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1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 2:07 pm
by dougz
Hello - Can someone suggest vendors for the correct wire to use while rewiring my 1941 17' Barrel Back? Thank you.

Another question: About the tachometer. I have had the gauge rebuilt by Mark Clawson. What do I need to do with the tachometer "cable"? Any maintenance that can be done? Replacement?

Regards,
Doug

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 4:07 pm
by mbigpops
Rhode Island wire is one supplier.

Consider buying a new tach cable or take the inner cable out of the jacket and inspect the whole thing. I was going to reuse mine and found the inner cable was separating half way into the jacket.

Mark

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sat Dec 17, 2016 10:58 pm
by Brian Robinson
Restoration Supply Company in Escondido, California. Red 10g, black 16g, and yellow 16g (I usually use 14g for the black and yellow).

Cloth, no tracers.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 2:21 pm
by dougz
Hello - I am now in the process of wiring the boat. I am running the power back to the stern light. But don't know where the 2nd wire goes? I assume to ground somewhere. When I took the boat apart I got a picture of the wire returning from the stern light and then heading aft...but then it ended. Does anyone know where they would have brought that to? See picture. Wire on right is coming from the switch. The the wire on the left comes back from the stern light and heads aft to?? Thanks.

Doug Z.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 2:33 pm
by dougz
Same question for the bow light. See picture. 2nd wire comes back from bow light and heads to the port side. Looks like they grounded on the last gauge there...that would be my temp gauge. Does that make sense? Thanks.

Doug Z.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 3:09 pm
by mbigpops
Doug,

The only real "ground" in these boats is the engine block. Originally everything aft was tied to the engine block and one wire ran fore to the back of one of the gauges and all the fore grounds were tied to that same gauge screw. Your aft light ground could have run to the transom and then back to the block along one of the engine stringers.

You have to look at you current setup and figure out the paths based on how you want to re-do the wiring. For the aft items you may now have a grounded fuel tank, bilge blower and stern pole so you need to tie those ground together and bring them to the engine block. Up front you may decide that a modern hidden fuse block can be used instead of inline fuses and gauge tie points for ground. I went with the out of sight fuse block mounted behind the dash which makes everything safer and neater. It is your call for your boat.

If running the wires in the same locations is important then look for small holes in the engine stringers and frames that would be evidence of original staples.

Also remember that soldering is not recommended as these joints can easily crack and fail over time. Use good marine rated crimp connections and shrink sleeving. Also use only full ring terminals so they can't slide off of the screws.

Mark

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:09 pm
by Brian Robinson
In most models such as yours prewar, the stern lite was grounded to one of the strut bolts, not the engine block. This can be problematic however depending on how your bolts are bedded in the strut, and even then it is still not a great ground. Postwar they wised up and went to the aft of the engine on the leg of the motor mount (the engine side). I used to run the ground to the strut with a little pigtail there to look right, then ran a jumper wire from the strut to the engine block. Nowadays I just run it straight to the engine block.

Just as for 30+ years they relied on the oil pressure tube as the boats main ground, it is always a good idea to run a separate ground wire to the engine block.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 8:59 pm
by mbigpops
A strut bolt was the stern pole ground ?

I believe what you are saying but that is wild. They were either relying on the mineral content in the wood moisture or the path to the water that the boat was sitting in to provide a ground path.

I wonder if anybody tried to figure why that light only worked when they were in the water and not on the trailer.

Easy for me to second today I guess.

Mark

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2017 9:08 pm
by Brian Robinson
It's true. And I can tell you that the mineral content of Lake Tahoe does not support its function

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 9:26 am
by dougz
Hello - Thank you for the feedback. I will run it back to the engine block as suggested.

Brian - Do you still stand by the use of the Dupli-Color DE1621 for the engine paint? Found that old post and wanted to double check. Thank you.

Doug Z.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2017 3:50 pm
by Brian Robinson
Yes, it is a good match for prewar. Just shake the cans well with a sawzall

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sun Feb 05, 2017 3:27 pm
by steve bunda
Ground wire on 1939 barrel , odd but true.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2017 3:29 pm
by Don Vogt
Yep, that's how it was done, Steve, believe it or not. That is the way mine is wired, too.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 8:28 am
by Greg Wallace
I don't think "rubber insert" cutlass bearings were std early on. A bronze strut bearing would allow for a good ground. I don't know when they became standard , I just remember seeing them specified (to be installed) on the hull card suggesting they were not standard. I also remember changing them out as a kid. Probably a shop memo around somewhere.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 10:44 am
by Brian Robinson
Spot on, Greg. I recently pressed an original bronze bearing out of a lightly used '57 Capri. Pretty rare to see those anymore.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 9:40 am
by dougz
Hello - My horn is under the front deck. Can someone tell me how it's wired? Power from the AMP gauge & wire from the horn button on the steering wheel. But there must be something else. Can someone tell me what I am missing? Thank you.

Re: 1941 17' Barrel Back Wiring

Posted: Sun Sep 10, 2017 8:05 pm
by drrot
Horn relay