need help on macgregor 26D 1990 need to rewire

[medkid134]

hello everyone i am new to this site just bought my first last week and just started to clean it up. the boat is a mac 26d 1990 and in great condition minor mildew in the cushions but after 20 years of being on the water thats expect. in doing the clean up i have found that the boats wireing is a mess and it looks like they used "lamp wire" to for wiring the bow and stern nav lights. and other house wire to run to speakers that were rusted out (and no sterio.)

my question is how do i run wires to the bow and stern and from the port to starbord side of the boat to run wires to new interior lights.

should i bother to replace the old lamp wire, all the lights are in working condition. and just add new wire for the interior lights.

one last question i have is the PO has a VHF radio installed port side by the entrance hatch and a power cord running through the ceiling down under the sink (where the battery is stored) they have a outlet on the deck on the starboard side of the mast for the VHF antenna but the antenna cable from the VHF radio does not run anywere. and i cant find the wire that runs to the outlet on the deck in the compartment above the sink (next to the daggerboard.)

i am new to owning sail boats but have lived my whole life on the water and motor boats so i do know a thing or two about boats.

thank you everyone for your help.

mike

 

[Justin_NSA]

Welcome to the family Mike!

I have had good luck with a fish tape running new wiring. Home Depot. Lowe's etc carry them. You'll want to install another circuit panel. The OEM is barely adequate. I left my old wiring alone, just ran better quality for my new circuits. If you don't have it already, you will want to wire shore power in.

 

[medkid134]

thank you so much for the response. i think i will do just that and run new wire to a new panel for the interior ligths and am/fm radio. i have a fishing tape and will give that a try.

do you know where the wires from the mast would come into the cabin through the deck. im trying to find where the PO pluged in the antena wire for the VHF radio.

 

[Sumner]

....my question is how do i run wires to the bow and stern and from the port to starbord side of the boat to run wires to new interior lights.

should i bother to replace the old lamp wire, all the lights are in working condition. and just add new wire for the interior lights...

Welcome to the board.

You have probably figured out that there are inner liners inside of the hull. Going towards the stern I've use the area by the inner liner where the hull/deck joint is to run wires. The hardest place I found to run wires was from down under the sink/starboard settee to over the sink and...

...I ran quite a few in that area. I finally drilled a larger hole part way up the side and used it to pull wires up and down. First to the hole and then up or down from there. When I was finished I put a plug in the hole. I pulled some wires without the plug, but finally got tired of that.

On the wires if you are going to mess with them then I'd buy new ...

http://genuinedealz.com/

...marine type wire from the place above in the link. They have good prices. I've used their wire for all of the new wiring in the boat. Now saying that there are two runs of original wiring in the boat still and that is to the bow and stern lights.

Not sure what to suggest on the VHF as I can't picture exactly what is going on there.

Good luck,

Sum

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Our Endeavour 37

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[medkid134]

sum thank you for the response that is beautiful work i have seen some of your modifications and love them the galley turned out beautiful and i hope to do something like that soon also. do you have tips for redoing the sink area.

and yes i have found the inner linner which is were some of the wires are already running from the PO. i see you installed your radio over the sink area in that small pannel (mine is full of floatation foam) where did you run your VHF radio antenna to.

also i like the idea of drilling a larger hole to make wiring eaiser where exactly did you put that hole.

thank you for the relpy you have been a great help with some fantastic ideas and modifications.
thanks

 

[Sumner]

... do you have tips for redoing the sink area.

Not sure if you mean the cabinets there are the sink itself. Others have removed the sink and replaced it with a SS one. The stock sink works fine for us and we didn't want to use up any more of the counter space with a larger one since we also have the drawers there. If I did put in a different sink and cut that one out I might add some reinforcement as I feel that the sink does help to stiffen up the bulkhead there for the mast step. Saying that I haven't heard of anyone having a problem cutting into the counter top. We also have an S and since the D has the trunk there I'm sure it adds stiffening to the bulkhead.

If you are referring to the drawers and overhead...

...storage there you can find that info here ...

http://purplesagetradingpost.com/sumner/macgregor/inside-index.html

... where the interior mods are indexed. That storage for plates, silverware, pots and pans and all the other stuff you need to prepare a meal has proven to be invaluable to us.

