Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
Please recommend a good book on wiring a boat for beginners. Local
book stores and local marine supply stores only have limited number of books on wiring, and they tend to be for advanced topics -- like wiring a sailing boat with all kind of goodies. All I want are basic stuffs like simple wiring diagram, and stuff for VHF radio... Preferably with plenty of color pictures. Any suggestion? Thanks. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
wrote:
: Please recommend a good book on wiring a boat for beginners. Local : book stores and local marine supply stores only have limited number of : books on wiring, and they tend to be for advanced topics -- like wiring : a sailing boat with all kind of goodies. All I want are basic stuffs : like simple wiring diagram, and stuff for VHF radio... Preferably with : plenty of color pictures. : Any suggestion? Thanks. : Jay Chan Wow. Lotsa questions guy... I know of no book on boat wiring. However, googling "boat wiring" provides lots of information. http://www.screamandfly.com/home/hul...4/wiring_1.htm is one link that is pretty good. Also try searching the trailerboats.com archives for boat wiring articles. Main thing is to keep any exposed wiring from corroding via using "liquid tape" (see westmarine's website for it) or dielectric grease. Just take a look under the shroud of your Mercury for visuals on how to attach terminal lugs, etc. Additionally, use marine grade switches, etc. (again, westmarine.com). It's all pretty much common sense. There are no "generic" boat wiring diagrams typically. Corrosion and work hardening of the wires at the terminals are your main "enemies". Use lots of tiewraps to keep wirings from moving to eliminate the latter. b. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
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Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
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Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
wrote in message ups.com... wrote: Please recommend a good book on wiring a boat for beginners. Local book stores and local marine supply stores only have limited number of books on wiring, and they tend to be for advanced topics -- like wiring a sailing boat with all kind of goodies. All I want are basic stuffs like simple wiring diagram, and stuff for VHF radio... Preferably with plenty of color pictures. Any suggestion? Thanks. Jay Chan There's a good book called "The 12-Volt Bible". Also, there is a lot of basic wiring information available on the ANCOR web site. A few general tips before you go off to study up on what the actual experts have to say: 1. Take the time to calculate the maximum load on each circuit, measure the distance from the battery to the load (and back), and get a large enough wire for the job. Lots of people use wire that is too small, and then wonder why they don't have sufficient voltage for reliable operation. 2. Buy stranded, tinned, marine wire. Don't try to get by with the cheaper automotive grade. You will spend not that much for for the wire itself, when the scope of the entire project is considered, but it will make the difference between a really good result and something that will work only temporarily or intermittently. 3. Pay way careful attention to your connections. Use properly crimped hardware, make sure the terminals are clean, and consider using a "heat shrink" cover to keep water and salt away from your connection. 4. If you have a lot of connections, use a panel or at least a buss bar rather than glom a spiderweb of crap onto the battery terminal. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...books&v=glance And I coat all connections with liquid tape. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
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Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
http://www.geocities.com/bill_dietri...tml#Electrical
Thanks. I will take a look. That web site has quite a lot of links to go through... Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
There's a good book called "The 12-Volt Bible".
