Archive for the ‘Gauge Panels’ Category

Marine electrical questions?

June 28th, 2010 by Kevin Hannula

Marine Ac/Dc attempts to answer your questions about boat wiring and marine electrical techniques, concepts, and products. We get lots of mail from folks in mid-project or who are just curious about their boat’s electrical setup.

There are loads of post already on the site which we hope you will browse through. If you’re trying to track down info about a more specific category, please use the search box in the upper right of this page or check out the list of various subjects farther down on this page.

If you aren’t able to find the info that you need to complete your particular boat wiring project, please send us an email at boatwiring@gmail.com.

Thank you for visiting. We look forward to hearing from you and hope that you will be able to come back often.

Posted in Battery Charger, Battery Switch, Boat Wiring, Bow Thruster, Circuit Protection, Corrosion, Cruisers, Gauge Panels, Harnesses, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Pontoons, Runabouts, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Testing, Trolling Motors, Uncategorized, VSR, Wipers | Comments Off

Glen-L Wiring

January 30th, 2012 by Marine Ac/Dc

Kevin,

I am building a 16′ wooden bass boat using the Glen-L design and it is about 80% complete. I am now getting ready to outfit the interior, build the helm, purchase my motor, etc.

I have visited your sister boat wiring site and it looks like just what I will need due to its simplified “plug and play ” approach. What I am looking for is advice on everything I will need to wire my boat using EzAcDc marine electrical.

My boat wiring needs include:

In summary, I need everything and look to your recommendation to help me get what I need to fully wire my boat from the boat wiring harness to fuses, circuit breakers, switches, etc.

Thank you.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

Your boat sounds great! Thank you for your interest in the products at our sister site.

Here is the boat wiring that I would recommend.

  • Fully wired eight switch marine electrical panel. This comes with one panel mounted 12 volt receptacle and you will want to add a second remote outlet.
  • Boat wiring harness that quickly snaps together with the panel above.
  • Smart Battery Switch system for two batteries. This includes cables, ground bus, and you will want to add a couple of battery boxes.
  • Navigation lights are controlled by the nav/anc switch in your new switch panel. Wiring for split red and green lights and a single white stern light is included with the boat wiring harness. The site has a variety of Attwood LED navigation light kits that may suite your needs. All come with connectors so that they will snap right onto the new harness.
  • I would run 8 AWG tinned wire for your trolling motor.
  • Please send me the specs and length of total wire run for the power winch to determine the cable size requirements.
  • Currently we do not stock a trolling motor connection. My preference in the Marinco Connect Pro System.
  • You can use one of the switches on the new panel for the stereo. The new panel will even include a pre-printed “STEREO” switch cap. There is a ground, constant power (memory), and switched power coming off of the back of the switch for a stereo. We do not include speaker wire.
  • The boat wiring harness has two breakouts for courtesy lights. The switch panel kit also includes a “COURTESY LIGHTS” switch cap.
  • We do not have fish finders, but you can get power for your fish finder from one of the breakers on your new switch panel.
  • The switch panel comes pre-wired with a horn button and the boat harness includes wiring for a horn.
  • We also have boat horns that will attach easily onto the new harness.
  • We do not have gauges. Most of the gauge wiring will be included with your engine harness.
  • Our harness comes with one bilge pump and auto float switch connection. You can either run a second pump from one of the switch panel accessory wire breakouts or you can use the livewell pump breakout for a second pump.
  • No additional fuse panel is needed. The switches have circuit breakers mounted directly below them on the panel. The main harness battery connection has an in-line circuit breaker for harness protection.

Thank you again for your consideration. I hope this helps,

Kevin

Kevin,

My boat anchor winch is the Deck Mate 19 Small Boat Anchor Windlass from West Marine. The draw is 15 amps @ 12 volts and the winch includes a built in 15A circuit breaker. The length of wire from the helm to the power winch at the bow is roughly 9 feet. Please advise cable size requirement.