......also i like the idea of drilling a larger hole to make wiring eaiser where exactly did you put that hole.

The hole I put in is to the right of the towel hanging in the picture above and has one of those chrome plugs in it that you can buy at a hardware store. Also below that further down are two more stock plugs that can be removed and help in getting the wiring to the area over the sink.

Good luck and enjoy the boat,

Sum

[FONT=Arial, sans-serif]============================[/FONT]

Our Endeavour 37

Our MacGregor 26-S Pages

Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida

Mac-Venture Links

 

[Cruiser1]

................one last question i have is the PO has a VHF radio installed port side by the entrance hatch and a power cord running through the ceiling down under the sink (where the battery is stored) they have a outlet on the deck on the starboard side of the mast for the VHF antenna but the antenna cable from the VHF radio does not run anywere. and i cant find the wire that runs to the outlet on the deck in the compartment above the sink (next to the daggerboard.)

Hi Medkid134, just thought I would put a a few photos from my boat (just click to enlarge) in case yours is similar. I originallly had the Radio/CD and the VHF mounted above the galley (1st photo) but wanted to get them out of the way in order to install an Origo stove in the bench. Moved the Stereo/CD and VHF to either side of the campanionway.

I have also included a photo of my VHF deck fitting (Perko 1191). When I moved the VHF back to the companionway I had to exetend the length of the aeriial cable from the VHF to the deck connector. In actual fact I the cable lead from the VHF to a Shakespeare 4357-S Band Splitter and then on to the deck connector. The radio/CD aerial also goes into the band splitter and they share the Metz masthead aerial.

For the record these are the cabling arrangements for 'Myuna':
Splitter to AM/FM Radio - 10ft (3m) of RG-62 S.I.W. A coax with Motorolal plug
Splitter to VHF Radio - 2' 6" (76cm) RG-58 B/R B cable + 5m of GME LEO%PL with PL259 connector on end and both joined by PL259 joiner
Deck plug to Splitter - 2' 3" (70cm) Ancor Marine Grade RG BX E24340 AWM Stylw 1354

 

[oreana123]

Roger did use lamp cord for the wiring, but even though I would not use that wire, if it is functional, you might just leave it. If you decide to replace the nav light wire, then it might be best to remove the forward bowrail. The nav light wire runs down the right aft leg of the bowrail and then through the deck to the space between liner and hull and aft to the area under the galley. To remove the bowrail, you'll need to cut the liner in the forward section of the vee berth

A fish tape is a must for replacing or running new wire between the liner and the hull. Another VERY handy item is a short wedge, used to separate the liner from the hull temporarily to get enough room for the fish tape and wire, maybe more than one.

While you are at it, the electrical panel is just not up to the job, replace it with a Blue Sea panel that uses ring terminals instead of the slide on type of connector that is provided by the factory.

If you take your time, almost every inch of wire can be hidden. I rewired a 26D using 180 feet of 2 strand and only had inches of wire showing. The hardest part is the transition between the upper liner and the lower liner, this requires running wire down the channel formed over the chainplates. It can be done with patience.

 

[karlos263]

Funny what some people do. I bought a 1987 26D this summer and also need to do some re-wiring. The previous owner installed a bracket for a depth sounder on top of the pop up hatch but the wires are too short so I can't raise the hatch all the way. There is no battery but I assume it goes under the sink as the panel is there. Does your boat have a holder for the battery? There is nothing on mine. Do you know if there is a wiring print for the boat? I would like to re-wire the whole thing too. Karl

 

[Justin_NSA]

This is it. No frills. A sailor should be a lot more more creative in designing a system that's practical

 

[dawg2]

If you replace wiring that has a long run (i.e. bow lights mast lights) I would first TIE A SMALL ROPE TO THE WIRE. It is a lot easier to get the new wire back where it was. Tie pull string to the old wire with a good knot, but keep it low profile so it doesn't hang up. Wrap the knot with electrcial or duct tape which will also help prevent it from hanging up. Pull the old wire out nice and easy. Then tie your new wire to the string and start pulling the string. A helper is nice, because they can coax the wire through some tight spots.

If you are planning on running more wires up there, tie another pull string to the new wire so you will have an extra pull string for future use.