There are two persons in this message thread like this book. It must be good. Somehow, when I flipped through it in the book store, I only saw very few wiring diagram in it, and it didn't give me a deep impression. May be I should give it a second chance. OK, I will take a look of this book one more time tomorrow. Also, there is a lot of basic wiring information available on the ANCOR web site. I have looked at their web site in http://www.ancorproducts.com/ But I don't see any wiring diagram. Are we talking about the same web site? A few general tips before you go off to study up on what the actual experts have to say: All good points. I appreciate your effort in preparing that list of good tips. Thanks. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...books&v=glance
Thanks. You are the second person in this message thread who has recommended the book "The 12 Volts Bible for Boats". I will definitely take a look of this book one more time. And I coat all connections with liquid tape. Does the liquid tape replace the use of heat shrink tube for wiring connection and replace the use of grease for connections on battery terminals? I cannot quite picture the use of this products. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
wrote in message ups.com... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/007...books&v=glance Thanks. You are the second person in this message thread who has recommended the book "The 12 Volts Bible for Boats". I will definitely take a look of this book one more time. And I coat all connections with liquid tape. Does the liquid tape replace the use of heat shrink tube for wiring connection and replace the use of grease for connections on battery terminals? I cannot quite picture the use of this products. Jay Chan I heat shrink the Ancor swedge connectors and then coat the connection with liquid tape. Makes a better seal. You can also use pvc tape and coat it with PVC glue. Melts the tape together. As to your other question about books. Most books are not going to give wiring diagrams. They are going to tell you how to trouble shoot the circuit, and figure out which wire goes where. Since my degree is electrical engineering, I do not have the book so can not personally vouch for the book, but has been recommended for years. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
wrote: There's a good book called "The 12-Volt Bible". There are two persons in this message thread like this book. It must be good. Somehow, when I flipped through it in the book store, I only saw very few wiring diagram in it, and it didn't give me a deep impression. May be I should give it a second chance. OK, I will take a look of this book one more time tomorrow. Also, there is a lot of basic wiring information available on the ANCOR web site. I have looked at their web site in http://www.ancorproducts.com/ But I don't see any wiring diagram. Are we talking about the same web site? A few general tips before you go off to study up on what the actual experts have to say: All good points. I appreciate your effort in preparing that list of good tips. Thanks. Jay Chan The most valuable information on the ANCOR site are the charts showing the diameter of wire to use based on distance and load. If you do everything else right, but screw this up, you won't be pleased with the results of your rewiring. As far as a "diagram" goes, you're unlikely to find one. Every boat has its own challenges. But, let's figure out how to "draw a diagram: for your boat. IIRC, you have a reasonably small boat. Let's say that you were going to install a VHF radio, a depth sounder, an AM/FM CD player, and a chart plotter. Four items. You will need to plan a cable run from your house battery to your helm area. Tuck the wire up out of the way, away from bilgewater. You will want to plan a route that is as direct as possible, but protects the wiring and keeps it out from underfoot. One nice aspect of the four items noted above is that they will all be installed, typically, very close to the wheel. Look up the amp draw for each electronic item, (will be in the product specs), and add them together. You're likely to be running all four of those specfic items at once, and even if you thought you weren't you would want to be able to do so while retaining adequate voltage. Now measure the distance from the house battery to the point where you will install either a panel (highly recommended) or a buss bar. (Be sure to include any bends the cable will take- follow the exat route when you measure). The panel is a better choice as you can switch each item on or off individually. You will run your red wire to the panel or buss bar. Now that you know the load and the distance to the panel, check out the chart on the ancor site and choose a marine wire that will minimize voltage loss. It may be a larger size than you would have otherwise imagined. If you can, go up a size or two in that cable between the house battery and the panel, and get a panel with an extra couple of switches. They way electronics are evoloving, you may want to add something in a couple of years that hasn't even been invented yet. Once your panel is in place, you will want to site a buss bar for the black ground wires near the installation. One again, use a marine wire capable of handling the total amperage based on the load and the total distance from the house battery to the ground buss- and back. You can use smaller wire to connect each electronic