1: At what point is it easier to completly rewire a boat vs. cutting wires? Is it faster/simpler to buy a new harness when the boat is gutted?

2: My Fountain has a ground that is connnected to all metal hardware in bilge (tabs, drives, hyd steering, cleats, etc.). Is this neccessary? Looking at pics of others they have done away w that.

3: Hydraulic steering: How often should hoses be replaced? From the helm back

4: Bilge Paint: Whats economically $$ the best paint to use?

5: Water Pickups... I have clamshell p/u's that tie into the drives in a spider web of hoses/valves that Im going to do away with. Are drive water p/u's enough for 5-600 carb motors? If I need thru transom p/u's do I need to tie it in with drives?

6: Remote fuel and oil filters (mounted to bulkhead or such), good or no? Most I see are mounted to engines

7: Batterys... I have 2 perko's, 2 battery's, 2 engines, and a half dozen 1/0 wires everywhere. Can I just wire a battery seperate to each engine to simplify things? Now the perkos are both set to ALL so to me it seems it would be the same, and also have all the boat accesories ran to one of the dedicated motor batterys. I have 4 audio batt's completly seperated for radio so dont include that

Enough for now

1, I’ve done both . It was a lot easier to use new. No guesses, no broken wires and all copper corrodes over time.
2, ?
3, Mine has been in my Monza 30+ years
4, Looking myself
5, I would never depend on a drive pump. Just me. I like the motor mounted and hull pick up just to stop sucking up sand in the drive.
6, I like motor mount. If the motor has to come out everything is attached.
7, hummm…..

ok, wiring harnesses are very nice and very expensive..I tend to rewire with various colors myself..but been doing it that way all my life...bilge paint rustolem is about the best tuffest nicest finish for the $$ I have ever seen...hope this helps...Rob

1) Wards in Ft lauderdale carry the harnesses and are about $60 each. If the boat is an older model and is already gutted I would replace them.
2) The grounds connecting the hardware in the bilge serve two purposes. One is for electrolysis. The end of that ground wire should be connected to a zinc under the waterline to avoid the hardware from being eaten away by electrolysis. Secondly, the fuel tank and fuel fill should be attached to this ground as well to avoid sparkind during re-fueling.

That is for protection against galvanic corrosion.

I have to agree with you on Rustoleum. I am re-doing my bilge as we speak and used Fortress in the bilge(a commercial competitor of Awlgrip) I used Awlgrip in the area where my genset once was and Gloss White Rustoleum on a few panels behind the seats and in an area on the inside of the hull under my cuddy. The Rustoleum looks as good or better, applies nicer and costs about 80% less.

I gathered that but is it neccessary? Most performance boats Ive seen dont have it....

+1 For the Gloss white rustoleum. Cheap and works great.

I used Rustoleum as well and it worked GREAT! I did thin it a little with Acetone. I was very impressed.

Please expand that statement.