#1
IP: 172.56.13.42
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12 volt Electrical panel rebud
Bought a 1973 Ericson 32 in May. Boat is in good condition however there are a few problems that I will address this winter while the boat is out of the water. The panel with switches for all the lights, bilge pump, blower motor etc needs to be replaced. im a decent 11 volt electrician, biggest concern is continuity of the existing wiring. my plan is after batteries are disconnected to tag and remove all the wires from the panel. build an updated panel and rewire everything back together. Additional options include making a small switch panel with 12v power source to check each circuit individually, I can also do a continuity check on each wire. I plan on replacing all of the lights, mast, navigation, interior with LED lights at the same time. Im open to thoughts and suggestions especially if anyone has undertaken a similar project.
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#2
IP: 138.207.177.95
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I did this job some time ago.
Be warned it can snowball, my wiring looked like this. I ended up replacing most of it. |
#3
IP: 138.207.177.95
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At first I ran all the wiring straight to the circuit breakers, but you get multiple wires on one breaker and it eventually becomes a big mess.
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#4
IP: 138.207.177.95
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I then redid it by using terminal strips to connect the boat wiring and then feed each breaker with one wire.
This IMHO is a vastly better way to do the job. |
#5
IP: 138.207.177.95
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I added two voltmeters, one for each battery, and an ammeter for the house battery. The house bank meters have a green background. The engine bank is blue. The engine bank must be off in this photo. The control for the Blue Sea automatic combiner is below the meters.
Speaking of which, I use mostly Blue Sea products. They are high quality, which is good, and show up on eBay cheap now and then, which is even better Last edited by joe_db; 08-31-2021 at 09:39 AM. |
The Following User Says Thank You to joe_db For This Useful Post: | ||
TimBSmith (09-07-2021) |
#6
IP: 138.207.177.95
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I used this Blue Sea panel for battery management. It makes it easy to start off the house bank if needed and the cross connect also allows charging both banks if the automatic combiner fails.
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The Following User Says Thank You to joe_db For This Useful Post: | ||
TimBSmith (09-07-2021) |
#7
IP: 12.34.168.98
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Joe, Thanks for the quick reply. how much of an issue was it to pull new wire? I would like to do that for peace of mind however im concerned that trying to pull new wire will be a mess. The obvious is to connect new wire to old and just pull it through, still potential for wires to get caught somewhere.
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#8
IP: 138.207.177.95
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Some of it was easy and some was a huge pain. The cabin light wiring is sealed between the liner and deck and is impossible to replace.
You have to pick your battles |
#9
IP: 104.174.83.118
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Complete replacement of the electrical system can be one of the most rewarding projects you'll do on the boat. A few thoughts:
__________________
Neil 1977 Catalina 30 San Pedro, California prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22 Had my hands in a few others |
#10
IP: 138.207.177.95
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My cabin light wiring is 16 gauge and ran all the way up the starboard side and down the port side, so the aft-most port cabin light was on 70 some feet of wire round trip!
I never could replace all of it, but the circuit is now fed from both ends and forward too, so the lights not on new wiring have 10-15 feet of old wire at most. |
#11
IP: 104.174.83.118
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Custom fiberglass wire cover for cabin lighting
__________________
Neil 1977 Catalina 30 San Pedro, California prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22 Had my hands in a few others |
The Following User Says Thank You to ndutton For This Useful Post: | ||
ronstory (09-01-2021) |
#12
IP: 104.174.83.118
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Teak wire cover for mast wiring
__________________
Neil 1977 Catalina 30 San Pedro, California prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22 Had my hands in a few others |
#13
IP: 184.60.4.79
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Did you make the covers or were they commercially made? looks good
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#14
IP: 104.174.83.118
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I made them. There are ready made wire cover systems, i.e. Wiremold available from Home Depot and Lowe's but for my taste they don't blend into the original design well enough. That's my personal character flaw though. I had experience with the materials involved and a sufficient workshop to make it happen so custom fabrication was the decision for my boat.
__________________
Neil 1977 Catalina 30 San Pedro, California prior boats 1987 Westsail 32, 1970 Catalina 22 Had my hands in a few others |
#15
IP: 138.207.177.95
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IMHO this is a bit like eating an elephant, you have to do it in small pieces.
I would start with the primary battery cables, battery management, the terminal strips to connect the panel to the boat, and the panel. Once that is in place you can go about rewiring the boat itself as needed. I would make sure do take notes, take photos, and label wires. You WILL forget what goes where. If you think you are going to do any work at all with wire thicker than 10 gauge, by this or the equivalent: https://www.harborfreight.com/hydrau...ool-66150.html It will pay for itself many times over vs. paying a local battery shop to make your cables. |
The Following User Says Thank You to joe_db For This Useful Post: | ||
sastanley (09-07-2021) |
#16
IP: 47.19.222.140
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Like Joe and Neil...
I did a full DC re-wire. Like Joe said, using a buss bar to keep the back of the DC Panel clean works much better. I also re-did my AC wiring from the Shore Power plug to the V-Berth. I wanted to accomplish having AC outlets at all convenient places in the boat AND having them all on individual circuits. As Neil points out, quality is everything on these projects. Like a good anchor, you'll sleep better at night.
__________________
-Jerry 'Lone Ranger' 1978 RANGER 30 |
The Following User Says Thank You to roadnsky For This Useful Post: | ||
TimBSmith (09-07-2021) |
#17
IP: 138.207.177.95
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Do yourself a big favor and set up a ship's ground bus. Do not wire ANYTHING to the battery negative post but one wire to the ground bus. You will really appreciate this when you go to add meters and battery monitors.
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#18
IP: 165.225.20.183
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just my 2 cents...
- you will find here a few ideas / advises I got when I removed the old harness, and re-wired the engine. If I had to do it again, I would redo the large section cables to and from the battery, as these ones are not aging very well https://www.moyermarineforum.com/for...t=11241&page=7 - this is another threads on what panel could look like... https://www.moyermarineforum.com/for...ad.php?t=11511 good luck. There is a great satisfaction to have a more reliable system after
__________________
Surcouf A nostalgic PO - Previously "Almost There" - Catalina 27 (1979) |
#19
IP: 47.142.132.170
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ANOTHER $0.02
Quote:
I got so tired of chasing electrical problems that I finally rewired the whole shebang - correctly. Getting rid of the "trailer plugs" was a big help. ex TRUE GRIT |
#20
IP: 69.250.111.245
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This thread is my life. I have re-wired 100%, but I need to to do what Joe did with the re-wire behind the panel with all the nice, fresh, clean terminals, and I need to build the exact same tunnel in the C-30 head Neil made..I am working on it!
__________________
-Shawn "Holiday" - '89 Alura 35 #109 "Twice Around" - '77 C-30, #511 with original A-4 & MMI manifold - SOLD! (no longer a two boat owner!!) Last edited by sastanley; 09-06-2021 at 10:40 PM. |
#21
IP: 138.207.177.95
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Neil should not post photos of his boat, it makes the rest of us look bad.
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#22
IP: 69.250.111.245
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These are facts.!
__________________
-Shawn "Holiday" - '89 Alura 35 #109 "Twice Around" - '77 C-30, #511 with original A-4 & MMI manifold - SOLD! (no longer a two boat owner!!) Last edited by sastanley; 09-07-2021 at 05:58 PM. |
Tags |
12 volt, electrical, lights, panel, rebuild |
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