device to your panel or buss. The distance you are working with here is the distance from the panel or buss to the actual devices. Use the Ancor chart. When in doubt, go up a size. If your switch panel isn't fused with circuit breakers, you will want to install an in-line fuse on the red wire between the panel and the individual items. Your product installation data sheets will specify the rating needed for the individual fuses. If you use a buss bar instead of a fused panel, count on installing the in-line fuses as there will be no other ciruit protection between the battery and the load. So while there aren't a lot of wiring diagrams for specific boats kicking around, you can successfully wire your electronics by using the steps above, (I didn't repeat the obvious cautions about using properly crimped connections, etc). When you're done, you can draw your own wiring diagram for the good ship "Carpe Diem", (or what not), but you won't need one for your own purposes as you will be intimately familiar with just how the system works. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
I heat shrink the Ancor swedge connectors and then coat
the connection with liquid tape. Makes a better seal. I see. This means you use the liquid tape to seal the tiny gap around the heat-shrink tube and the cable. Now I understand the use of this product. Seem like this is the finishing touch that I should do after I am doing with all the wiring and testing. Thanks for the tip! As to your other question about books. Most books are not going to give wiring diagrams. They are going to tell you how to trouble shoot the circuit, and figure out which wire goes where. What I mean "wiring diagram" is something like a picture of how everything comes together, like an overview of the layout. Since my degree is electrical engineering, I do not have the book so can not personally vouch for the book, but has been recommended for years. Good to hear that this book has been recommended by many people through out the years. I will take a second look on the book on my way back home today. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
The most valuable information on the ANCOR site are the charts showing
the diameter of wire to use based on distance and load. If you do everything else right, but screw this up, you won't be pleased with the results of your rewiring. Thanks for the good point. I will keep an note on the use of correct wiring sizes and colors. As far as a "diagram" goes, you're unlikely to find one. Every boat has its own challenges. I am kind of surprised to hear this. A diagram for each typical layout should go a long way to explain where everything is, such as a diagram for a center console, a diagram for a bowrider, a diagram for a small sailing boat...etc. I am reading a great book called "Royce's Powerboating Illustrated 6th Edition". It has many pictures and diagrams on many topics on boating all condensed in a small (but thick) book. Unfortunately, it is not specific for wiring. Therefore, there is still room for more specific info on wiring. This is the reason why I am looking for a specific book for wiring. But, let's figure out how to "draw a diagram: for your boat. IIRC, you have a reasonably small boat. Let's say that you were going to install a VHF radio, a depth sounder, an AM/FM CD player, and a chart plotter. Four items. You will need to plan a cable run from your house battery to your helm area. Tuck the wire up out of the way, away from bilgewater. You will want to plan a route that is as direct as possible, but protects the wiring and keeps it out from underfoot. One nice aspect of the four items noted above is that they will all be installed, typically, very close to the wheel. Look up the amp draw for each electronic item, (will be in the product specs), and add them together. You're likely to be running all four of those specfic items at once, and even if you thought you weren't you would want to be able to do so while retaining adequate voltage. Now measure the distance from the house battery to the point where you will install either a panel (highly recommended) or a buss bar. (Be sure to include any bends the cable will take- follow the exat route when you measure). The panel is a better choice as you can switch each item on or off individually. You will run your red wire to the panel or buss bar. Now that you know the load and the distance to the panel, check out the chart on the ancor site and choose a marine wire that will minimize voltage loss. It may be a larger size than you would have otherwise imagined. If you can, go up a size or two in that cable between the house battery and the panel, and get a panel with an extra couple of switches. They way electronics are evoloving, you may want to add something in a couple of years that hasn't even been invented yet. Once your panel is in place, you will want to site a buss bar for the black ground wires near the installation. One again, use a marine wire capable of handling the total amperage based on the load and the total distance from the house battery to the ground buss- and back. You can use smaller wire to connect each electronic device to your panel or buss. The distance you are working with here is the distance from the panel or buss to the actual devices. Use the Ancor chart. When in doubt, go up a size. If your switch panel isn't fused with circuit breakers, you will want to install an in-line fuse on the red wire