reference needed

[Tony G]

General call for input (again)
As we get closer to wiring 113 I am begining to realize, once again, how much I don't know. I can make conections and follow schematics but to do it correctly and up to snuff from scratch is another thing. Have any of you captains out there run across a good, complete manual/reference book on 12volt systems? Over the years I've accumulated a number or $65 books with about four bucks worth of info. We would like to avoid this. Thanks Tony G

[marymandara]

Dig up a copy of "the Auto Electrical Handbook" (or some similar title) by (I think) Jim Horner. It's published by HP books and is an excellent text on the subject. While the main body of the book is obviously automotive and refers to motorsport and custom car applications, the techniques and ideas are quite applicable. I think it will help you out a lot.
Best,
Dave

[ebb]

We have Casey, Calder, Wing and Payne - current gurus of boat wiring.
There's the 12 Volt Bible Boppers Get a Life, or whatever, and a slue of half fast not good enough essays on the subject. I've unloaded more than a ream on the subject off the net, Including every diagram I could find. And not one has this practical boat owner in mind.

Some will start off using plumbing as a metaphore for electricity. As if that will help people like me who are challenged by volts and amps and wire sizes. And all the this-is-how-I-did-its are woefully illustrated and inadequately described.

What I need, what we need - and the manual would be a huge instant best seller - is for one of these nerds to get off their ohms and tell us how to wire a boat from scratch. These guys are impressed with their own knowledge and seem unable to describe how to actually do it. Maybe they never did! The 'patronizing' should be on the practical side, rather than how smart the instructor is. The style of writing would be entirely practical, with thousands of well drawn and labeled pictures and clear bright photos. Using an actual small to midsized sailboat. The classroom stuff would be sidebarred in where pertinent and useful - or footnoted to the end of sections with tables and whatnot.

The title of the book would be:
This Is How To Wire Your Boat From Scratch

Fat Chance

:D

[mrgnstrn]

last year, my wife and I rewired our whole boat. ripped out ALL old wiring and started fresh.
If motivated, I could write down the process we went through.
Basically, our goals were to make it so that when we showed up to sail, we flip one switch and all the things we wanted to work when sailing, went on. And when we were done, flip one switch, and all the things not needed when sitting at the dock went off, but all the things we needed to continue to run, would do so (think bilge pumps).

I have some electrical diagrams that I made up. we ended up slightly different than the stock wiring diagram.

We made judicious use of terminal strips. Any time there was a branch (one circuit turns into two) we used a terminal strip. and bought that heat shrink wrap in 3' lengths and cut them to suit. much better value than buying those little boxes with only 6 pieces in it.

[Tony G]

km#3
Don't ask me why-but I'm actually adding MORE switches thinking it will make my life EASIER. I know, I know that doesn't make sense. I agree with you on the use of terminal strips! They are allready an integral component of my design and I think the'll add alot of organization to this mad house of wires and lights and buzzers:D
I guess my big concern is making sure I have the right wire gauge and fuse sizes, acceptable voltage drop and all of the little stuff so I don't have to attempt to chase wires in the end. Maybe I'm just sweatin' the petty stuff but the devil is in the details and I don't hell's fire aboard our boat! Any help here is much appreciated, Tony G

[ebb]

Yeah. And as far as I know a terminal strip is something you'ld hope to see in a topless bar.

Eagerly awaiting chapter, verse and diagram, Captain mrgnstn and mate!

[mrgnstrn]

We added more switches too!
Against some advice, we added one Master (capital M) isolation switch, that cuts power to/from everything: bilge, engine, charger, everything.
This is so that if there is a problem I know that by turning that switch, it doesn't matter where the problem was, it will be isolated. But it stays on all the rest of the time.
then there another master (small m) switch that isolates power to the 6-circuit switchboard. this is the single switch i get to the boat to go out.
diagrams to follow.

as far as wire size, we got 100' of "safty cable" (red/yellow wires) and got it in 14 gauge. we figured that it would be rare for any of my stuff to pull more than ~8 amps, so 14ga would work pretty well as far as voltage drop is concerned on a small boat (the max round trip is 50' from one end of the boat to the other, and most times it will be less).

chapter and verse to follow, as well.