Mystery Wiring

[Alctel]

So I'm starting to rewire the boat, and I've found some mystery wiring.

The first lot is in the head, and can be be seen in pic one - it seems to go into the mast. Tracing back the wires, 2 end in cut ends (see pic 2) and one goes back into the radio (so is obviously some kind of antennae). Any idea what the other two are?

The other group of wiring runs through the bilge and can be seen in pic 4. About 5 wires appear to run into the mast, and tracing back they all seem to go to ground on the electrical panel.

Does anyone else have these?

 

[Richard Bryer]

The co-ax and the multi conductor wire in pics 1&2 look to be added sometime after manufacture. As they appear to go to the mast i would guess some instruments that never were installed?

 

[rardiH36]

Hello Alctel:

As Richard has observed, the wiring along the head bulkhead isn't OEM. Certainly my boat doesn't have any wires running there. Wires up the mast are Wind Instrument, radar, VHF antenna, deck light, anchor light, and a running light. The last time my mast was stepped (by a PO), the wires were (and still are) run right to the bottom of the mast just above the bilge bottom level. As for all the wires being run to the electrical panel's ground bus bar, that wouldn't seem to accomplish much. From what I have seen on my boat, the original Hunter wiring was pretty mono-chromatic. Not much attention paid to different colors for every different light or instrument. If anything, because the amps are low, one could get by with only one ground wire commonly connected to everything "mast". But this wire should have a large gauge than the others. All the positive 12V wires for each light/instrument need to be connected to the respective switch/breaker on the panel. If you check with a continuity tester, you should be able to determine which wires are grounded. For the ones that aren't, connect them one at a time to a +12v source and a grounded wire to the minus. Then go out and see which light is shining. Of course, the success of this is dependent on the wiring still being OK directly to each light. And that the bulbs and the bulb sockets are still working.

 

[Alctel]

Thanks guys.

0 lights seem to work on the mast, at all, so I'm probably going to have to scramble up there to take a look. Ugh. I found the manual and the wires ARE colour-coded, but the ones in the bilge are now all just one colour - black.

I'm tempted to just tear them all out since none of the mast lights work anyway, and then rewire when my mast gets stepped.