between the panel and the individual items. Your product installation data sheets will specify the rating needed for the individual fuses. If you use a buss bar instead of a fused panel, count on installing the in-line fuses as there will be no other ciruit protection between the battery and the load. So while there aren't a lot of wiring diagrams for specific boats kicking around, you can successfully wire your electronics by using the steps above, (I didn't repeat the obvious cautions about using properly crimped connections, etc). When you're done, you can draw your own wiring diagram for the good ship "Carpe Diem", (or what not), but you won't need one for your own purposes as you will be intimately familiar with just how the system works. Thanks a lot for the overview of how to design a wiring for a small boat like mine. I cannot say enough to thank you. With this info and the info from the books that I will get, I have confidence that I will be able to add additional wiring to my boat for the instruments that I will add to the boat. Mine is probably an easier boat to wire than what you have described because the batteries are located inside the center console where all the electronic instruments are going to be nearby (instead of at the back near the motor). I just have to check the wire between the batteries and the motor to make sure it is the right size for the long length that it must cross between the batteries and the motor. Thanks again. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
On Fri, 18 Nov 2005 08:02:44 -0800, chuckgould.chuck wrote:
wrote: ll good points. I appreciate your effort in preparing that list of good tips. Thanks. Jay Chan As far as a "diagram" goes, you're unlikely to find one. Every boat has its own challenges. But, let's figure out how to "draw a diagram: for your boat. Chuck implies a Very Good Tip he DRAW YOUR OWN DIAGRAM AS YOU'RE WIRING. And label and/or colour-code your wires. That way when your VHF packs it in and you're looking at the rat's-nest under the console, you'll know where to look. Lloyd |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
Chuck implies a Very Good Tip he DRAW YOUR OWN DIAGRAM AS YOU'RE
WIRING. And label and/or colour-code your wires. That way when your VHF packs it in and you're looking at the rat's-nest under the console, you'll know where to look. Yes, I know. I meant to say that a sample diagram goes a long way in explaining to a beginner how everything fits together. Then the beginner has a way to relate to. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
Let's say that you were going
to install a VHF radio, a depth sounder, an AM/FM CD player, and a chart plotter. Four items. Lets not forget bilge pump(s), running lights, cabin lights, lighter plug outlet, etc. Most boats, even a small boat, will probably have at least eight circuits, which should each have their own circuit breaker on the main panel. Let me start counting of what I have and what I want to add: 1. Motor starter 2. Bilge pump 3. Bow light 4. Light near the stern 5. Interior light for inside of the center console 6. 12-volt outlet (not sure what it is for?) 7. VHF radio 8. Depth sounder 9. GPS Seem like I definitely need a big panel for all these stuff even without a AM/FM radio. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
wrote in message oups.com... Let's say that you were going to install a VHF radio, a depth sounder, an AM/FM CD player, and a chart plotter. Four items. Lets not forget bilge pump(s), running lights, cabin lights, lighter plug outlet, etc. Most boats, even a small boat, will probably have at least eight circuits, which should each have their own circuit breaker on the main panel. Let me start counting of what I have and what I want to add: 1. Motor starter 2. Bilge pump 3. Bow light 4. Light near the stern 5. Interior light for inside of the center console 6. 12-volt outlet (not sure what it is for?) 7. VHF radio 8. Depth sounder 9. GPS Seem like I definitely need a big panel for all these stuff even without a AM/FM radio. Jay Chan 12 volt outlet. Actually a couple is nice. I plug in my portable VHF to charge it, and the cell phone at times. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 07:07:45 GMT, "Bill McKee"
wrote: 12 volt outlet. Actually a couple is nice. I plug in my portable VHF to charge it, and the cell phone at times. ===================================== All that, plus small inverter for running laptop, spotlight, portable GPS, and the list goes on. I agree that a couple of outlets is nice but you can also buy splitter cords that create a second outlet. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
"Wayne.B" wrote in message ... On Sat, 19 Nov 2005 07:07:45 GMT, "Bill McKee" wrote: 12 volt outlet. Actually a couple is nice. I plug in my portable VHF to charge it, and the cell phone at times. ===================================== All that, plus small inverter for running laptop, spotlight, portable GPS, and the list goes on. I agree that a couple of outlets is nice but you can also buy splitter cords that create a second outlet. I have a splitter, but it would be much nicer to just have a couple. built in. Just like my wifes S10 Blazer as opposed to my Expedition that had 1 extra power outlet besides the ciggy lighter. I also have a 12 V outlet in the back to hook up the live bait bag. |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
6. 12-volt outlet (not sure what it is for?)
