Newb Questions About 1984 Wellcraft Sportsman 228

[Destroyer]

Like the others, allow me to say welcome to the site. Always happy to see a new member. As to your (not) so crazy question, I'm going to go out on a limb here. You asked which switch in the picture is for the bilge pump. My (semi-educated) guess is that it's the one directly below the 12V cigarette lighter outlet. My reasoning is this: Most bilge pumps have 2 settings, manual and automatic. Plus most setups have a light to indicate when the pump is running. For that reason most bilge pump switches are independent of the rest of the switches for horn, lights, etc. The only switch configuration that seems to fit that bill is the one I mentioned. So that would be my guess.

See if the switch moves both up and down, and also see if that light next to it comes on in either direction.
The manual switch is for when you want to override the automatic for whatever reason.
The automatic position goes through a float switch located in the bilge near the bilge pump and turns the pump on or off depending on the level of water in the bilge.

And just remember that due to corrosion, broken wire, etc. even though you may have correctly identified the switch, the pump may not work.

[A ReelCool Chick]

You guys have no idea how much I'm appreciating this feedback and the welcome!

scook: I'm eventually going to do a wiring diagram for her...I'll start in a few weeks, but probably won't finish until a few weeks after. The wiring is a Charlie Foxtrot, so hopefully I can cull out some old stuff like you advised. I will absolutely not remove anything until I'm sure it's without a source/load.

Destroyer: That switch is the only thing I know for sure, and it's to control the spotlight....switches on, and the silver knob turns the light. I still appreciate your guess! From what I've read, and like you said, most bilges have the auto/off/manual switch, and that's what is concerning me: I don't see anything like that on the dash...and I have two bilges.

Maybe the bilges are straight auto or manual? Is that possible?

[macojoe]

Welcome!! Now get a trash barrale, and wire cutters! trash all on that tired dash and start new! Then you will know what is for what and were they go! If something is not working you will be able to fix it on the spot cause you did it! Been there done that.

[smokeonthewater]

anything is possible... to be honest you absolutely HAVE to go through all of it to have a reliable system... there is no telling what king of foxtrot bravo sierra the previous owners may have put into her.... Example on my Monte-Carlo I found no less than 12 butt connectors 20 feet of electrical tape and 6 bundles of wiring in the bilge hooked to the pump.


You need to locate the pump or pumps and start tracing the wiring all the way to the batts and to the dash.... be prepared to remove any and all substandard repairs and replace.... OR even rewire the system from scratch.

It SHOULD be wired with a 2 position switch, on/auto, and a float switch... Avoid automatic bilge pumps and combination units with built in float.... make sure you have a cage on the float switch so it can't get fouled..... I have been boating for my whole life.... on my own boats for 25 years.... I learned EARLY on that the bilge pump is NOT the place to cut corners.... buy a pump about 4 times bigger than you think you need (2500 gph is no where near being too much in an emergency) and a tiny one.. (350 gph or so)... the tiny pump will handle rain water, spray, dripping swimmers and spilled cocktails, with a smaller hose and pump it will keep the bilge drier with less power and the big one will buy you a few more minutes in an emergency.

Each pump needs it's own hose and wiring... They should exit the boat about 6" above water level and looping the hose a few more inches higher will reduce water coming in the hoses from wave action.... Also from the high point in the hose routing it needs to run ONLY down to the pump and outlet... multiple high points causes an airlock and could prevent the pump from priming.. IE ALL water should fully drain out of the hose as soon as the pump shuts off...

The hose should be as short and straight as possible and while it IS more costly smooth bore wire reenforced hose flows substantially more water than corrugated host and will last decades...

