Is this wiring doable?

[gpfishingdude]

Can I run heavy wires to buss bars around the console area? Fuse the positive one and then run a single positive and a single negative to the front for the running lights. Branch off of them for the starboard and port sides? Or do you have to run seperate wires to both sides and all the way back to the buss bars? On my vee bottom all I had to run to the front was for one running light. Everything else was located in the stern area-bilge pump-anchor light-etc. closer to the battery and closer to the buss bars.

 

[5150abf]

Re: Is this wiring doable?

Should be able to, mos tnew boats are like that, they have a main heavy posative and negative wire running the length of the boat and they just tag into that where they need power.

That is how I did my boat to and I have never had a problem and I run alot of electric.

As long as we are talking about the red/green bow and the all aropund light that is, if these are docking lights you don't want them on all the time and will want to use a different switch for those.

 

[gpfishingdude]

Re: Is this wiring doable?

Thanks! That should save me a lot of wiring. I realized later that I forgot to include the switches in the equation. I like to be able to switch everything individually-so I will have a lot of switches. So many things to wire-running lights-docking lights-anchor light-fishing lights-fish finder-live well-trolling motor-power outlets. That should keep me busy the rest of the day.

 

[Jlawsen]

Re: Is this wiring doable?

I ran 6 ga wire up to the console and have two buss bars (-/+). These are both on my house batteries. These buss bars provide power to all my toys. I also have 10 ga running from the strart battery that runs my critical circuits. This circuit is on breakers at the dash and not on buss bars so that there is no temptation to take power from that and run non-essential accesories. My battery switch will allow me to combine all three batteries if needed but during normal operation, the battery isolator with automatic charging relay keeps the circuits separate but still allows charging from a single source.

My buss bars are easy to get to and this makes charging all three batteries possible from a single easy access location. I really like the setup.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Is this wiring doable?

I would put an appropriate sized master breaker by the battery, then run the two main power lines to your buss bars, or a fuse block / - buss bar.

to size your main lines, make a list and add up the current draw for all your items, accessories, and toys. take the current total from the list and multiply by 2.5. then size the wire for that current and your run length. the reason I use 2.5, you want to have 50% overhead, and you have forgotten at least a few items on your original list.