Adding overhead lights to bimini advice?

Fishing the wire through the bimini poles would be the easiest part of the whole job, running the wires elsewhere would be the harder part but pretty simple I think.

I am actually thinking of buying 4 of those rail lights and instailling them in my bimini support poles as well, it would be very easy on my boat as I have a whole power bus bar behind the bridge console and one extra switch on my dash.
 
The problem with using a normal fish tape is that the "exit" hole that you drill at the bottom of the bimini leg will be on the small side - pushing the tape through a small hole and making that quick turn to go "up" might be awkward. Might be a little hard to grab the tape at the small hole in the underside of the top bow, too. But... here are two possible ways...

- Is the fitting on the bottom of your Bimini leg screwed or riveted on? Remove the fitting. If it's riveted, you can replace the rivet with a screw. This will make it easy to push the tape up - you'll just need to use a little finesse to grab it by where the light will mount.

Or...

- Biminis are easily removable from the boat. Using a weighted line (pull chain), insert it into the hole that you will drill in the top bow, then rotate the bimini and let gravity do it's thing. Use tweezers to pull it out of the hole by the mount fitting.

Using the tape (or weighted line method), I would first pull through a piece of nylon twine (like the kind you would use for setting a level when making a stone walkway). The twine should be at least twice as long as needed. You may not really need the twine, but it's a good idea "just in case".

Be sure to use rubber grommets at the holes to protect the wires.

Running your wires to your dash (there is likely, as Carver mentioned, a fuse panel under your dash with open spots - there is on mine, anyways) is pretty easy, too. It may be down to the bilge, first. Or it may be into a cavity on the starboard side, first (sink?). Either way, you basically end up following your steering cable (and other stuff).

LED's draw next to no power, so you could easily tap into one of your existing cockpit lights - either at the light or at the dash, or in the bilge (bilge lights... Are they on the cockpit light circuit?).

Or, just add a new switch somewhere on your dash.
 
Do you guys leave you bimini's up all the time? Mine are up and down every day we use the boat and then down for travel on the trailer, couldn't imagine wiring that could take the abuse we would dish out the way we use our boat.

MM
 
Never take mine down. Always trailer it... and I don't to subscribe to the "55 saves lives" motto, if you know what I mean :smt001

However, a quick disconnect would be installed between bimini mount and gunwale, to help with the problem you're thinking about.
 
I do tend to leave my bimini up all the time. I do take it down on occasion though so I would have to figure a quick connector where the bimini mounts to the gunwale. This is the part that I think will be trickiest to do without it looking ghetto. I was thinking of a molex connector like below.

http://www.boat-project.com/tutorials/connectors.htm

Fishing the wire into the bimini should not be too bad. I have used a flexible nylon fish type like the one below in the past with great success to get wires through tubes. I like Dennis' idea of just letting gravity do the work.

http://www.amazon.com/Cen-Tech-Ft-N...f=sr_1_15?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1329495568&sr=1-15

I actually have two extra switches on my dash. One already has a switch but it is connected to nothing. It was intended for a port windshield wiper. I also have a slot filled with a blank but I will need to get another switch. One of these switches I am going to use for my underwater lights that are going in soon. I was planning on wiring the bimini lights to the cockpit lights but if I wire these I might put them on a different switch as Dennis suggested. It is very easy to run wire on this boat I have found out (it just took me a while to find all the secret screws that hold panels in place).

This is the switch I need but Flounder Pounder has a $25 minimum order. I emailed great lakes skipper and they do not have one with a blue lens only red. Any one know of another source?

http://www.searay-parts.com/ProductDetails.asp?ProductCode=VV+C3-F+Blk+Single+Blue+Lens&CartID=1

John
 
John - I'm not on this forum to sell things, so please don't take this the wrong way. But, I might have some of those in stock - I can check if you want. You might also want to see if Jim (BOE Marine), the owner of CSR, can get it for you.

That's a really, REALLY good price there - is that for the switch AND the cover (faceplate)?
 
Lazy Daze said:
John - I'm not on this forum to sell things, so please don't take this the wrong way. But, I might have some of those in stock - I can check if you want. You might also want to see if Jim (BOE Marine), the owner of CSR, can get it for you.

That's a really, REALLY good price there - is that for the switch AND the cover (faceplate)?
Click to expand...


Ya know, now that you mention it that price may be just for the cover. The similar red switches that Great Lakes had were closer to $9 I think. If you get a chance check and see if you have one around. Thanks.
 
I checked in our parts dep't, John... there's a whole bin of faceplates, but no SPST switches (just momentary). The faceplate (blue lens, in stock) is $1.50. I could order the actual switch, but I think SR charges a minimum of $12 S/H. But, likely, your local dealer has all of this in stock or can add it to one of their orders (to cut down on S/H).

Here are the part numbers you need, in case you want to check with your local dealer:

Faceplate: [SIZE=-1]679324
SPST Switch: 648097[/SIZE]
 
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