Wiring after sinking

fiasco · #1 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

Does anyone know what to do after a boat sinks? Do all electrcial wires need to be replaced? I know the components do, but about the wiring? I've heard two schools of thought on this subject.

One states that you only need to cut back until you have "clean" wire.

Another states that the wire wicks the water up and it all should go?

camaraderie · #2 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

Welcome aboard...what type of boat and fresh or salt water....how long was she under for?

fiasco · #3 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

Brackish water, down apx 8-10 hours

yotphix · #4 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

I don't know what accepted practice is, but I have seen a fire on a luxury yacht caused by corrosion several feet from the end of a wire 5 years after a sinking. (The cause was detemined after the fact.) I would think that in most cases you would need to cut off enough wire that you would need to splice on a new piece anyway and at that point you may as well go the distance.

What is your situation? Did your boat sink or are you considering the purchase of a sunk boat? If it were mine I would bite the bullet and replace all with new. Electrical fires suck.

Does brackish water mean mostly fresh or mostly salt? If it was totally fresh it would be no big deal I think. I have been told that boats sunk in seawater used to be hauled to freshwater and sunk for a couple of weeks to clean them!

fiasco · #5 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

Brackish water is a combination of salt and fresh, However i do not know about %'s. Insteresting thought about rinsing in fresh water. Don't think that's feasible or practical. Think you are right and might have to bite the bullet & rewire

camaraderie · #6 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

Sorry to say....but with signficant immersion in salty water I think the only safe thing to do is replace it all.

Tartan34C · #7 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

Sorry to say this but if it’s saltwater you need to rewire.
All the best,
Robert Gainer

Valiente · #8 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

I suppose the good thing is that your old wire sold for scrap is now probably worth a lot more than it was new. Seems the Earth is mined clean out of copper...or so the prices appear to indicate.

sailingdog · #9 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

I think you need to re-wire completely... also replace any fixtures that were immersed, as they're likely shot too. UGH.

SVDistantStar · #10 (**permalink**) 03-12-2007

My boat sank back in Hugo in '89. It sat under for 2 weeks and none of the wireing was redone. Now im in the major game of ripping the wireing out of my boat and replaceing it all. If you have the means to replace it now after the sinking, do it now. BTW my boat is a 1972 Pearson 36, and most of the wireing is factory.