Electrical wiring ??'s (DC)

[Bill]

I need to add several things to my boat (ie. Electric Bilge, VHF, GPS, Anchor light, depth sounder) just to name a few. How should I do it? Do I lead one hot wire from say the Nav/Com breaker on my panel to a buss bar and then run all of the associated instruments to that one bar. And so on and so on? Would installing say a compass on the Nav/Com buss bar be affected by the other instruments? My primary concern is the anchor light (I know about the little light that uses very little amperage (sp)), compass, depth, VHF, and gps. All but the anchor light would go on the Nav/Com breaker. Am I on the right track?

Happy Holidays and smooth sailing

Bill
S/V Rhapsody
CD 25D # 148



cd25d@clnk.com

[Murray Glue]

I am a marine electrician of some experience, and having recently
purchased a CD30, I note that the electrics on it are amongst the
worst I have seen. But, sadly, this is nothing unusual for a very
large percentage of yachts and launches. The rest of the boat is
great!!!
Anyway, be that as it may, I would proceed as follows:

1.0: Your electric bilge bump should be wired directly to your battery
+ post via a suitable in-line fuse, especially if it operates througha float
switch. You need the bilge pump to work, even if all else down the line
has failed you.

2.0: The VHF, for the same reason, should bypass the main panel
and be connected directly to the battery but only via a suitable in-line
fuse. This to ensure that the radio is available even if the rest of the
electrics are not. A better system is a small sealed battery, say 40AH,
mounted higher than the waterline somewhere and charged from the
main battery bank via a blocking diode. This way you have radio
comms when the boat is mostly full of water.

3.0: The anchor light really requires a separate fuse+ switch or
circuit beaker from the other circuits, since you want it to run
on its own, when the running lights are off. Since the panel on the CD30
( what boat do you own? ) is of very limted size, I would contemplate a
subpanel. For my own boat I plan to remove the original panel entirely
and instal one with at least 12 circuit breakers on it, to accomodate add-ons. From what I have seen
so far most of the permanent wiring will be replaced.

4.0: The remaining two items, the echo sounder and the gps can be
wired to the nav-comm breaker as you suggest.

Good luck,

Murray Glue
Nelson
New Zealand
email 106452.2173@compuserve.com








106452.2173@compuserve.com

[sam]

There was and probably still is a book called "the 12 volt doctor's practical handbook' by Spa Creek Instruments and avaiable at most marine stores. This and its companion the 12 volt alternator doctor are well worth having as they are totally oriented toward boat electric and are easy to understand.

I question Murrary's approach of a separate battery for the VHF charged from the main bank. I had thought of doing that for my ham radio due to its large current draw. Problem is that a diode has about a half volt drop across it so the radio battery will always be half a volt low. Shorter life and less output will result.

[D. Stump, Hanalei]

Murray,
Good to hear that we have a marine electrician aboard! Hanalei is also a CD-30, 1984, cutter rigged. I purchased her last spring and recently started installing a 120v shorepower system. I've placed a 120v panel, 30 amp main, with 3 - 20 amp breakers just to the starboard side of the aft bulkhead over the ice box. It is where the Hobbs meter was mounted. Fits perfectly, it is a Paneltronics panel.

I agree with you, the wiring in general is a mess. There evidently was no bundling of wires nor plan on how to wire a boat back in 1984. My question is, what to do? I'd like to make everything nice and neat. Fix all wiring up high in properly secured bundles, but that is a major refit of the system. Is it necessary to do this, or should I just live with it. You know the saying, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it"! What do you think of 12v hot wires being in the bilge? I have a bilge pump, with a float switch that no longer works, so I use only the manual switch. Also, should the 120v ground be attached to the engine or to the biggest grounding plate I have through the hull?

The 120v duplex outlets will be daisy chained off of a GFCI duplex outlet to provide shock protection to anyone using plug in appliances. I haven't seen this on any other vessel. Is it a good idea?

Any comments would be greatly appreciated.....

