boats electrical

[scottyboy]

looking at compleetly rewiring my boat . want 2 relocate the 2 batteries under the seats 2 get some weight forward . i`ve bought 2 , 3 switch water proof braker panels. thinking of running each electric down rigger from 1 switch each, lights , wipers, and electronics . i`m very anal about being organized on my boat , the wirings gotta be clean and well done . should i do this on my own or get someone 2 do it 4 me???. also scared of f....ing up the boats catch ability . it catches fish when others aren`t . should i do this ??? i dunno.

 

[wolf]

If the seats take a bit of pounding (if their far forward) you may want to reconsider they put the batteries near the back so the batteries arent getting pounded as it hurts the cells in them which causes them to fail if you need more weight put your lead up there??
Alot of work for nothing???? maybe

Good luck Wolf

 

[scott craven]

i would direct wire the downrigger's to the battery,
you need to run a heavier guage wire than for the other electronics.
(can't remember the guage just now )
also been told that the depth sounder should be on a separate
circuit from the rest.

 

[scottyboy]

wolf never thought of that

 

[scottyboy]

rs craven i have a panel with 3 water proof braker switches , i was thinking of running a heavy guage up the front branching off to 2 of the braker switches instead of using fuses, then running back 2 each rigger . make sence or am i wasting my time ???tight lines scotty

 

[scottyboy]

thanks wolf tight lines good luck hunting

 

[scott craven]

With the help of a friend, we just did mine
and i left the rigger's hard wired to the battery...
the depth sounder,black box,plotter,wiper and running lights
were all wired to a 5 location water proof bus.
worked out great

 

[scottyboy]

rs craven . ok did you test your boats natural current before your rewire and after??? did it change at all. as i`m scared i`ll turn a good boat bad [B)]tight lines scottyboy

 

[danthewire]

Scottyboy ive rewired 3 boats for friends the past couple of years.Its not hard to do.It made a big difference on my boat to the fishability.I wire all the components on a seperate circuit to a seperate switch and separate fuse on the dash.Make sure everthing is fused or has a breaker.It is important to make sure you use the proper size wire for your loads.eg more amperage larger size wire.The length of the wire can also be a factor but on a boat it should be okay.Dont daisy chain your hots or grounds if you have a problem half way down the circuit the remainder of the loads wont work kinda like the old christmas tree lights.Have a hot and ground bus to tap off of.Dont use marrettes over time they will come loose.Also on high amperage loads dont solder them use a good mechanical connection like a stakon or buchanan and use a crimper on them NOT PLIERS it has to bite in.As far as running downriggers off of the battery make sure you fuse it . IF IF you ever have a short ciciut you have no protection depending on the size of wire it can become super heated and can cause a fire.Same as putting a penny under a fuse in a house panel.Chances of it happening are slim but who wants the problem.Anyhow e mail me if you have any questions DAN

 

[scottyboy]

hey dan where are you at? , wanna job from a fuss butt lol. maybe if your not local you could give me pointers . i rewired and unstauld a new bilge pump and switch i went way over board with srink tube and marine wire ect but that how i wanna do . i don`t want future problems . want it don`t better then factory specs. thats just me . tight lines scottyboy

 

[scott craven]

Scotty, i haven't actually taken a voltmeter reading, but the black
box natural voltage stayed the same (.600 to .618)
sure cleaned up a mess of wire though !

Scott

 

[scott craven]

Scotty, just curious, why would you run wire from the downrigger up to the front of the boat, and then back to the battery(that is unless you move your battery up front). seems like that would just create a lot of extra wire. i don't think they need to be on a switch unless there is no fuse ???

 

[danthewire]

Scottyboy I live in Colwood .You can phone my buisness number at 4780089. DAN

 

[battaglino]

Good advise from all. You may want to go with breakers from the downriggers so you don't have to mess with finding fuses in the middle of fishing. I put them on mine just push the button and your back in business. You can find the gauge wire you need for differnent applications online or at places like west marine. The gauge of the wire depends on the amps and the distance from the batteries. Good luck.

 

[newhali]

putting the batteries up front under the seat is the best thing. they will not be damaged. I have always done this they stay dry and dont get greened up. keeps the weight forward. put them on the passenger side. with selector swithch near them so you can turn them off if theres a problem with wiring.