Complete Boat Trailer Rewiring and Light Replacment

I go through the entire process of rewiring my boat trailer including removing the old lights, replacing all of the wire, and connecting new lights. Not exactly exciting but one of those things we just have to do form time to time.

[markhansen]

LOL.... Trailer lights. I struggled with lights and wiring on trailers for many years. I finally went with a whole new system right from the start with a used trailer. The other issue was springs and rollers. In my case I was dealing with salt water. I finally switched to an aluminum trailer, SS hardware, torsion suspension. It was a blessing to help deal with saltwater environment conditions. Boats.... lol.... love'm or leave'm

[gizmocarr]

Being a used boat buyer; and seeing this brings back not so fond memories of the happiness of and frustrations of being a boat owner. Most used boats are just like yours. Mine was worse than yours so far. I worked on my boat more than I went fishing the first year I had it. Tires, wheel bearing, lights, boat bunks, safety chains were just part of the joy of boat ownership. No one tells you about these little unmentioned parts of fishing boats. 😅😂😄✨😱✨

[bobbyriddle]

Patients is a a good gift. It takes a lot when you start a project like that. Good video Mr Tom. Thanks for sharing.

[Darryl]

Another great video. I was so glad to hear you talk about soldering the connections at the end. A good soldered connection with double heat strink will last a long time. Also the best wire to use is the stuff that they use on transport trailers. It looks like black extension cord. They sell it at automotive suppliers. And one last tip, run a ground wire to each light. Don't rely on the frame of the trailer. It causes issues over the years. I believe this to be the best.
Happy fishing 🎣 😀

[leeadams]

Well your making progress, and thats what its about. Glad to see its coming together and before ya know it, it will be finished, at least till something else goes bad. But thats the joyt of owning a boat...you never run out of things to do....God Bless and have a good week.

[mikecollins]

Having owned a doez+ trailers over the last 20 or so years, I can feel your pain :) These days, when I get a used trailer (especially for a boat) I just go ahead and pull all the old wiring and start over... Even trailer I have bought new eventually develop issues, between driving country roads, snow/ice/ road salt/ vibrations etc. Another good tip/ trick is to get a kit that includes a junction box you can mount mid trailer. This makes sorting out issues and making repairs easier by being able to seperate out (test) circuits. Hope this helps someone!

[warrenporter]

3 different connectors you just described every boat and horse trailer in Montana LOL its the cowboy way!

[borislum]

nice having hex bolts versus philips head screws/bolts

[repairfreak]

As others have said “I can feel your pain”, however with a good solid understanding of electricity, proper wiring techniques, tools, connectors etc, it can be very rewarding experience in the end.
I love using high quality crimp type connectors “marine type” that you crimp and shrink, these also contain a sealant inside that flows out when shrunk, thus sealing out water completely. Unfortunately these type connects usually can’t be found at common hardware stores “at least where I live.” My other favorite method would be a quality crimp butt type connector with shrink tubing over it that has this same type sealant in it, or better yet, twisted & soldered wires with shrink tubing over the connection. Some crimp connectors also are designed for a double crimp, one on the wire connect portion, and the other crimp being on a special skirt section on end that acts as a strain relief boot. For multi-wire connects with wire nuts, they have wire nuts with a waterproof silicone jell inside them. Also if one must use electrical tape, there is in my opinion no substitute for 3M brand tape, such as Super 33. One can even coat the electrical tape with pvc cement to partially dissolve the tape together so it wont ever unravel. I have even caulked standard wire nuts after twisting with clear 100% silicone rubber for great under water performance. I also tend to believe that the total less connections you have to make in a functional circuit, the less potential failure points you have. I think it’s safe to say that anyone that has done a lot of wiring, would also likely agree that not all crimp connectors are created equal. Some connectors are just plain garbage, and the same goes for the crimpers being used. I have also found that some crimper pliers and connectors just don’t crimp/work well together, even with proper gauge wire. Also common type crimp connects are designed for joining stranded wire only. I have never cared much for using Scotch Locks in the past, as I have found that wire insulation thickness can vary wire, causing improper cut-in and wire bonding. Yes Scotch Locks can work in a pinch and quickly if your wire likes them. But as you correctly mentioned Tom, the common type are not waterproof, and require tape or shrink tubing to offer some water protection, and to hold them together if the latches were to snap off with brittleness. Good luck Tom, I hope you get your boat in the water soon & do some fishing.
God bless
😎👍

[pkk]

What you can put in there is dielectric grease that'll help it keep it weather-tight it'll be better then nothing

[cbsbass]

I have to do that too. I didn't like it the first time I had to. I like the music too. The tune sounds a bit like "Down home Girl" by Old Crow Medicine Show.

[bigdaddy]

Tom, I like ya buddy. Love the videos. I gotta call you out on this one tho. Wire nuts and splicers on a boat trailer?? You'll be lucky to get two years b4 you have problems with those lights. The only way to wire a boat trailer that will last is soldering all your connections and heat shrink. Lots of heat shrink. Take it from a guy that learned it the hard way. Look at it this way, you wouldn't treat your model 70 like that 😁

[stephenland]

There is a magic place on a river somewhere in British Columbia (that's as much info as you get about location) where fly fishing for seriously big rainbow trout is as good as it gets... anywhere. Perhaps one reason it isn't all that crowded when we get there is that you have to travel about 120 miles over what might be the worst gravel roads on the planet. Vehicles and boat trailers take a terrible beating. You have to budget for at least one ruined tire per trip, both vehicle and trailer. Trailer wheel bearings have been known to fail with one trip. Once, one of the vehicles blew two tires... at the same time.

My trailer for my aluminum boat gets bounced up and down, plus a fair bit of sideways. I count on having to repair the wiring roughly every year. I redo the lights and wiring about every five years. No matter how skookum I do the wiring, it is no match for the forces of nature. I do recall one year (and only one) where we got in and out without a single mechanical issue, so hope springs eternal.

And yes, it's worth it. Between the pristine beauty, listening to rain fall on a tin roof at night, wilderness cooking and casting flies over pure, clean cold water for majestic rainbows, what's a little time doing some work on the trailer?

[cbsbass]

I'm going to watch that slowly and duplicate it as much as possible when I re-do mine again. A lot of work to do before, though on the deck and carpet. Oh, and 25 MPH winds in my 83 Alumacraft 17 ft Super Bandit...I call that a hurricane on Weiss Lake. Having been caught in a summer Thunderstorm once was my last lesson. Faster motor and I'd have missed it.

[KenaiDon]

Their a little spendy but they make those wire nuts with an epoxy sealer in them.

[jeff]

It looks like it not the first time you wired a trailer.

[Kenn]

Wire Nuts???? On a boat trailer??😳🤷‍♂️