Knight2040
New Member
- Apr 24, 2023
- 8
- Boat Info
- 1989 SeaRay Weekender
- Engines
- Twin Mercruisers
Hello all, new member here and new to boating as a whole. We have recently purchased a 1989 Weekender 300 and it's in need of some work. The powertrain seems to be just fine, both engines start up, rev, and idle great and the the transmissions seem to be shifting smoothly.
The biggest issue with the boat is the wiring, it looks like there has been multiple hackjobs and poorly done re-wires in the boats 30+ year history. We got the boat at auction so talking with the previous owners was not possible to get any sort of records or history. After pulling out a handful of cut off battery cables, I finally found the ones that were still wired to the starters and plopped in two fresh batteries to get it started. After a little cranking, each engine fired up just fine.
So what I want to focus on first is the electronics, on the dash, with the exception of the Ignition Switches/Breakers, NONE of the other electronics seem to be powered or working, no bilge bumps, no blowers, no horn, no stereo, no lights, ect. I flip the breakers then flip the switches, nothing. Currently I do not have a house battery hooked up until I buy a new one as it was missing from the boat. Is it needed to run these electronics? The batteries only have what appears to be starter cables, should there be more wires going to the battery to power the electronics? I work on cars, but boats are new to me, I'd imagine there should be some sort of heavy gauge wire connected directly to the battery to power a main fuse box or something.
The gauges work(ish). After reconnecting some wires in the cabin, we were able to get shore power to work and power the cabin.
Where should I start for trying to get the rest of the electronics powered?
The biggest issue with the boat is the wiring, it looks like there has been multiple hackjobs and poorly done re-wires in the boats 30+ year history. We got the boat at auction so talking with the previous owners was not possible to get any sort of records or history. After pulling out a handful of cut off battery cables, I finally found the ones that were still wired to the starters and plopped in two fresh batteries to get it started. After a little cranking, each engine fired up just fine.
So what I want to focus on first is the electronics, on the dash, with the exception of the Ignition Switches/Breakers, NONE of the other electronics seem to be powered or working, no bilge bumps, no blowers, no horn, no stereo, no lights, ect. I flip the breakers then flip the switches, nothing. Currently I do not have a house battery hooked up until I buy a new one as it was missing from the boat. Is it needed to run these electronics? The batteries only have what appears to be starter cables, should there be more wires going to the battery to power the electronics? I work on cars, but boats are new to me, I'd imagine there should be some sort of heavy gauge wire connected directly to the battery to power a main fuse box or something.
The gauges work(ish). After reconnecting some wires in the cabin, we were able to get shore power to work and power the cabin.
Where should I start for trying to get the rest of the electronics powered?