Old wires are zip tied in hull - what now?

[SDP]

Hello,
I need to rewire a few electronics in my '93 Champion Fish&Ski.
Problem: I think all the wires are zip tied together in the hull, so pulling an old wire tied to a string won't help when pulling new wires back through.
What do people do about all these unreachable zip ties?
Thanks.

[flabum1017]

leave the old wire in place and snake a new wire in..............

[Bullet 20cc]

They are a pain if you are trying to change/add/remove wiring from the builder's loom.

Best option is to throw a highly competent 2 year old into any hole you can get him in and tell him to earn his diapers. Another good option is to rip out all that old brittle wiring that has probably been cut and spliced with subpar connectors and rewire the entire boat. This is what I did cuz I didn't have a toddler around. I did have to string a few wires but more often used 3/4" cpvc stuck through the boat as a temporary conduit. Just shoved the wire through it til it came out the other side and then remove the cpvc. Option 3 is to disregard wires you no longer want to use in the builder's loom and run your own with the pipe or string method and try not to think about the rat's nest you are creating in there. One or two wires won't be so bad though...

Rewiring the boat is a little more work but new wiring gives you peace of mind in several different ways...

[SDP]

I miss having 2-year-olds. Complete lunatics.
There are so many wires in this bird's nest, that I feel like cutting everything but the ignition, and rewiring the components through a high, arched conduit above the whole deck. I'd just tell people it was a 2-way radio antenna.

[Bullet 20cc]

Now you're thinking...you might be on to something there! You will be happy if you did a total rewire. Even put in a few extra dead wires in that can be used in future added electronics so I wouldn't have to mess with that ever again...

[SDP]

I'd really like a full rewire for all the electronics, everything from the house battery. But there are so many wires...
So many...
The guy I bought it from a month ago, had 3 batteries. One was for cranking, plus EVERYTHING else, and two did nothing. Maybe they were just ballast?

[rock]

I just replied to your other thread and now I understand what you are trying to do. As stated above it is often best to remove existing wires and start over. It's not all that hard and what you often find is changes made year after year by owner after owner do result in one horrifying mess that will make little sense. I have seen these things with 25 pounds of wires that do nothing. I like to run one power wire to a power distribution point (fuse box) and go from there. While there has to be many independent wires ran for the electronics a good portion of the redundancy can be eliminated. Best part is after the re-wire you will easily be able to trace any issues. Need any help you are at the right place.

Rock

[Bullet 20cc]

It sounds scary but it isn't bad at all. Draw it all out on paper until you account for every electronic and even get someone else to look over it too just to double check. When your paper is right...duplicate it on the boat like a checklist. You will find opportunities on your paper to make your own looms and cut down on unnecessary/duplicate wiring...pretty much exactly what Rock said. If you can't find a person to look at it...I would take a look at your plan and comment... Nothing overly complicated about 12, 24 and/or 36 volt in boats...

[NeedOne]

^^What rock and Bullet said

Here's what I did, fwiw
Remove the old harness one wire at a time, label each wire as its removed
Draw a schematic as you go
Make a new schematic, clean up the wiring design if desired with buss bars, fuse panel, etc.
amphenol connectors come in handy where you don't want to rewire gauges, ignition, trim