"William Andersen" wrote in
news:aGFBf.13718$JT.3837@fed1read06:

I'm not doing a total rebuild, as the only mess is behind the panel.
This is a 19' bowrider: the panel is the passenger side dashboard,
with a shelf below it. Right now the wires are a maze laying on the
shelf - I want to organize them and avoid them taking up all of that
space. I have a few wires i

You should have seen my buddy's Hatteras 56 FBMY. Hatteras does a
fantastic job of wire looming throughout the boat, but the previous owner
was a real idiot. I found balls of lampcord wrapped up behind the
overhead electronics panel above the main helm....all taped
connections...going to a single FIFTY AMP breaker! Any short would have
set fire to the main cabin, killing anyone below who couldn't get out the
companionway right next to the fire. How stupid.

I took a jigsaw to the beautifully appointed end panel on the port side
where the 50A cable ended and installed a 12V breaker panel with LED
indicators. Appropriate-sized breakers for each piece of equipment and
rewired it all with new loomed cabling, where possible. The whole bottom
of the panel had to come out to get to it all, a major project.

The 32VDC battery banks in the bilge were similarly wired, oops,
haywired. If you think YOUR batteries are expensive, tell the battery
man you need those 8V, 4-cell beasts for a Hatteras. There are 3 banks!
A new house is cheaper...(c; I replaced all the rotten and haywired main
DC to the helm's 12V analog regulators and both 8V92TA engines. She
cranks right up when you have 32VDC at the starter....not 20..(c;

I used to call it "The Train"....Trains are 32VDC.