E42 Bow Light Wiring
Date: March 26, 2005
From: Jim Hall jhall@surfbvi.com
Since I got my Endeavour there has never been a hot wire to the bow light. I have finally sorted most of the rest of the electrical system out, and have the hot wire from the panel traced to under the floor by the forward head. Now my problem is that I cannot trace the wires that come from the bow, they( a red & a yellow in a grey casing) disappear with the windlass wires from the forward anchor loocker going aft, and I have no idea where to find them from there? Any suggestions or advice, I really don't just want to try and run a new set? Thanks.
Date: March 27, 2005
From: Bob Lightbourn RLightb240@aol.com
Pretty sure that they come down on the stbd side thru a stanchion fitting. You will have to climb in the anchor locker and look underneath the railing you also might look where the relay is for the winch. It is in the fwd stbd teak locker above the vee bunk. Hope that this helps.
In addition they might go from the fwd vee bunk along the stbd side thru the large locker opposite the head then thru where the 3 drawers are by the dinette again on the stbd side. Mine were fastened so you really had to look for them. Pull the three drawers out of the settee.
Anyone who is doing a lot of wire tracing might be well off investing in a tone generator and a probe tracer the type the telephone company uses. Available at a good electrical supply house. It will save a ton of time. Probably costs about $100. But what is your time worth?
Date: March 27, 2005
From: Fred Lowe loweplaces@msn.com
I have a 88 model E 42 my wires run in under the v berth over to the starboard locker .Then they run under the wet bar to the panel.
Date: March 27, 2005
From: Michael Gendel mgendel@worldnet.att.net
Jim
Having disassembled a 42, I found that the bow light wire ran through the pulpit and exited at the stbd aft "foot" and thence ran aft under the deck to the panel. Having removed the pulpit I can tell you it was quite a fish job to run the new wire from the bow of the pulpit to that aft foot. (Don't ask why we had to fish). I needed two fish tapes and a helper to negotiate the bends and turns, and the pulpit was in the shop not on the boat which made it "easier" a relative term.
In your case you seem to be describing a port run.
Unless you want to do some disassembly of joinery and head liners to port my reco is run a fish from the panel forward (under stbd deck) or the reverse direction. You should be able to easily remove & reinstall the "false" bulkeads on top of the lockers for access to the fish at the mid point. As I am at home at night and can't get down to the boat, I can't recall if that aft foot exits in the back corner of the anchor locker or if it exits over the stbd v cabinet. Murhpy says its probably the worst case, not in the locker. Removing the cabinet isn't too hard. I can't recall if the head liner can be slid out w/out removing the cabinet face but still leaving the shelf in place. Fishing the wire through the pulpit, pulpit in place, could be frustrating, especially if the foot is over that stbd v cabinet.
How did it come to pass that you find no bow light wire in the pulpit? Could it be there, may be a few inches from the bow opening or the foot exit? Then you would have a ready made fish for new wire.
On second reading, my apologies if I misunderstand the problem statement, as it appears you may have wires running in the pulpit.
Do you not have a battery under the V berth for the windlass? Am confused about "windlass wires running aft" unless you refer to the windlass battery charging wire or the windlass foot switch wires. My foot switches where and are stbd.
Having seen several 42's w/ various hull numbers, it is certain that all the boats are not alike. It seemed every so many hull numbers (and perhaps every hull number) Endevour made assembly changes, so there is no certainty that your boat is completely wired like any other.
