50onRED
The Metal Lab
- Joined
- Jun 21, 2014
- Messages
- 362
- Reaction score
- 301
I need to start with a little backstory, bare with me…
It’s extremely rare to find a used boat that checks every single box. Length, shape, color, Engine, drive, interior and audio (there’s a ton more but for the sake of getting to the point) When I purchased my 27’ 2008 Eliminator Daytona it checked just about every single box (except price of course) because I felt like I overpaid but it was worth it to get almost EXACTLY what I wanted. I bought the boat basically sight unseen after spending a month examining photos and asking a million questions from the dealer.
The day I picked it up I spent an hour inspecting and finding all of the flaws that the dealership so skillfully left out of any pictures or conversations. I was fully aware that I was buying a used boat so these little details didn’t come as a shock but in my mind I could just hear the CHA CHING sound of the tens of thousands of dollars I would be spending to fix every imperfection and turn my Daytona into the boat that I’ve dreamed about for many years.
The first test drive shined a light on issues that I hoped wouldn’t be there. But there they were!! Lots of loose panels, a prop that wasn’t right for the boat, an electrical nightmare, a motor that wasn’t even bolted down a bilge blower missing the ducts that allow it to properly function, Upholstry issues, gauges that didn’t work, exhaust leaks, trailer with ZERO brake fluid, oil leaks and overall lack of any sort of decent maintenance.
Nonetheless the hull was perfect (it’s a Leech built Daytona so that isnt surprising) the engine was near perfect (Big thanks to Adrian at Barrett) and the rest was totally repairable.
From that day forward, my mind and my internet feed have been consumed by my quest to make my perfect boat.
One advantage for me is that I spent nearly 20 years in the custom hot rod and audio industries so the repairs necessary are almost all within my area of expertise. Anyone who knows me knows That I love wiring and audio and I still do custom audio installs at my home in Orange County Ca.
So after all that I decided to start with the things that were a safety issue and on a boat the Electrical system is the #1 most important part of the safety equation. At one time the previous owner decided to have a monster stereo system installed into this boat. He clearly spent a large sum of money on the components of this system but he got totally robbed on the install. This is the perfect situation where “you get what you pay for” comes into play. Bottom line, good audio is expensive! Also if you’re planning on paying BIG money for a system in your boat you need to go to that shop while they build another boat and just take a look at their install quality. A shitty install could cost you your boat! I’ve seen boats with drywall screws, screwed down to the trailer through the hull and of course burnt to a total loss because of shitty wiring jobs.
My boat had one of those shitty wiring jobs. The alternator was fried, the battery wiring was a joke and the amp wiring was atrocious. Doesn’t matter anymore because it’s all coming out. Follow along as I start the rebuilding process and make this wiring look and function like a million bucks only to cover it all up with the interior panels… HA! It’s just the nature of the beast here. Either way the next person who takes off these panels is going to shit a brick at how bad ass the wiring is.
HERE WE GO.
As you can see I have lots of cleaning and fixing to do but I’ll document all of it.
The batteries are in my opinion the best batteries you can have in your boat. I would have put all 4 of the same battery but these will do for now. I also have a ship to shore charger/tender that is made for 4 batteries and stayes plugged into a 110v Outlet when the boat is not in use.
This is 1 of the 4 JL audio amps in the boat. This one was hidden behind a panel so apparently the installer felt it wasn’t necessary to clean up the wiring
Wires laying in the hull is a big no no.
Looks like the filler neck has been leaking so I’ll make sure to replace it before I put this panel back on.
Marine connectors need to be sealed. The crimps one these aren’t even crimped completely and because they aren’t sealed they are already corroding.
After removing the first battery I found just nastiness and spent hardware that was just left instead of actually cleaning it out.
Connectors on the back of the speakers that aren’t sealed and are very poorly stripped and crimped. Again this is where your audio quality suffers and the corrosion will eventually load the wire so much that the speaker won’t even function. More things for me to replace..
The braided line on the bottom of this pile is the main fuel line from the port side fuel tank. I’m not sure who thought it was a good idea to run 1/0 power cable from 4 batteries on top of the fuel line. This is where I draw the line with calling out bad audio shops. I wish I knew who did this install because they shouldn’t be installing audio into boats anymore. This is the stuff that gets people killed and boats burnt to the ground.
Eventually this paneling will all be replaced and reupholstered but for now it just needs a good cleaning and it’ll finish out this season just fine.
While I’ve got the seat out I’ll probably replace the fuel filter. I have my qualms about having all of this fuel right on top of the battery charger. I think I’ll relocate it to a safer location.
Wires just hanging always gets me… like why?
Well at least they put a circuit breaker in…
This is just the tip of the iceberg of what will go back into the boat. New battery terminals, new circuit breaker, new distribution blocks, new wire and most important thing of all is a voltage sensing battery isolator relay that automatically isolates my starter battery from my audio batteries as soon as the voltage drops under 13 volts. Then once the voltage is back over 13volts it’ll switch back on to charge all 4 batteries with my new 200a alternator. I also got some nifty aluminum clamps to separate the cable and make it pretty… yes wiring can be pretty when it’s done correctly. Or maybe that’s just me because I’m a wiring nerd.
Anyways let me know what you think. I’ll post more pics as the project progresses.