Dave Stump
Captain Commanding
s/v Hanalei
Noank, Connecticut USA



stumpdg@gwsmtp.nu.com

[Murray Glue]

Dave,

Re your problem with the wiring; Personally I plan to go for the
total rewire; it is a big job, but then too it gives peace of mind, and it is
nice to have everything working 100%. It is not a job I would like to
have to pay a contractor to do, however.

To answer your specific points though: Bilges are not the place to
have any wiring unless all joints are terminated inside waterproof
boxes with sealed gland entries. I can recommend the use of an ELCB
or RCD device on your mains input; then a distribution panel equipped
with CBs to provide protection. The ground should be carried through
to the engine ground, from where bonding wiring of 10 to 16mm2
runs to all the thru hull metalwork, tanks, rudder assembly etc.
There must be laws in place in the US governing this kind of install-
ation and it would pay to check them out first.
I would try to leave the hull blocks for radio grounding only, to
prevent them becoming sacrificial.

If you need any further information please email me direct.

Murray Glue



106452.2173@compuserve.com

[Larry DeMers]

Hi Guys,

I am in the middle of a re-paneling of my CD30. As stated here, the wiring is generally lacking in identification (except for the harnesses that came with my Volvo, which has tags properly placed on both ends of all wires).
The Nav-Com switch should have only that function on it. The VHF is a fairly low current device and can be combined on the Nav-Com switch, as can the boat stereo. I also wired the radar into this switch, although it will have it's own breaker/switch on the new panel (still working on it with my cadd program). The LORAN is wired directly to the battery, as is the battery feed for my GPS.
I also agree that the bilge pump should be wired directly to the battery, and have done that..through a breaker in the breaker panel that is fed from a separate 10AWG cable to one of two house batteries.

Your mast lights should have a separate switch for individual control of each one. Especially the anchor light.
Your compass light and the instrument lights should be on the same breaker, labeled instrument lights. Instrument power should be provided by another switch labeled instruments.

Good Luck,

Larry DeMers

I need to add several things to my boat (ie. Electric Bilge, VHF, GPS, Anchor light, depth sounder) just to name a few. How should I do it? Do I lead one hot wire from say the Nav/Com breaker on my panel to a buss bar and then run all of the associated instruments to that one bar. And so on and so on? Would installing say a compass on the Nav/Com buss bar be affected by the other instruments? My primary concern is the anchor light (I know about the little light that uses very little amperage (sp)), compass, depth, VHF, and gps. All but the anchor light would go on the Nav/Com breaker. Am I on the right track?

Happy Holidays and smooth sailing

Bill
S/V Rhapsody
CD 25D # 148

demers@sgi.com

[gates_cliff]

I replaced the stern light on my CD 27, but have not replaced the wiring, so far it works. But, the combo bow light does not work. It appears that someone jury rigged some wiring and put a bunch of tape on it to either hide it or try and make it water tight. It did neither, and the bow light does not work. I can see where the wire comes out of the bow pulpit but it does not exit the pulpit underneath the deck in the anchor well. So it must come out in the cabin somewhere. Does anyone have any idea where to find it? I'm thinking about just running new wiring to the nav light, since they are so critical. I'm guessing the bow light wiring exits the bow pulpit into the area above the vee berth. I'm just rambling now, trying to think this through.

Wonder if I could run the wiring under the deck above the port shelf, through the head area and then up through the liner. I guess I'd have to drill a hole in the liner and then plug it with something, maybe a teack plug, but then I guess I'd have to cover the wiring with some kind of teak or something. I do recall reading an article, quite some time ago though, where a guy used something like 1/2 or 3/4" ID plastic pipe, supported with clamps and installed it up under the deck above the shelving where it was hardly visible. that might work.

