DIY Sparkie

[VooDoo]

Im not saying it's not possible for someone to do a bit of basic wiring but I have seen plenty of "basic wiring" people who think they have done a quality job when the reality is it will deteriorate over time & it's rough as guts.

Have also seen marine service companies and so called marine elec businesses do substandard work.

I totally understand that. Which is why i want to learn to do it correctly.

In the past i have wired things like trailer lights, a fuel gauge, a cigarette lighter and an old sounder. But i realise now that i was just running wires and connecting stuff with no real idea of what i was doing.

Like i said i would like to start by fitting something simple like a USB charger and go from there. In the future i plan on sailing my own cruising boat and would like to have at least a working knowledge of how things work and how to fix them myself if needed. Along with the ability to install things myself.

I dont really have anyone to show me, so the next best thing is to come here and ask to be pointed in the right direction.

Steveo, if you take pride in what you do then I think you are well on the way and is more than capable of wiring your own boat. There are plenty of resources online for you to start learning about it. The main reason I want to get my hands dirty is for me to learn about the electrical and the wiring so that in the event if something goes wrong at sea - at least I know where things are and hopefully can fix it to get back to land.

Regard the USB charger, make sure you get the right ones and protect it well from moisture - metal and salt does mix well. Seen this first hand when we took possession of the old girl.

[VooDoo]

Thanks VooDoo, that looks pretty much how my boat is wired now except without the house battery and i dont have any switchboard at the moment. Another thing i would like to have eventually, but maybe it will be on the next boat.

I was trying to avoid the ugly feedback based on previous posts on this topic (both here and other forums). Thats why i was asking for links to resources rather than opinions.

Those are just white noises - there are plenty of good folks on here whom will glad to help us out.

I will forward my schematic to a supplier to get their feedback - will let you know how that go when I heard back from them.

[denis barden]

RB
Incorrect info there
I wont comment anymore

[rb85]

RB
Incorrect info there
I wont comment anymore

Bullcrap you wouldn't go to middendorp AWM or the likes and get TPS which is used to wire houses and put it in your boat as you alluded to when you said "House wiring is ok as it's rated 240 V 10Amp"

[rb85]

Boat_Wiring_01_Pic.jpg

This is a schematic drew up for the re-wiring project on the newly landed boat.

Looking forward to getting all the constructive good, bad and ugly feedback from members whom have taken on the wiring task for their boat.

Pretty easy to follow those style fuse boards at times have their own neg links.

[VooDoo]

Boat_Wiring_01_Pic.jpg

This is a schematic drew up for the re-wiring project on the newly landed boat.

Looking forward to getting all the constructive good, bad and ugly feedback from members whom have taken on the wiring task for their boat.

Pretty easy to follow those style fuse boards at times have their own neg links.

Have decided against having the in-built negative bus on the fuse blocks as the negative circuits will have to be wired from the dashboard switch panel.

Decided to link these negative circuits directly back to the negative busbar and save monies on the more expensive in-built negative fuse block.

[rb85]

Boat_Wiring_01_Pic.jpg

This is a schematic drew up for the re-wiring project on the newly landed boat.

Looking forward to getting all the constructive good, bad and ugly feedback from members whom have taken on the wiring task for their boat.

Pretty easy to follow those style fuse boards at times have their own neg links.

Have decided against having the in-built negative bus on the fuse blocks as the negative circuits will have to be wired from the dashboard switch panel.

Decided to link these negative circuits directly back to the negative busbar and save monies on the more expensive in-built negative fuse block.

Makes sense I too have individual neg bars for switch panels

[ducky]

Without buying into the argument too much. You can use domestic style wiring to power stuff in a marine environment. But it’s terrible practice and it will fail much faster than proper tinned marine cable. In a bind I’d be using extension lead style cable before tps. But I certainly wouldn’t rewire a boat in it.

I’ve also got some marine tinned cable here that’s so thin it’s a pain to work with. In my opinion 7.5A rated tinned cable gives the best middle ground between price and ease of install. For the same reason I buy 1.5mm tps instead of 1 mm solid...

[dmck]

Be damned careful. Attached is a wiring diagram from a major component manufacturers 2021 catalogue. Wire it like this and you could be in big trouble if either battery fails......
It is IMPOSSIBLE to isolate a faulty battery and have motor and instruments operating on the remaining good battery.

BEP FU wiring diag.jpg (17.23 KiB) Viewed 475 times

[rb85]

Be damned careful. Attached is a wiring diagram from a major component manufacturers 2021 catalogue. Wire it like this and you could be in big trouble if either battery fails......
It is IMPOSSIBLE to isolate a faulty battery and have motor and instruments operating on the remaining good battery.
BEP FU wiring diag.jpg

I think we should all carry jumpstart kits. A lot goes into a quality wiring system.