A blender, of course...... daiquiris anyone? A hand held spotlight can come in handy at times also. -rick- |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
If you are using the correct heat shrink tubing or terminal
connections, they have a heat activated glue. If there is any "tiny gap around the heat-shrink tube and the cable" you have done something wrong or used an inferior product. Ditto any heavy lugs that have "holes" or gaps in the metal when properly swaged and sealed with heat shrink. I see. This means I should look for the right shrink tubing that has heat activated glue. Thanks for the tip. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
All that, plus small inverter for running laptop, spotlight, portable
GPS, and the list goes on. I agree that a couple of outlets is nice but you can also buy splitter cords that create a second outlet. Good to know that the 12-volt outlet will have a lot of use. Thanks. The other newsgroup member also mentioned about its use for running a live-bait well; this sounds exactly something that I will want to add to my boat. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
Let me start counting of what I have and what I want to add:
1. Motor starter Possibly not fused. You are probably right. The motor itself already has a fuse inside the motor for the starter. I assume we don't need another fuse for the same thing in the panel. I don't know for sure because I am still reviewing the wiring. 2. Bilge pump Possibly fused separately and not connected to the main breaker... but directly to the battery. You are exactly right. Although the panel in the boat has a slot for bilge pump, the slot is not connecting to anything. The wiring for the bilge pump actually goes directly to the battery switch and bypassing the panel. 6. 12-volt outlet (not sure what it is for?) A blender, of course...... daiquiris anyone? May be for a live-baits well that I will add to my boat :) Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
2. Bilge pump
Possibly fused separately and not connected to the main breaker... but directly to the battery. You are exactly right. Although the panel in the boat has a slot for bilge pump, the slot is not connecting to anything. The wiring for the bilge pump actually goes directly to the battery switch and bypassing the panel. You probably should have two feeds to the bilge pump. One, automatic, through a float switch that is connected directly to the battery. The other wire should go from the battery to a switch at the console (appropriate fusing employed) and thence to the bilge pump. Thus, you have an automatic bilge pump with a manual override. Yes, indeed the boat is supposed to have both automatic and manual. But the manual doesn't work. This is one of the reason why I need to review the wiring in my boat. Jay Chan |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
This setup is kind of tricky, and not fool proof. What if you forget to turn
the manual switch off and turn the battery switch off. Then the float switch turns the pump on. What would be the effect on circuits that had been disconnected by the battery switch? What could you do to prevent this effect? "Gene Kearns" wrote in message ... On 21 Nov 2005 08:52:45 -0800, wrote: You probably should have two feeds to the bilge pump. One, automatic, through a float switch that is connected directly to the battery. The other wire should go from the battery to a switch at the console (appropriate fusing employed) and thence to the bilge pump. Thus, you have an automatic bilge pump with a manual override. -- _ ___c \ _| \_ __\_| oooo \_____ ~~~~|______________/ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Southport, NC. http://myworkshop.idleplay.net/ Homepage* http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide |
Need a Good Book on Basic Wiring in a Boat For Beginner
Good answer Gene. I was just trying to illustrate that you need to pay
attention to what you are doing while playing with electricity, even with simple boat wiring. Jim "Gene Kearns" wrote in message ... On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 18:04:10 GMT, "JIMinFL" wrote: This setup is kind of tricky, and not fool proof. What if you forget to turn the manual switch off and turn the battery switch off. Then the float switch turns the pump on. What would be the effect on circuits that had been disconnected by the battery switch? What could you do to prevent this effect? Jim, That's a hell of a good point that I hadn't considered..... probably because mine also has a light next to the switch and I rarely use it except during a wash down. I would think that the simplest fix would be to add a diode in line between the bilge pump and the switch. -- _ ___c \ _| \_ __\_| oooo \_____ ~~~~|______________/ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~ }((((o ~~~~~~ }{{{{o ~~~~~~~ Grady-White Gulfstream, out of Southport, NC. http://myworkshop.idleplay.net/ Homepage* http://www.thebayguide.com/rec.boats Rec.boats at Lee Yeaton's Bayguide |
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