[marv brinn]

I am going to put my 2 cts in on this subject .Having worked for a major connector company (AMP) for 23 yrs and seen a lot of proper and improper uses of terminals and connectors.
when terminating a wire to a post or connection I would not reccomend using crimp connections soley unless you have the proper crimp tool which usually costs 200-400 bucks. the cheap plier types give you a crush crimp and are not reliable. it is hard to tell if you have crimped too hard or too softly.
I suggest you crimp and then solder the terminals to the wire.this will give you a waterproof (or so ) joint. better yet Raychem offers solder type ring and fork terminals that have a built in heat shrink sleeve that provides strain relief and water proofing. DON'T rely on any of the cheap crimp tools!! you should also dab some terminal conductive grease sold at auto stores between the terminal and the post or threaded connection. p.s when you strip the wire do not nick the strands and make certain that none of the insulation finds its way into the barrell of the terminal.

[Shipscarver]

I am currently reading Don Casey's book, "SAILBOAT ELECTRICS SIMPLIFIED," from the International Marine Sailboat Library collection. I bought it on Amazon. And, it is almost simple enough for me to understand. I recommend it as a starter text to all.
The lack of a shore power system aboard my 1980 CD27 is what motivates me on these 98 degree days with 99 % humidity.
I am considering jumping directly into a 50 AMP shore power wiring of the boat since most marina's along the FL coast now provide 50 AMP, or more, dockside. I feel better about doing a new shore power system from the beginning, unconnected to the existing boat system, than to start with redoing the existing 20 AMP boat system. Rewiring the existing boat system and adding in solar potential will be next on the list. I just wish I knew more!

[gates_cliff]

The bow light on my CD 27 doesn't work. It looks as if someone tried some sort of rewire job that isn't in compliance with ABYC standards. My wire goes from the light into the bow pulpit. I looked in the anchor well but the wire does not exit into there, so it must come down into the Vee berth area. So, does anyone know how to find where it comes out, without drilling a bunch of holes in the headliner?

[Bob Condon]

First, put the drill away.

The bow pulpits attach to the decking in a few places. The wire MUST come through one of those connections to get below deck if the bow light is directly attached to the bow Pulpit.

Go into the vbirth and start looking around. The wires are almost always run down the side of the boat where the deck and the hull meet. there is usually a channel of some sort and the wires are placed in there because no one wants to look at them.

Once you find the wire, I recommend using marine wire using the new color standard so you will not mix up 12 V and 120 V accidently.

BC

[mattlydon]

I just ordered a 6 circuit fuse block from genuinedealz.com. - $12 shipped, takes blade fuses.

I find that, like the other replies to the original question, that numerous things should be connected to the battery via 'in-line' fuses.
Rather than have numerous wires coming off my battery, with numerous in-line fuse holders, etc. I'm planning on mounting the fuse block on the bulkhead above my port-side battery (the 'house' side), and running a heavy wire from the battery directly to it.

From there, I can feed:

Bilge pump
Permanent 12v to VDO tach
Solar panel feed TO battery

and whatever else arises.

As to the person who recommended a seperate battery for the VHF, I prefer a hand-held - that way you can take it with you AFTER the boat fills with water....

Matt

[Steve Laume]

I did the bow light wire last summer in Maine. It had gone bad where it exits the pulpit and was too short to pull more, cut and reconnect. There was a crimped fitting in the anchor locker on my CD-30. I used the old wire to pull a new one through the pulpit and reconnected to the existing wire that went back to the panel. I wire tied a couple of loops in the pulpit wire so the short section of exposed wire could be cut away a few times.

It worked for me, Steve.

[Ron M.]

These are handy and offer options when rewiring. I installed one on the anchor locker bulkhead,( high up) and ran all my forward nav.lights to it. Make sure your feed line is properly sized for the loads it carries. Also used one in the head, and another in the engine compartment for bilge pump and light.
Always prudent to leave an extra loop or 2 for future needs.
________
Fake Weed

[Shipscarver]

These are handy and offer options when rewiring. I installed one on the anchor locker bulkhead,

Do these blocks need to be enclosed? Metal/wood/plastic box? Are they treated like sub-circuits? Fused?