Archive for the ‘Navigation Lights’ Category

Both fore and aft

August 1st, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Kevin,Attwood is the world leader in navigation lighting

I have a three-wire Attwood masthead light.

With a bit of manipulation of the boat wiring I can get the front bulb to work or the back bulb to work but not both front and back together despite any combination I try?

Please help.

Thanks
Pete

Hi Pete,

Turning the front and back on at the same time is controlled by the switch on your helm.

The black wire on the light is the ground and the other two wires provide power to the forward and aft bulbs in the light. If you want both the light together all the time, simply connect them together at the light and supply 12v to both at the same time.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Anchor Lights, Boat Wiring, Marine Electrical, Masthead Lights, Navigation Lights, Signaling Devices | Comments Off

Turn it up. Radio.

June 27th, 2011 by Marine Ac/Dc

Kevin,

I have a 1995 Mercruiser 5.7L 350.

The boat wiring problem I’m having is that when I am running the boat and have the stereo on, it will cut out when my navigation lights, blower, or bilge pump are turned on. I had issues with the gauges reading erratically too.

So, I cleaned all battery terminals, cleaned the two main grounds into the block. I also ran a daisy chain ground from the gauges to the negative on the battery to bypass the existing ground just to check that ground.

Everything was running great, with the stereo blasting (stock marine unit, no amp), until I turned on any of the above mentioned accessories. Then the stereo cuts out, voltage drops on the gauge, and the other gauges act up a little.

I do not have a ground bus under the dash. All the wires seem to just disappear down each side of the boat.

I tested the alternator with a multimeter (read was 14.5). The stereo will come back on after the accessory remains on.

Any suggestions would be helpful. alpine stereo

Sheri

Hi Sheri,

You are dealing with a voltage drop issue. The more current that passes through a wire, the more voltage drop is induced. You don’t notice it when your navigation lights get slightly dimmer when your blower is turned on, but it is obvious when the stereo shuts down.

The solutions are to either increase the size of the wire that supplies power to the helm and its ground or run a separate power and ground for your stereo back to your battery or bus system. Please remember to install circuit protection at the battery end of the new power lead.

This will solve your problem,

Kevin

Posted in Bilge Pumps, Boat Batteries, Boat Wiring, Ground Issues, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Pontoons, Runabouts, Signaling Devices, Testing, Voltmeter | Comments Off

Diode Does It

June 13th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Hello,

I am looking for a schematic on the proper boat wiring for the navigation /anchor light switch on my 1990 Sea Ray.

I have a five wire posts, three posts on one side and two on the other. The center post carries the power and the other four post on each corner is for what???

Barrel diodeMy situations is that the boat navigation lights in the front come on along with the dash lights and switch light, but no stern light.Then I switch to anchor lights and the back light comes on, but the switch light does not come on.

I noticed a jumper wire from the post in one corner to the other corner of the same side that look like it was broken, so I replaced and now all the lights come on in both direction of the toggle switch. Is there a special jumper wire? Because when I cut out the jumper wire it was a solid wire with a “end keeper”, a small metal tip in the center of the wire.

Please help.

Thanks
Rich

Hi Rich,

The original jumper had a diode in it. It acts as a one way valve for the current to stern light when the forward lights are on, but block the flow when your only stern light is selected. You can buy HERE at Radio Shack.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

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

Hull Ground?

February 28th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Hi Kevin,

My aluminum boat wiring has the negative returns and negative side of the battery all tied to the hull.

I would like to isolate the negative return and run all negative returns to the battery with the hull isolated.

My question is: What do I ground the aluminum fuel tank to? It is connected to the hull.

Thanks,

Scott

Hi Scott,

Grounding to an aluminum hull is un-avoidable. Some components just end up being connected. You are actually at risk of even greater galvanic corrosion if the hull is not tied to the negative side of your system.

I would recommending running grounds for all components and not using the hull as a conductor. To comply with the USCG requirements, the metal components on your fuel tank (the tank itself) need to be connected to the boat’s DC negative ground also.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Circuit Protection, Corrosion, Cruisers, Galvanic Corrosion, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Pontoons, Runabouts, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Testing | Comments Off

Wiring a boat switch panel

January 31st, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Hi expert people:

Last year, I purchased one of the fully-wired switch panels from EzAcDc, but I still haven’t gotten around to installing it and find that I have some questions:Boat wiring