Thank you.

Kelly

Hi Kelly,

18′ run total @ 15 amps with 3% drop, I would run 10 AWG wire.

Kevin

Posted in Anchor Lights, Battery cables, Battery Switch, Bilge Pumps, Boat Batteries, Boat Wiring, Bow Light, Circuit Protection, Courtesy Lights, Engine Harness, Fuel Gauge, Gauge Panels, Harnesses, Harnesses-DC, Horn, LED Lights, Marine Electrical, Masthead Lights, Navigation Lights, Rope Lights, Smart Battery Switch, Switch Panels, Trolling Motors, VSR | Comments Off

Custom Marine Electrical Panels?

November 28th, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Hi Kevin,

I found your sister operation, EzAcDc boat wiring on Ed Sherman’s site.

I am about to rewire my 42 foot ketch with new boat wiring and distribution/breaker panel.EzAcDc also has a complete kit to rewire you existing switch panels - a big part of any boat wiring project.

I have HF radio (35 A), water pump, sewage treatment (both 15A), VHF radio (8A)fridge (3A), plus the usual internal lights and external nav lights. No power winches or other serous current devices, other than of course the Yanmar 54 bhp starter battery and motor. I have a 300 AHr ships battery bank (3 x 100 AHr) and a 900 CCA starter battery.

Your marine electrical panels look interesting and also the boat wiring harnesses seem well made and should simplify installations.

Can EzAcDc supply panels suitable for larger numbers of circuits? What form do your harnesses take, can I get lengths custom made if I provide lengths?

Johnson

Hi Johnson,

At this time our partner sites, EzAcDc and Boat Wiring Store, do not produce custom switch panels and boat wiring harnesses.

Usually, when expanding an EzAcDc system, our customers purchase a fully wired marine electrical switch panel and then purchase either an unloaded switch panel or an unwired switch panel to install in conjunction with the fully wired system.

This give them the ability to have a second switch panel made from the same material and same switch style. We offer a complete line of tinned boat wiring and marine electrical connectors so they can custom wire the second panel to their needs.

Hope this helps.

Please let us know if you have any questions,

Posted in AC Wiring, Anchor Lights, Battery cables, Bilge Pumps, Boat Batteries, Boat Wiring, Bow Light, Bow Thruster, Courtesy Lights, Cruisers, Gauge Panels, Harnesses-Dash, Harnesses-DC, Horn, Marine Electrical, Masthead Lights, Navigation Lights, Switch Panels | Comments Off

Bow Light Always On

November 21st, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Kevin,

I recently built a new marine dash panel for a used Invader Boat. I bought all new gauges and switches, but I’m having a problem with the new Attwood navigation lights. The bow light comes on when the switch is in both the anchor position and the navigation position.Attwood is the world's top manufacturer of navigation lights for recreational marine.

I used a Contura rocker switch, an on-off-on. Do I need to change to a double pole/double throw switch?

Thanks,

Seymore

Hi Seymore,

Please check out this post on navigation light wiring from our sister boat wiring site, Easy Ac/Dc. It will explain how to correctly wire both the switch that you purchased as well as a double pole/double throw.

Happy boat wiring,

Kevin

Posted in Anchor Lights, Boat Wiring, Bow Light, Cruisers, Gauge Panels, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Switch Panels | Comments Off

O’Day Dilemma

November 14th, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Hello Kevin,

My boat wiring question is:

I have a 1979 37′ O’Day sailboat, with an Aft Cabin with the original 4 breaker terminal mounted on the locker.

When I bought the boat in 2000, I replaced the existing Loran with radar and wired it into the panel where the Loran had been and added a VHF radio to the back of the panel. Both have individual fuse protection. O'day Sailboat

Everything has worked fine until a few weeks ago when I noticed I have no power to the panel – cabin lights, engine room light, radar, radio, and autopilot do not work.

