Marine Electrical....

[sc0pe]

hi guys, my new tinney has bodgy electrics.

figured what a perfect opportunity to make a mess and some mistakes before i take it somewhere to get it done properly

that said, im keen to have a go, and maybe even learn how it works.

its 4.25m. has front nav lights that work, a rear white light on a stalk that doesnt. a fluro light that does work, a fish finder that constantly sees fish on the surface (maybe earth problem?) a bilge that doesnt seem to work? and a battery that floats around the deck. a switch panel that seems to work ok, but mounted in dumb spot.

plans are:

renew all wiring in boat (its old, rather start with new stuff)

change the lights to led

get the rear light working, and led conversion

install some more led lighting inside boat, fluro is great but is too bright 90% of the time, would red be okay if it was hidden under the gunnels, wouldnt be seen diect anywhere (including in boat) but would let off a red glow, benefits being night vision and softer light.

get bilge working

put battery in a box, and hide it.

install a battery isolator

move switch panel to womewhere where it cant be bumped while running

install a couple of 12v sockets for phone chargers, fridges etc etc

move fish finder and sort its dramas

install led lights on trailer

any web sites that may help me would be great, comments of lil tips sweet.

before i go buying wire etc etc, any idea what i should be looking for would be great

cheers

[Heath]

Make sure you solder every joint. Do not use those crimp joiners, they will cause you problems down the track. After soldering, cover the joint with reson filled heat shrink. This will give you a water proof connection.

Use the heat shrink as well on your splade connectors as well. Ensure you solder these as well, before hand for a 100% connection. The heat shrink will protect the connector from salt air/water intrusion.

If you run a bus from your battery, put a 15A fuse as close to the battery as possible. Most iso switches allow for this, this will protect you should you have a short somewhere.

Any wiring that runs under the floor, stick it in that flexi hose to protect it from fatigue and rubbing through to the hull.

Never ever use the hull as an earth return, this will cause big problems later.

When ever you pass your wires through the hull, use something to isolate the wire from the hull ( gromet etc).

Use tinned wire, dual core/double insulated.

Think about what you need to do and how you plan to do it. If you sit back and have a think about it before starting you'll end up with a better result.

For you trailer, the LED lights are perfect. There are several types on the market. Get the ones with the reson filled backs. They are the best IMO. There are several types that have some sort of plug or connector arrangement on the rear. You are asking for trouble if you get them.

When wiring them wire each light independantly. By that I mean, don't go cutting into your loom for side markers or number plate lights etc. Take these back to a central point, such as a junction box up front of the trailer. Very reliable setup and is very easy to fault find on if needed, rather than having wiries peeling off half way down etc to feed other lights.

Good luck with it & once completed you'll have the confidence that it is done right and if needed be know exactly how its run should a problem arise.

[hustler57]

with the fluro lights , what i did was i painted the fluro lights with a black paint that i got and painted one side of them so that the black side was pointing up and the light didnt go thru the black paint but still lit up the floor of the boat