Last spring I took on what I expected to be a project that would take a few weekends - I had a couple of new "toys" to add to the boat and was going to use that as the excuse to take the opportunity to clean up some of the factory wiring on my Sea Hunt BX24 bay boat. Overall the wiring was certainly functional and safe, but I wanted to reroute some of the wiring to make more efficient use of the space in the console, as well as generally upgrade some of the electrical systems and just generally "clean up" things in the process. Well, a few weekends turned into almost 4 months, but the end product came out great (if I say so myself), and what's more important is I know every in and out of my boat's electrical system so that should there ever be a problem in the future I will l know exactly where to look (and, also who to blame).
This series of articles will document some of the key aspects involved in a rewiring project, including best practices as recommended by the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). Regardless of if you are just adding a new fish finder or doing a complete rewire of a large craft, hopefully there will be some useful tips and tricks that you will learn.
(Click "Read More" to the right for more of this article)
This series of articles will document some of the key aspects involved in a rewiring project, including best practices as recommended by the American Boat & Yacht Council (ABYC). Regardless of if you are just adding a new fish finder or doing a complete rewire of a large craft, hopefully there will be some useful tips and tricks that you will learn.
(Click "Read More" to the right for more of this article)
Start with the Fundamentals
First, a disclaimer. The information provided in this series of articles is intended to be accurate and complete to the best of its potential, but as it is hard to cover each and every potential unique situation which could occur, and since we are dealing with electricity here, use the information here as a guide, do some additional reading, and if you are not sure, ask a professional. That said, with a little caution you can take on some significant wiring projects on your boat safely and enjoy the fact that you did the work.
I will not try and cover all aspects of marine electrical systems. There are a number of very good text available on the market, and if you plan to get involved in any serious scale project, I strongly recommend that you go out and purchase one or more of these and read them cover to cover, twice. I'll include some references at the end of this article with text which I have found to be useful.
DC (Direct Current) Electrical systems are what we will primarily be dealing with, at least on the boats that we typically use on Smith Mountain Lake for striper fishing. Keep in mind that some boats have AC (Alternating Current) systems as well for "shore power" - typically your larger house boats or cruisers - but if you have a battery charger on-board, you technically have an AC electrical system on your boat. DC systems can also be classified by the voltage they supply. Again, for the typical Smith Mountain Lake fishing vessel, we are generally dealing with +12V systems, though again, some larger boats may have a +24V DC system. Keep in mind that your trolling motor may be a +24V or a +36V motor, and thus you may have at least one DC system that is not +12V. The message here is that it is important to understand the various electrical systems on your boat and know that you likely have more than one type of supply voltage running around in those wires below deck. This is very important to understand so that you do not inadvertently connect circuits from one type of system to another.
First, a disclaimer. The information provided in this series of articles is intended to be accurate and complete to the best of its potential, but as it is hard to cover each and every potential unique situation which could occur, and since we are dealing with electricity here, use the information here as a guide, do some additional reading, and if you are not sure, ask a professional. That said, with a little caution you can take on some significant wiring projects on your boat safely and enjoy the fact that you did the work.
I will not try and cover all aspects of marine electrical systems. There are a number of very good text available on the market, and if you plan to get involved in any serious scale project, I strongly recommend that you go out and purchase one or more of these and read them cover to cover, twice. I'll include some references at the end of this article with text which I have found to be useful.
DC (Direct Current) Electrical systems are what we will primarily be dealing with, at least on the boats that we typically use on Smith Mountain Lake for striper fishing. Keep in mind that some boats have AC (Alternating Current) systems as well for "shore power" - typically your larger house boats or cruisers - but if you have a battery charger on-board, you technically have an AC electrical system on your boat. DC systems can also be classified by the voltage they supply. Again, for the typical Smith Mountain Lake fishing vessel, we are generally dealing with +12V systems, though again, some larger boats may have a +24V DC system. Keep in mind that your trolling motor may be a +24V or a +36V motor, and thus you may have at least one DC system that is not +12V. The message here is that it is important to understand the various electrical systems on your boat and know that you likely have more than one type of supply voltage running around in those wires below deck. This is very important to understand so that you do not inadvertently connect circuits from one type of system to another.
If you are lucky, you boat came with a user manual that includes a wiring diagram, or you can obtain one from your dealer. However, often these diagrams are somewhat general purpose for several models, and may not reflect the "as built" condition of your boat with whatever set of accessories your boat is equipped with. In addition, it will certainly not reflect any changes which you, or more likely a previous owner may have made to the boat's wiring systems. I highly recommend putting in place an accurate wiring diagram of your boats electrical systems. This can prove invaluable when those pesky electrical gremlins raise their heads - usually at the most inopportune times. It will also help you identify areas of you electrical system which may need to be upgraded in order to add new electrical loads or accessories. Such a diagram can be as simple as a pencil sketch in notepad, or as complex as a CAD-generated drawing. Certainly the cleaner and more organized, the drawing the easier it will be to make sense of it later - this is where color can also be of great benefit so as to distinguish the various systems on paper. If you do not have a wiring diagram in place, take an rainy afternoon and spend some quality time crawling around your console & bilge and capture the details of your electrical system.
So, until next time, go dig out the paperwork that came with your boat to see if you have a valid wiring diagram, and if not spend a little time digging around in your console to map out the wiring connections of your boat. In the next installment we will cover details on how to size your wiring to safely carry the desired electrical loads without undesired voltage drops.
So, until next time, go dig out the paperwork that came with your boat to see if you have a valid wiring diagram, and if not spend a little time digging around in your console to map out the wiring connections of your boat. In the next installment we will cover details on how to size your wiring to safely carry the desired electrical loads without undesired voltage drops.
Recommended Reading
Below are several text references which I have found useful with respect to gaining a better grasp on the in's and out's of marine electrical systems.
The 12-Volt Bible for Boats by Miner Brotherton and Edwin Sherman (Oct 21, 2002)
Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook by Charlie Wing (Aug 26, 2011)
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual: How to Maintain, Repair, and Improve Your Boat's Essential Systems... by Nigel Calder (May 31, 2005)
Below are several text references which I have found useful with respect to gaining a better grasp on the in's and out's of marine electrical systems.
The 12-Volt Bible for Boats by Miner Brotherton and Edwin Sherman (Oct 21, 2002)
Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook by Charlie Wing (Aug 26, 2011)
Boatowner's Mechanical and Electrical Manual: How to Maintain, Repair, and Improve Your Boat's Essential Systems... by Nigel Calder (May 31, 2005)
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