Both the positive and negative lines from the main power source in the forward part of the boat were tested by me and tested good.

I was told that it could be a ground problem. I looked at the negative marine electrical bus bar inside the locker and what is there are the negative wires from the accessories and the negative wire from the main bank in the forward part of the boat. There was also another 10 gauge wire but not attached to anything.

Should there be a ground wire attached to the buss bar to the engine and could this wire be my problem in that it somehow become disconnected?

I installed a new six breaker panel replacing the original; I installed a new 30 amp terminal (6 terminals) inside the locker and ran each accessory positive to it and then from there to the panel; Each accessory negative goes directly to the to the bus bar along with the 10 gauge negative wire from the main power source. The new panel has a negative bar which I also attached to the bus bar.

I then turned on each switch and they all light up meaning power is there. But when I turn on any of the accessories at the actual device they do not work and all the panel lights go off. When I turn off the individual accessory the panel lights will go back on. This happens with each item- cabin lights, engine room light, radio, radar, auto pilot.

Can you help me?

Confused

Jordan

Hi Jordan,

The problem is either in the feed wire or the ground wire.

The best way to find your problem is to test voltage levels when the system is under a load.

The panel indicator lights will initially turn on because the low current draw of the lights induces a small voltage drop in the wire. When you turn on a higher draw device, the voltage drop increases and the light turns off.

You will probably find a bad cable connection or hidden splice.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Thank you for your response.

While waiting to hear back from you, I continued to investigate the problem.

Although I found numerous other problems as the O’Day has the original wiring, the cause for the failure was due to corrosion inside the positive wire where it entered into the front panel for power. As I tried to pull the wire to locate it, it broke off and was corroded inside the insulation. The joys of an old boat.

I have rewired the entire aft by replacing all the wires and panel and everything is back in order.

Regards,

Jordan

Posted in Anchor Lights, Battery cables, Boat Batteries, Boat Wiring, Circuit Protection, Corrosion, Cruisers, Galley, Gauge Panels, Ground Issues, Harnesses-Dash, Harnesses-DC, Marine Electrical, Masthead Lights, Sailboats, Switch Panels, Testing, Voltmeter | Comments Off

Reverse Engineering

November 9th, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Dear Kevin,

Thank you for all your boat wiring advice which I find very useful.

With regards to your post, Excellent Mileage from October 3rd, 2011, does the explanation also apply to reverse readings on the boat’s fuel gauge?

  • Full tank but empty on gauge
  • Removed sending unit, moved sensor to bottom
  • Gauge shows full.

I switch the wire around but with same results.Attwood has the marine industry's best solutions for installed fuel systems

Thanks!

Gary

Hi Gary,

It sounds like something has gone haywire with your fuel gauge or sender.

Most fuel gauges read a sensor that is 240 ohms at empty and 33 ohms at full.

  • Test the sender with an ohm meter. 240 ohms down and 33 ohms full.
  • Test the gauge with ground wire.
  • No wire connected to the gauge sending wire stud, empty.
  • Wire connected to the gauge send wire and to ground, full.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Hi Kevin,

Thank you for your quick reply.

While surfing around on the net I managed to find this answer on the Wema site

I hope that it will help other boat owners who wish to change their gauges or senders.

Cheers and best regards!

Gary

Posted in Boat Wiring, Cruisers, Fuel Gauge, Fuel Sender, Gauge Panels, Ground Issues, Harnesses-Dash, Harnesses-DC, Marine Electrical, Pontoons, Sailboats | Comments Off

Excellent Mileage

October 3rd, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Hi Kevin,

I have a 2000 Champion 203 with a 48 gallon fuel tank.

When I filled up the tank my fuel gauge read properly. After several hours of fishing I noticed the gauge needle was past the full mark sitting on the peg. Normally, when I turn off the switch the needle goes to Empty, but now when I turn off the switch, it stays on the peg way past Full. Im wondering if it’s the sending unit or the gauge?Faria is marine's top manufacturer of gauges.

