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I want to pull some new wire for the bow light and stern light on my old 17. After removing the existing fixtures, the remnants of the original wires are revealed. These wires do not go to the tunnel under the console and probably died/cutback/rotted off sometime during the Reagan administration. Anyway, I need to get wires from the lights to the console eventually and wondered if anyone has had experience replacing these wires. I am not sure where the wire runs are located in the boat, if at all.

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The stern light wires should go to a junction box on the gunwale and then through the tunnel to the console light switch.

Were did your stern light wires go?

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Not familiar with the 17' model's but, on my Sport 15', the bow light wires run down behind the "Rub Rail" (port side) and enter the hull interior from the port side corner.

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There wasn't a J-box for the stern light. I saw the wiring diagram for one on WC, but my set up appears different, though not some old jerry-rig from owners past. The last three pictures on my personal page show the holes for the stern light stanchion, and a hole below where the wires are sticking out. The hole for the wires is threaded and gives the appearance of once having had a receptacle to plug the light into. It looks like it was part of the mold. I should also point out that when I stripped the boat and de-rigged it, there were no wires for lights terminated anywhere on the boat.

I've also shown the bow light. According to the Whaler rigging docs on WC, the wires for the light were connected by "twisting wires together, soldering, and covering with electrical tape." Also indicated was that there would be a spare 3rd wire as well. That's exactly what I found, which was pretty cool. I just wish I knew how it's suppose to get to the console!

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Jim, Those wires you see in the hole on the second to last pic go to your bow light, a terminal strip covers over the hole and all connections are made from a feed coming from the tunnel. The bow and the stern shares the ground on the terminal strip and the stern hot leads up to the stanchons. The bow lights connect by the terminals on the strip. If you do not have enough wire to make the connection look close at the vert. surface just under this hole. look for what looks like a vein under skin that will be the wire embedded in the glass. I was lucky and just barley made a extenison splice but my plan was to dig in to the glass and capture the wire and splice then fish up to the terminal strip mount. And then repair the glass/gelcoat. Mine also looks to be threaded but it was covered with a weathered terminal strip. Bob

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Bob - Thanks for the info. If I understand correctly, the wires were run through the boat somewhere coming out in the tunnel? That would make pulling a new wire next to impossible without cutting glass.

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Jim The wires run down the transom to disapear near the floor but I assume they travel inside the foam between the inner hull and the outer hull. The wires from the tunnel that I was speaking of are the ones you will pull from the console to connect at the terminal strip. If I were you I would try to first check for circuit continuity with a multimeter or a battery and light (the wires inside the hole in the senond to last pic). If the wires in the hull are still good then strip about 1/2" or better 3/4" of the insulation from the wires in the hole. Then using something for a bending mold close to the size of the wires precoil your extenison wires to slip down over your existing wires if possible bending a 1/8" tab of the existing wire down over the coil to help it not slip off as you are soldering (that will give you half of a Western Union splice). Then solder with a pencil iron inside the hole. When solder is set and cool then slide heat shrink tubing down the wire to insulate. That is what I was able to do with mine. Hope that helps Bob

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Jim R,

Take a look at this photo. This is how it was done on later models.
The 2 wires, ground and positive, are run thru the rigging tunnel and to the junction box on the port side. (some models were the other side only for a couple of years)...

These 2 wires on my prior 1978 Montauk had a gray cover. You can see them in the photo. Under the junction box was a hole drilled thru to the outside of the hull directly under the rub rail. The wires then ran under the rub rail to the bow light.

Click on the photo below for larger view.
[img]http://users.sisqtel.net/jkriz/Montauk/rear-inside.jpg[/img]

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Bob & Joe -
Thanks for all the info. I see how this was done and what needs to happen now. I really appreciate the help.
Jim