Cobaltchat.com

Hi all,

Greetings! I have already been taking advantage of this great forum as we recently purchased our 1st Cobalt. It is a 2007 232 powered by the Volvo 8.1-Gi.

We boat mostly in Lake Michigan out of Holland, MI. We also visit some of the many great inland lakes that Michigan has to offer. We will be doing more now with a much more capable ride.

I have been exploring the dash wiring to change how the radio is powered while not underway. The top Accessory switch does not do anything and I have obtained the dash wiring diagram from Cobalt (I just asked on their form and they sent it!).

One of the top things that was unexpected to us about our Cobalt is the amount of storage the boat has!

Cheers! Looking forward to learning more as I dig through the forums.

Welcome, and congrats on a great boat!
Yes, the amount of storage in this platform is something we noticed before our purchase as well. It is a crazy amount of space, yet my family has found a way to use it up.

Nice boat, Bservis - the accessory switch is made by a company called Cole Hersee, I think, and is pretty clearly labeled on the back (but you can find online resources too). There are a few other manufacturers of four-position ignition switches (off, run, start, and accessory), but they all work about the same. Lots of info on here about people modifying or replacing their factory stereos too - it's a project that isn't all that hard, and has a nice payoff if you're into that kind of thing.

NautiWeasel wrote: Fri Jul 18, 2025 10:08 am Welcome, and congrats on a great boat!
Yes, the amount of storage in this platform is something we noticed before our purchase as well. It is a crazy amount of space, yet my family has found a way to use it up.

True, fully utilized in no time as well!

jhnmdahl wrote: Fri Jul 18, 2025 10:10 am Nice boat, Bservis - the accessory switch is made by a company called Cole Hersee, I think, and is pretty clearly labeled on the back (but you can find online resources too). There are a few other manufacturers of four-position ignition switches (off, run, start, and accessory), but they all work about the same. Lots of info on here about people modifying or replacing their factory stereos too - it's a project that isn't all that hard, and has a nice payoff if you're into that kind of thing.

Thanks. All the switches are working great and the stereo has been upgraded by the previous owner. I want to remove the stereo turn-on from the ACC on the key to the Accessory 2 switch on the top of the dash (used for Captain's Call if installed, not on mine). The Accessory 2 switch is also not powered unless the key is in ACC or Run, so the power feed to the switch will need to be changed to feed off the breaker panel and not from the purple line that runs to all the gauges. I think I have it mapped out, just need to make some disconnect crimps and pull some pins from the Molex connectors. I don't want to cut factory wires, just pull the existing and run some new ones.

Congratulations on your new boat!

You probably have these spade connectors on your helm switches and circuit breakers.

Amp Positive Lock Mark I connectors
https://www.cobaltchat.com/viewtopic.php?t=6487

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So glad you found us bservis...

I'm curious why you desire to move the stereo power from the accessory position on the key while stationary to the accessory switch since the key will still have to be in the accessory position anyway as per your post.

Any pics?

And welcome aboard mate!

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I was able to complete the project! I completed the project by pulling and adding pins to the Molex Mate-N-Lok connectors under the dash. I pulled power from the unused Accessory breaker output (I don't have Captain's Call) and replaced the ACC power feed to the Accessory 2 switch. I then pulled the stereo activation pin from the output of the key Molex connector and moved it to the power feed to the Accessory 2 switch.

AsLan7 wrote: Fri Jul 18, 2025 3:50 pm
Any pics?
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How do I attach photos to a post? I don't have them on a publicly available URL.

Figured it out. Pics of the the boat.

Nice job bservis!

Good looking boat bservis!! Have the same model with a yellow boot stripe, stainless tower, and light gray carpet. Upgraded from a’99 200 and was immediately blown away by the storage space as well. Happy boating!!

Great looking boat!! Yes, tons of storage.