Re-wiring question

[Bigbroadjumper]

I am working on my O/B Magnum that I purchased last fall, I have removed the Fuel tank and most of the bits and pieces. My question is about wiring. It seems that over the last 30+ years the wiring on this boat looks like it has been done by some "birds". Everything terminates at the battery! This is the first O/B I have ever owned and I wonder if this is normal? It has a Mercury 150, Power tilt and trim, and Merc controls and they all work fine. It is the other items that I want to take care of.

What I want to do is remove most of the existing wiring and and redo what I can. It only has a Tach, Fuel gauge, Electric Fuel pump and switch, running lights and switch and bilge pump and switch. Currently all the wires connect to the battery, both on the + and -. Is this the best way or the only way to do this? Or can I add a fuse panel under the dash and have just one hot and ground power all the items?

I have done all kinds of things, but wiring is not one of them.

[Fish boy]

Poodle is definitely correct. No sense on going all the way back to the battery with all of the wires.

Here are a couple of examples of some wiring jobs that are done well (not mine, just saved them so I know what mine is supposed to look like one of these days). The first picture shows a buss (all the red wires going into it on the lower left). you can do the same thing for the ground. Much neater, and easier to work on.

Fish

PS: anyone notice in the second pic that all of the screws head slots are all aligned?

[ToonaFish]

You are safe, Poodie. I've been far too busy lately aligning very cold nuts on skis. :rlol:

Bunches,

Celene 'adding new meaning to frost bite'