www.iFourWinns.com

Yeah. I just "loved" the wiring on my '95 Signature 24... the primary DC cable feeding the cabin systems had a 350A connector inline, buried deep in the gunwhale like this:
It was real fun when the new owner brought it home only to call me and wonder why none of the DC systems were working in the cabin, and I had to travel out of my way to find that problem in the dead of a 20 degree winter evening, all because the design engineer at Chaparral decided it would save time putting a connector in a critical circuit.

An issue with a boat made 20 years ago is not representative of the company. I'm talking about modern boats.

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1981 Columbia 8.7
2015 Yamaha FZR - 87mph - sold
2006 Yamaha GP1300R - sold
2003 Chaparral 215 SSI - sold
2009 Stingray 195CS - sold
2000 Four Winns H180 - sold
1976 O'day Daysailer II - sold
Rick's Four Winns H180 Mods/Upgrade Thread

i feel that the age of the boats and the fiberglass of that era is the issue.. RIC has a good point on that moderns are either built great or cheap as hell.. now the 80s and 90s were great for good glass and build quality with reliable companies. but for example the 60s and 70s glass boats that glass is vastly brittle compared to the 80s when technology made leaps and bounds..

i found it hilarious upgrading my stereo in the 93. it was all original and the original equipment was 15watt max 8w rms. and now Muwahahaha (evil laugh) 200w 100Rms each. and 3,200 watts of amps. a 1,400w 12" sub and a 10" bazooka. you could say that i upgraded the stereo a little lol. added 2 dedicated group 24 batteries just for the stereo. upgraded alternator. all new wiring. 0ga tinned marine fire proof power and ground wire to the amps. 12ga double coated speaker wire.

i used a BLUE SEA bull battery isolator.. this would be the biggest recommendation to you .. as it allows you to turn the entire boat off and it keeps the house and start batts separate. i also have an inline resettable breaker dedicated to the stereo..

you can read up more on my stereo and wiring here http://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11136&start=15

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Not Penny's Boat

1993 190 Horizon 5.0L EFI
http://www.smwebhead.com/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11136
1977 14' CMF Skiff SOLD
2015 Emotion Stealth Angler 11

Ahh; I see now. I thought you were talking about Chaparral wiring. My mistake.
I did love my Signature though; it's a great boat, and like most boats, it has it's good points and bad points.
In a few years, your Chap will be 20 as well, Ric. Is that when it's wiring suddenly transitions from being good to being bad?

If it's bad to begin with, without attention it's not going to get better with age. The wiring of my 2004 245 Sundowner, despite some initial serious issues due to the factory install was a paragon of virtue compared to that of my 2009 Vista 278. The number of wiring issues are staggering, there are no electrical schematics available after those for the 2006 ones ..............and as for the Volvo D4 EVC system, that's got the potential of becoming a very deep expensive hole ( Sorry Ric !)

I figured out the logic behind the factory wiring for the Kicker amp; the systems breaker/ switch is only 40 A ( as far as the latest available diagrams indicate). The amp has a 70A breaker / max draw, so it can't be supplied by the systems switch. It still seems stupid to wire it that the starter battery can be rub down by using the stereo, Ho_hum, what do I know.

Both Chaparral and Four Winns have made the mistake of using non-waterproof Molex connectors. That was the bane of the signature I had, and that has been the bane of the Vista I have. I've replaced most all of the connectors near the helm with waterproof Molex MX150 series connectors whether they needed it or not. http://www.mouser.com/new/molex/molex_mx150/