18ft speedboat info

topstuff

Hi i just bought a speed boat for a winter project first time ive worked on boats. The boat is all stripped except the steering and bilge pump. I just need to know how to go about rewiring the boat. I plan on putting maybe 2gauges a radio and speakers maybe 2lights fishfinder etc etc. Any help or info would be great. Thanks

fergal.b

Hi topstuff and welcome, I take it's an outboard engine if so most of the wiring will come from that. Lets just say you have a mercury engine you will need a mercury control box and on most modern ones you will find a plug to work your gauges like a REV counter. Your speedo will run on air pressure so unless you want it to light up it will need no power. For things like fuel gauge, bilge pump,battery level, lights, horn and so on you run straight form the battery. Starting with a negative going to a ground block and all your negatives taken from that. Then run a positive from the battery to a master switch and then from there to a fuse panel with a fuse for each item you want to run, from the fuse panel to a switch if needed to work lights or bilge pump. This is very basic info at the moment so keep asking questions as you go along and post some photos

topstuff

Thanks fergal. I have a suzuki dt28 outboard. Do u know where a control panel could b got for that.. its an electric start could wires be brought from the key ignition on the outboard up to where the steerin wheel is and same with the kill switch on the outboard? My boat has one big cable on it for steering i think its rac and pinion set up but not sure was wondering how that gets connected to the outboard. All ur help is apreciated

fergal.b

Is yours a tiller handle like this.

topstuff

no it doesnt have that long handle looks the same otherwise

fergal.b

Does it have a link arm or the plate for one on the front of the engine.




Also do you have a round plug hole with lots of pin holes for a wiring harness.

topstuff

Im not sure. Wat ill do is when im home from work ill take pics of the steering and the engine. The steerin has one big cable down the right hand side of the boat and when turning the wheel at the other end a piece moves in and out of the cable thats all i know about it

fergal.b

The end of that cable will go onto the link arm NO 17 and then the link arm connects to the engine. The steering cable should have a treaded end that bolts on to an aluminium tube this may need a clamp to hold it or in some cases screws into the outboard transom clamps.
Photos would be a great help as to what kit you need.

Here is a diagram.
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6892662-0-large.jpg



.

topstuff

Ill upload some later round 7. Thanks for the help!

topstuff

could u send me your email fergal I duno how to upload photos on this

fergal.b

topstuff wrote: »

could u send me your email fergal I duno how to upload photos on this

PM sent



.

fergal.b

It looks like it was a tiller handle one that someone has adapted.






The key start and kill switch can easily be extended up to the steering wheel in fact I would recommend rewiring them and the main battery wire that just seems to be going through a hole and rubbing against the metal :eek: The handle with the 3 holes is where the steering link would go but as this was a tiller engine it will be very high up so depending on where it's sits on the transom and where the steering cable comes through the transom it's hard to tell what setup you will need.

I know you don't want to hear this but if it was me I would cut my losses with this engine and buy one with the proper control box, cables and steering system you will probably spend a good few bob getting this setup in a safe way.

topstuff

my budget is very tight at the minute! didn't wana hear that info either haha. any links to a reasonably priced outboard with everything?

fergal.b

topstuff wrote: »

my budget is very tight at the minute! didn't wana hear that info either haha. any links to a reasonably priced outboard with everything?

You might want a bit more power anyway maybe a 50 hp
First off just check what size shaft you need for your transom.

topstuff

when I was buying the boat the fella said it needed a long shaft

fergal.b

topstuff wrote: »

when I was buying the boat the fella said it needed a long shaft

Never trust a fella If it's close to 15" it's a short and if close to 20" it's long a lot of the older speedboats were short shaft so worth checking.




.

topstuff

19" I did measure but didn't know which was which

fergal.b

The thing with outboards is you get what you pay for and as you have to trust your life and your friends and families lives on them it's worth paying as much as you can to get the best that you can even then you can never be 100% You could try someone like http://www.killenmarine.ie/ at least you will know you got an engine that was tested and will come with a warranty. I wouldn't like to recommend an engine unless I worked on it myself but something like this looks good http://engines.apolloduck.ie/display.phtml?aid=306885

.

topstuff

okay thanks for the help ill keep ya posted

topstuff

wat about something like this? http://www.donedeal.ie/boats-for-sale/johnson-70-hp-outboard/5995219

fergal.b

topstuff wrote: »

wat about something like this? http://www.donedeal.ie/boats-for-sale/johnson-70-hp-outboard/5995219

Looks ok, what hp is your boat rated for? "if you give me the make and model I might be able to look it up" also worth checking is your cable length but it's not the end of the world if you do have to buy new ones.

topstuff

emailed you there

fergal.b

She looks like a fletcher or a shakespeare maybe one of the other guy's will know, well able for 70 hp.





That big nut at the end of your steering cable will screw onto a tube on the outboard and then the shaft will connect to the link arm back to the engine.




It will look like this.

breghall

your little 28hp isn't going to push that 18ft boat around too much at all. That 70hp you put up though, will push it at around 30 mph roughly.

By looking at your pics you won't be able to connect your steering up safely to the 28hp anyway,as there is nowhere for the type of steering you have to connect to. you could do a botch job but you wouldn't have near full movement. The 70hp though would be easier to connect the steering cable to as fergal has shown..


Just my €0.02..