I just topped off the tank before traveling 30 miles down the interstate so I wonder if the float is stuck. But if it was, shouldn’t the needle still go to Empty when the switch is turned off?

I have no idea where to start. I worry about a possible short in my fuel cell area..

Thanks,

Tony

Hi Tony,

This is a fairly simple boat wiring question to diagnose.

  1. Remove the wire from the center of the fuel sender. This is usually pink.
  2. Turn on the key. If the gauge stays pegged past full, it is the wire or the gauge. If it drops back down to empty, the sender is stuck.
  3. If it stays pegged past full, remove the pink wire from the back of the gauge on the “s” post. Turn on the key. If the gauge stays pegged past full, the problem is the gauge or its ground wire. If it drops back down to empty, the wire between the tank and the gauge has a short to ground.
  4. Before replacing the gauge, I would give it a quick bench test. 12v+ to the “I” post and ground to the “-” post. The gauge should read empty. Connect a second ground wire from your negative post to the “s” post on the gauge. The gauge should read full.

The sender is usually the problem. After removing the sender, it can be bench tested with an ohm meter. Empty should be 240 ohms. Full should be 33 ohms.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Fuel Gauge, Fuel Sender, Gauge Panels, Ground Issues, Marine Electrical, Marine Engines, Pontoons | Comments Off

Gauge Wiring

May 16th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

I have a typical 1975 Cruisers Yacht that is 25 feet long with a 350 engine.

I think that I have a speedometer, tachometer and voltmeter for the guages.

My question is:

How do I connect the boat wiring from my transmission to my gauges so that they operate properly?

DB

Hi DB

Setting up the boat wiring for gauges is simple.

The boat speedometer usually works from water pressure. There is a small tube that runs through the boat back to a small plastic pitot pickup on the back of your boat.

The tachometer and voltage meter are both powered by the switched power (usually purple) from your ignition switch. On your engine, the tachometer will get it’s signal from the negative side of the igntion coil.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Cruisers, Gauge Panels, Marine Electrical, Pontoons, Runabouts, Sailboats | Comments Off

Ammeter Wiring

April 25th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

I have a 1998 Trojan 400 Express (built by Carver). I accidentally shorted out my port side ammeter and lost the ability to conduct current through the wire to the meter. I checked the meter and it functions. I can’t easily trace this boat wiring to its origin. Faria ammeter

Is this wire fused? It was always hot, whether the battery switch was on or off. I don’t see it attaching directly at the battery, so I think it may originate at the input side of the battery selector switch.

I would appreciate any information you can share on this.

Thank you for your consideration.

Rich

Hi Rich,

The ammeter is usually a direct connection to the alternator output.

To protect the wire, there should be an inline fuse or circuit breaker near the alternator. The fuse may be a fuseable link the looks like a smaller piece of wire.

Good luck,

Kevin

Posted in Ammeter, Boat Wiring, Circuit Protection, Cruisers, Gauge Panels, Marine Electrical, Pontoons, Runabouts, Sailboats | Comments Off

Boat Wiring Diagram for 1966 TriHull?

March 7th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

Ok, so I just recently purchased a 1966 18ft Caravelle trihull boat. Caravelle Trihull

Are there any boat wiring diagrams or anything like that for me to use for the rebuild?

Jake

Hi Jake,

Probably not. You may be able to use our standard boat wiring color table combined with a meter to decipher the wires. Most likely you will end up pulling new wires for circuits that just don’t work anymore.

Our partners at EzAcDc have everything from bulk boat wire to snap together boat wiring systems that would work great in your boat.

Good luck,

Kevin

Posted in Battery Switch, Bilge Pumps, Boat Batteries, Boat Wiring, Gauge Panels, Harnesses, Harnesses-Dash, Harnesses-DC, Horn, Ignition Switch, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Trim, Voltmeter, VSR | Comments Off
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