on the starboard side near the console and move forward to the light and around the bow to the port light. In this picture you will notice the two set of wires coming out of the hull for both the port and starboard lights. You will also see that the wire is quite a bit beefier than lamp cord wire. http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/jerrym4/Mics/?action=view& current=IMG_7212.jpg at the starboard light http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/jerrym4/Mics/?action=view& current=IMG_7210.jpg at the port light http://s5.photobucket.com/albums/y173/jerrym4/Mics/?action=view& current=IMG_7209.jpg
jimh	posted 11-11-2009 08:41 AM ET (US) Jerry--Those pictures are great. They show precisely how the wiring is run to the navigation lamps at the fore of the boat. The wire I have seen on a Boston Whaler that is associated with the navigation lamp circuit is always a paired cable, similar to lamp cord, and with the conductors identified by black insulation on one and gray insulation on the other. In the ABYC color code, GRAY is used for navigation lighting. It would be hard to find marine grade lamp cord with those colors to use as a replacement cable. Cf.: http://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/wireColorCode.html#BW
bbh	posted 12-06-2009 01:25 PM ET (US) Is that wiring solution--under the rub rail--consistent with the entire Boston Whaler boat line, especially the older ones?
jimh	posted 12-06-2009 02:20 PM ET (US) Yes.
jimh	posted 12-06-2009 02:26 PM ET (US) In reviewing the pictures of the OEM wiring on Jerry's classic Boston Whaler OUTRAGE 22 for the navigation light circuit which runs concealed behind the rub rail, I noticed a couple of things that could be improved: --there is some drill flash left on the holes in the plastic insert which looks rather rough. It could cut or abrade the insulation of the wiring. If re-doing this wiring, I would chamfer the holes and break the edges to prevent wire chafing. --the holes into the hull are not sealed and could admit water. I would use a bit of electrician's putty (often called DUM DUM) to seal the passage of the wire though the hole into the hull. This would also serve to act as a grommet to protect the wire from chafing.