It’s extremely rare to find a used boat that checks every single box. Length, shape, color, Engine, drive, interior and audio (there’s a ton more but for the sake of getting to the point) When I purchased my 27’ 2008 Eliminator Daytona it checked just about every single box (except price of course) because I felt like I overpaid but it was worth it to get almost EXACTLY what I wanted. I bought the boat basically sight unseen after spending a month examining photos and asking a million questions from the dealer.
The day I picked it up I spent an hour inspecting and finding all of the flaws that the dealership so skillfully left out of any pictures or conversations. I was fully aware that I was buying a used boat so these little details didn’t come as a shock but in my mind I could just hear the CHA CHING sound of the tens of thousands of dollars I would be spending to fix every imperfection and turn my Daytona into the boat that I’ve dreamed about for many years.
The first test drive shined a light on issues that I hoped wouldn’t be there. But there they were!! Lots of loose panels, a prop that wasn’t right for the boat, an electrical nightmare, a motor that wasn’t even bolted down a bilge blower missing the ducts that allow it to properly function, Upholstry issues, gauges that didn’t work, exhaust leaks, trailer with ZERO brake fluid, oil leaks and overall lack of any sort of decent maintenance.
Nonetheless the hull was perfect (it’s a Leech built Daytona so that isnt surprising) the engine was near perfect (Big thanks to Adrian at Barrett) and the rest was totally repairable.
From that day forward, my mind and my internet feed have been consumed by my quest to make my perfect boat.
One advantage for me is that I spent nearly 20 years in the custom hot rod and audio industries so the repairs necessary are almost all within my area of expertise. Anyone who knows me knows That I love wiring and audio and I still do custom audio installs at my home in Orange County Ca.
So after all that I decided to start with the things that were a safety issue and on a boat the Electrical system is the #1 most important part of the safety equation. At one time the previous owner decided to have a monster stereo system installed into this boat. He clearly spent a large sum of money on the components of this system but he got totally robbed on the install. This is the perfect situation where “you get what you pay for” comes into play. Bottom line, good audio is expensive! Also if you’re planning on paying BIG money for a system in your boat you need to go to that shop while they build another boat and just take a look at their install quality. A shitty install could cost you your boat! I’ve seen boats with drywall screws, screwed down to the trailer through the hull and of course burnt to a total loss because of shitty wiring jobs.
My boat had one of those shitty wiring jobs. The alternator was fried, the battery wiring was a joke and the amp wiring was atrocious. Doesn’t matter anymore because it’s all coming out. Follow along as I start the rebuilding process and make this wiring look and function like a million bucks only to cover it all up with the interior panels… HA! It’s just the nature of the beast here. Either way the next person who takes off these panels is going to shit a brick at how bad ass the wiring is.
HERE WE GO.
As you can see I have lots of cleaning and fixing to do but I’ll document all of it.
The batteries are in my opinion the best batteries you can have in your boat. I would have put all 4 of the same battery but these will do for now. I also have a ship to shore charger/tender that is made for 4 batteries and stayes plugged into a 110v Outlet when the boat is not in use.
This is 1 of the 4 JL audio amps in the boat. This one was hidden behind a panel so apparently the installer felt it wasn’t necessary to clean up the wiring
Wires laying in the hull is a big no no.
Looks like the filler neck has been leaking so I’ll make sure to replace it before I put this panel back on.
Marine connectors need to be sealed. The crimps one these aren’t even crimped completely and because they aren’t sealed they are already corroding.
After removing the first battery I found just nastiness and spent hardware that was just left instead of actually cleaning it out.
Connectors on the back of the speakers that aren’t sealed and are very poorly stripped and crimped. Again this is where your audio quality suffers and the corrosion will eventually load the wire so much that the speaker won’t even function. More things for me to replace..
The braided line on the bottom of this pile is the main fuel line from the port side fuel tank. I’m not sure who thought it was a good idea to run 1/0 power cable from 4 batteries on top of the fuel line. This is where I draw the line with calling out bad audio shops. I wish I knew who did this install because they shouldn’t be installing audio into boats anymore. This is the stuff that gets people killed and boats burnt to the ground.
Eventually this paneling will all be replaced and reupholstered but for now it just needs a good cleaning and it’ll finish out this season just fine.
While I’ve got the seat out I’ll probably replace the fuel filter. I have my qualms about having all of this fuel right on top of the battery charger. I think I’ll relocate it to a safer location.
Wires just hanging always gets me… like why?
Well at least they put a circuit breaker in…
This is just the tip of the iceberg of what will go back into the boat. New battery terminals, new circuit breaker, new distribution blocks, new wire and most important thing of all is a voltage sensing battery isolator relay that automatically isolates my starter battery from my audio batteries as soon as the voltage drops under 13 volts. Then once the voltage is back over 13volts it’ll switch back on to charge all 4 batteries with my new 200a alternator. I also got some nifty aluminum clamps to separate the cable and make it pretty… yes wiring can be pretty when it’s done correctly. Or maybe that’s just me because I’m a wiring nerd.
Anyways let me know what you think. I’ll post more pics as the project progresses.
) and yes the billet boxes are a grip 
No leaks and no more blue fittings!! Today I begin the process of wiring the batteries and my polished cave covers should be going back on (until my new adjustable guide plates come in) I also just had to get rid of the ugly brass plugs on the intake manifold so I pulled them and put stainless plugs in. I also relocated the temp sender to the crossover tube so it will read a more accurate temp. I think it’s old location on the top of the manifold wasn’t working well because I never really got an accurate water temp. I’m thinking it might have had a little air trapped in the manifold so this crossover tube should work perfectly. 
