On Fri, 02 Apr 2004 22:24:26 GMT, Dick Locke
wrote:
I am thinking about installing dual electric primary winches, which
are 1500 watt 12 v motors (still waiting on the electric specs to see
breaker size which will define wiring size. I believe that's startup
wattage.)

The boat has two sets of house batteries, one set on starboard about 6
feet forward of the starboard winch, one on port almost directly under
the port winch. The DC distribution panel is just aft of the starboard
batteries.Once battery set is 2 4D gels, the other is 2 8D gels.

Is there any reason why I need to wire the port winch all the way
across the boat to the distribution panel? I'm inclined to hook it up
just after the disconnect switch (or with its own disconnect switch)
directly to the port batteries. It would have a circuit breaker, of
course.

You may want to consider doing what the newer/safer systems do. Have a high
amperage bus going down each side of the unit, and the controls being low
voltage control stuff, that essentially turn "relays/selenoids" (or solid
state switches) on/off to control high amperage devices connected directly
to the bus (think of a starter motor controlled by a selenoid, no high amp
stuff going to the ignition/dash etc, versus a switch (horn/pump/etc) that
has the full amperage going thru it). Cuts down big time on voltage loss in
long cable runs (by having two big busses), and it's easier to insulate low
voltage control signals.