  1. I have two wires from the green and red bow light and two wires from the white stern light. Are these the navigation lights? And how do these four wires attach to the switch panel?
  2. I have two halogen head lamps with two wires from each. Where do these wires attach?
  3. I have two sealed beam cabin lights with two wires from each. Where do these wires attach?
  4. I have an on/off bilge pump with two wires. Where do these two wires attach?
  5. I have an air horn with two male blades on the pump and a little black box with four male blades and a hieroglyphic on the side with the numbers 85,87,86 and 30 & 12V 30A–no wires. How do these attach to my horn switch at the switch panel?
  6. I would like to add a stereo to the panel since there are two existing speakers mounted in the cab. How and where do I hook this up?
  7. The boat has an existing ground bar which I have wired to the battery switch and a fuse bar which I have wired to the battery switch positive pole.
  8. I have 10 AWG wires from the two batteries to the battery switch and 10 AWG wires from the battery switch which attach to the negative. bar and the fuse bar. The exception is the two engine wires which appear to be 4 AWG. Will this work OK?
  9. There does not appear to be any empty blades at any of the switches so I don’t know how to wire the switches to the wires which come from the lights, horn, bilge and other yet to be purchased accessories etc.
  10. What is the purpose of the voltmeter?
  11. I have attempted to remove a wire from the back of one of the switches but it wont budge. Is this a malfunction or are these wires not meant to be removed?

I have read all the posts on your website as well as numerous other posts on many other boat wiring websites but still want to make sure that I am doing this correctly.

These must be boring, inane questions to someone like yourself who obviously knows electricity and components, but I need help.

Thanks,

Ken

Hi Ken,

The easiest way to connect your boat’s components to your new panel is by using the 6″ long adaptor harness that you should have received from our partners at Ez. It has a large white 12 position plug that connects directly to your panel and the blue butt connectors connect to your boat’s components.

The adaptor wires follow standard boat wiring colors. That is…

  • Black – Ground – Must go to battery or negative buss
  • Brown/Orange – Aerator
  • RED – 12v power
  • Gray/Black – Docking Lights
  • Gray/Blue – Anchor/Stern Light
  • Gray/Green – Navigation/Bow Light
  • Orange/White – Horn
  • Brown – Bilge Manual
  • Blue – Courtesy Light
  • Brown/Red – Bilge Auto

Here is what you will want to do:

  • One wire from each of the red and green navigation lights will connect to the gray/green wire in the adaptor. The other wire from each of the lights will connect to DC ground.
  • One wire from your white stern light will connect to the gray/blue wire in the adapt0r. The other wire from your light will connect to DC ground.
  • One wire from each of your head lights will connect to the gray/black wire in the adaptor. The other wire from each of the lights will connect to the DC ground.
  • One wire from each of your cabin lights will connect to the blue wire in the adaptor. The other wire from each of the lights will connect to the DC ground.
  • The brown wire from your bilge pump will connect to the brown wire in the adaptor. The other wire from your pump will connect to DC ground.
  • Your air horn is more complex. The orange/white wire will connect to 86 on the relay. Here is a link to complete your horn wiring.

Having said all that, a simpler solution to all of this would be to purchase one of the EzAcDc Snap Together boat wiring harness.

Any of these harnesses contain all of the wires required to connect your red/green/white navigation lights, your head light/docking lights, your courtesy lights, and your bilge pump. There is a 12 position connector on the harness that will plug directly into your panel. They also include the power wire (with circuit protection) and ground wire required by your panel.

Your stereo can connect to one of the 3 position accessory plugs on the panel. Use the black for ground and the red for your positive.

Here is a schematic that shows how I recommend wiring a battery switch. Note the battery cable sizes. If your engine battery cables are connected to your ground bus and battery switch, your 10 AWG wire will overheat when you try to start your engine.

When you push the voltage button, the voltmeter will show you the current voltage of your battery and how much “fun time” you have left until your battery is dead.

If you use the adaptor, there is no need to remove wires from the back of the switches. In the event that you would like to remove a wire from one of the switches, I recommend using a flat screw driver. All of the switch terminals are .250 faston connectors. The back of the switch has .250 tabs on the back similar to the ones on the horn relay.

I hope that this is helpful.

Please let me know if you have any questions,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Compass, Cruisers, Horn, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Pontoons, Runabouts, Sailboats, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Wipers | Comments Off

Compass Light

January 24th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

I would like to connect the compass back light wiring (two wire lead) to either the navigation light circuit or the gauge lighting circuit. Both have separate switches.
The boat is a 1998 Bayliner 2452, which has had a few amateur boat wiring projects.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.Ritchie Compass

Thanks,
John

Hi John,

The simplest way to connect your compass light is to wire it to your closest instrument.

  • Connect one of the compass wires to the ground on the gauge and the other to the light power wire on the gauge.
  • The ground should have a black wire connected to it end the light should have a blue wire connected to it.

Happy wiring,

Kevin

Kevin,

Thank you for the prompt reply. Sounds like a pretty straight forward connection.

