One of my projects on this springs honey do list consists of repainting our flats boat. No this is not actually on my wifes honey do list, I put it on mine, and she has agreed that this project would be pretty fun for me to tackle. Last night I found myself working underneath the console removing all the gauges so I could get some fresh paint on the dash. I was diligently labeling every wire and its location when I realized some of my masking tape had fallen off two wires. I scratched my head trying to figure out which wire went where when I remembered I had a copy of this article on marine wiring printed off and hanging on my peg board in the garage.
As I am sure you are well aware marine wiring usually presents some unique challenges such as working in some real tight areas, feeding wire through tight chases, feeding wire through T-Tops or other superstructure piping, and perhaps the hardest part of it all, keeping all the wire well organized. If your boat was wired by a reputable manufacturer; then believe it or not there is some method to the madness for the mess of wires underneath your console. Below is the color code used in the marine industry; according to the American Boat and Yachting Council Standards, perhaps it will help you decipher the usage.
Yellow w/red stripe - This wire is for the starting circuit. It runs from the starter switch to the starter solenoid.
Solid Yellow - Two uses. 1) It is used in the alternator field terminal to the regulator on the engine. 2) Power wire for the bilge blower if your boat is so equipped, it runs from your fuse or switch to your blower.
Dark Gray - Two purposes. 1) Power wire for your navigation lights. It runs from your fuse or switch to your lights. 2) Tachometer wire-it runs from your tachometer sender on the engine to your tac.
Brown - 3 different purposes. 1) On the engine it is for your generator armature, it runs from generator armature to the regulator. 2) Also on the engine it is used for the alternator charge light and is runs fr