Wiring, request for help with.

[Cookee]

Use marine grade cable and the glue and heatshrink connectors and it will last, anything you find that has blackened copper cable has to go - best policy is cut out everything and start from scratch if you have the time and the budget.

[treerat]

I put a 4 way switch unit into the consol. This was then a simple two wire back to the battery via the dead switch.

Then it was fairly easy to wire each thing, VHF, echo sounder, lights and pump, to each of the live connections on the switch unit and a common earth.

Each has a fuse and worst case is I can sacrifice one thing should the fuse go in another. If you have more than 4 items, use a bigger, or two smaller, swith units.

[9D280]

I'll pretty much echo what everyone is saying about a separate fuse for each toy. As jyaski says, the engine stuff wil lbe fed direct form the engine harness. Google Image "Merc wiring diagram" and have a dig around what you find - that will take care of the engine related stuff.

I have also put a switch per toy as well, simply in case I have to isolate one for some reason (fault finding at sea kind of thing ) . There is an argument for a separate gauge illumination switch as you may find on a partuicualrly black night your night vision is trashed by the glowing tacho under your nose.....

Also check your main battery cables - I found after a rather reluctant start last month that I had a nice console heater in the form of the jump wire between the batt +ve and the main isolator. Chopepd it and it was very black inside..... 35 sqmm welding cable makes remarkably good replacement.

Only other high level suggestion I would make is to take a length of wood, and park it across your toobs. Try if at all possible to fit everything above this level. Simply because if you ever get swamped, the whole lot will die of corrosion in a matter of hours or days. Not of course that I speak from experience on this matter.....

[rigi36]

Originally Posted by 9D280

Also check your main battery cables - I found after a rather reluctant start last month that I had a nice console heater in the form of the jump wire between the batt +ve and the main isolator. Chopepd it and it was very black inside..... 35 sqmm welding cable makes remarkably good replacement.

What was it before?

[Wahoo!]

Thanks again for all the useful suggestions guys. Definitely agree that individual fuses make complete sense as does seperating the lights from everything else.

I have a very kind chap on the Forum helping me by email now, he is going to draw a schematic for me so I hope to be able to make a start on it this coming weekend.
I don't have height in the console to get everything above tube height however I could place an auto bilge pump inside the console just in case of a flood but the hatches are both of the sealed type so I assume these are fairly watertight?

Thanks again

[9D280]

Originally Posted by maxhar

What was it before?

looks like it was a bit of standard car battery cable without the waterproofing mods. The whole run back to the engine was that too, when I removed it & did an investigative removal of the insuilatio nthe black stuff had worked its way down the entire 4.5m of the cable. Granted it did look like it had bee nthere since the boat was first fitted out in 1983!

The only reason I didn't do the jumper at the same time as the main cable is that I ran out of big terminals!

[Nightfisher]

Originally Posted by Wahoo!

I'm probably a bit twitchy because a flat battery cost me £130 last August bank holiday (to be 'rescued')

Maybe a voltmeter would be an idea? at least it would help me monitor battery condition and give me peace of mind

Minn Kota makes a cheap simple to use 12 volt battery charge condition meter. Requires no power of it's own and gives precise voltage level, as well as LED 1/4 increment lights. 20.00 CDN.