The pump's rated GPH is at 14V without a hose and without lifting the water up out of a boat... running on batt voltage, lifting a couple feet and going through hose all takes a toll on what it can do.... It's not uncommon to lose 40% or more capacity.

put the small pump and it's float switch as close as you can to the lowest point in the bilge and put the switch for the big pump a couple inches higher...... the location of the bigger pump should still be low but the smaller one gets priority here.... Also consider accessibility... You MIGHT need to reach the big pump in an emergency to unclog it's inlet etc.... WAY deep in the bowels under 18" of water in not where you want to be working on it.... Better would be a quick twist to release it from it's bracket and lift up 2 feet to work on it if you have too.


Disclaimer... I'm not paranoid... why did someone say I was..... Oh man they're after me aren't they..................




EDIT: I see MJ posted while my long winded arse was typing..... YEP be prepared to toss a LOT of stuff in the garbage BUT LEARN what you have and understand it fully before you start cutting..... Makes the puzzle pieces much easier to assemble.

Also Lay out a plan and acquire your new stuff first Many of us could wire a boat from scratch better than the manufacturer but being a newbie you could do more harm than good by jumping too fast.

From your earlier posts I suspect that you are all over this and we'll do our best to help you every step of the way....

BTW.... last time I had to do a major rewire I bought a 2500' roll of twine and a box of sharpies in a dozen colors.... I pre"wired" with the twine leaving every piece 10' too long and color coding both ends for each circuit.... I then perfected my routing and wire lengths without buying a single inch of wire.... Once I was in love I bundled my "harness, and tied loops to shorten "wires" n cut the loops out keeping my color coded ends.... I then removed my "harness" in one piece and copied it with copper.... I ended up with a much better finished product with far less wasted material and thus less money spent.... honestly it took a lot less time too.

[phatdaddy]

welcome to the frenzy, all good suggestions above. one thing i did when sorting mine out was use a 9 volt battery( like in a smoke detector) and a small set of jumpers. powered up the fuse block and followed the voltage to the accessories. can still make a short, but the sparks are not as big.

also if replacing wire, i'd use tinned wire only.

good luck and don't be afraid to ask, some pretty sharp guys on here.

[THEFERMANATOR]

As far as I know, the 228/230 was pretty much un changed as far as teh hull goes from the early 80's when the 228 started until around 93 or so when the 230 stopped and WELLCRAFT went to the new style hulls. It is lower deadrise hull at 16 degrees. It isn't renowned for it's ride in rough waters if you want go very fast as it is only 16 degrees of deadrise with an 8 foot beam, but is said to be pretty stable at anchor. As far as your wiring goes, in 30 years of use and repairs it is anybodys guess what does what anymore. I'm with MJ and say you start over fresh if you want to be able to rely on it. It's anybodys guess how good the actual wire is in it anymore after 30 years of use, corrosion, and electrolisis.

[Pipe_Dream]

Welcome aboard! I have nothing to add to the wiring discussion, but I can say, with all sincerity . . .




More pics, please!

[A ReelCool Chick]

Great feedback and Smoke's twine idea is gonna help out tremendously!

So now I'm looking at my system more critically including the bilges. I honestly thought that a control panel, was a control panel...kinda like in a car, but as I've read above, there's no telling what some one has done. SO to get started, I've inventoried what instruments/devices I know is on her. They are:

(Control Panel) nav lights, bilge 1, bilge 2, anchor light, spotlight, windshield wipers, deck lights

(Device controlled) vhf, stereo, depth finder, cabin lights

Compass light...I think it's on continuously.

Also, I read somewhere that she might have a wash down system. How can I identify it?

I'm all snowed in right now, but I'll soon get some pics of the cluster I'm facing. I'll also sketch up a desired diagram and get y'all's input. Again, a million thanks!

[macojoe]

when snaking wires to the rear of the boat I used good string to snake first, then when i tie the wire to pull thur i put another string with the wire, this way there is always a string there to pull another wire if needed.
Also agree that you must use tined wire for a boat! I got on ebay pretty cheap when I did mine.
Also if you can all wires should be sodered!! If not get the corrsin crimp ons and coat with liguid eletric tape!
And FUSE everthing!

Just my opinion. But thats like a$$hole$ we all have one! LOL