John

Posted in Boat Wiring, Compass, Gauge Panels, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Pontoons, Runabouts, Switch Panels | Comments Off

What size boat wiring?

January 14th, 2011 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin:

I recently bought a Rawson 30’ sloop that was originally built in 1964. As the boat wiring is questionable, I plan to go through the entire boat and rewire all the circuits.

My biggest concerns are the navigation lights – five lights, L.E.D., each pulling less than 1 amp – with a total round trip of 200’ feet and another circuit carrying interior lighting – four lamps, L.E.D., each pulling less than 1 amp – with a round trip length of 100’.

Using a chart from a book by Don Casey called Sailboat Electrics Simplified, I’ve come up with a requirement of six gauge wire for the navigation light circuit and 8 gauge for the interior light circuit.

I thought this sizing was a little questionable (heavy wire for such light loads), so I asked an electrician at the shipyard where I work and he assured me that 12 gauge for the navigation lights and 10 gauge for the interior lights would be more than sufficient.

The reason I’m calculating such a long trip for navigation lights is that I’d thought a navigation light at the top of the mast was required. Is one required for a 30’ foot sailboat whether sailing or motoring?

Thanks for your time and information, Kevin.

Sincerely,

Dave

Hi Dave,

A while back I created a boat wiring size calculator that is considerably easier to use than charts is a book. Here is a link.

If you enter the amperage of your light in cell C8 and the total length of your run in cell D8, the E8 will give you your wire size. To comply with ABYC, you will need to keep cell B8 at 3%.

As for your question about the rules for navigation lights, here is a link to the USCG requirements.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Sailboats, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Voltmeter | Comments Off

Decipher the drawing?

October 18th, 2010 by Kevin Hannula

Hi Kevin,

I’m working off the attached diagram and am wondering if you know where I can get a diagram for the boat wiring connections in the dash. I’m using a stern drive drawing were I will be bi-passing the ECM and Trim components. I swapped a 4.3 into a Shamrock (Inboard)

I can probably figure out most of the plug connections. My concern is the Red/Purple and the Purple wires on the Plug. Where are they connected in the dash?Shamrock boat wiring

Thanks for any Help

Phil

Hi Phil,

The Red/Purple is the ignition feed wire. It provides constant power to the ignition switch. This is usually connected to the B post on your key switch. I would recommend adding an in-line fuse or circuit breaker near the key switch. According to your boat wiring diagram, it is protected by a 50 amp breaker on the engine and most key switches are only rated at 15 amps.

The purple wire is the ignition wire. This is usually connected to the I post on your key switch. Your instruments are also powered by this wire.

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Battery Charger, Boat Wiring, Bow Thruster, Corrosion, Cruisers, Harnesses, Horn, Ignition Switch, Marine Battery Switch, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Trim, Voltmeter | Comments Off

Maxed Out

August 30th, 2010 by Kevin Hannula

Kevin,

I recently bought a used boat. It was improperly grounded and burned some of the boat wiring out. My mechanic repaired several problems, but one problem still remains.

When you switch on the ignition most gauges jump to their maximum. For example the trim is maxed out to the right no matter at what level the outboard really is. The oil pressure gauge does nothing. The tachometer goes clear to the right. The speedometer goes to about 10 miles an hour and stays no matter what speed the boat is moving.

Other electric things work correctly, such as the horn, the starter motor, the trim mechanism, bilge pump, bilge blower, and so forth. The stereo system, the marine radio, and GPS seem to be non-functional.

What is that it that can cause all gauges to fail like this? By the way, the boat is a 2002 Chaparral 180SE with a Mercruiser 3XL engine and outdrive. The boat has been badly mistreated, and has required a lot of work to get it functioning again.

Thanks for any suggestions you can give.

Steve

Hi Steve,

It sounds like you have a combination of marine electrical problems.

My guess is that you have more burned out wires.

You should start by checking for 12 volts at each gauge. + on purple and – on black

Then, using an ohm meter check the following

  • Trim position – brown/white – 60 ohms down 11 ohms up
  • Oil pressure – lt blue – over 240 ohms 0 psi 33 ohms 80 psi
  • Fuel – pink – over 240 ohms empty 33 ohms full
  • Tach – gray – test for continuity through harness to engine

As for the speedo, check for a plugged or melted pitot hose, if so, replace the hose. You should also clean up the pickup and check for a bent axle on paddle wheel

Hope this helps,

Kevin

Posted in Boat Wiring, Cruisers, Gauge Panels, Horn, Ignition Switch, Marine Electrical, Navigation Lights, Runabouts, Signaling Devices, Switch Panels, Testing, Trim | Comments Off
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