Recommendation on wiring

[saltydogjeff]

I am trying to recover/restore a boat to working order. Whatever happened and I got this boat on my hands and is not currently running. Anyways...

This boat is like a bird's nest with wires. I have the electrical diagram for the engine components, gauges, and switches. I am basically rewiring all the auxiliaries.

My goal in this wiring mission is to save the batteries. There are two wired in parallel to one of those rotary switches with the 1, 2, or both option. I would like to be working downstream of the switch (or the key switch) to assure that the batteries stay at full charge.

Now I am looking for comments, recommendations, personal experience on how to wire the auxiliaries. Are there loads that are required to be directly connected to the battery? I believe there were about 3 loads that were always connected to the battery: trim pump, bilge pump, and an auxiliary fuse board. I understand the reasoning behind the loads,but the wiring looked dangerous. What about the navigation or mooring lights when anchored? I think I might just hook all these loads up to the auxiliary fuse board, but that is also like wiring power lines all the way forward and then all the way aft.

Thank you.

 

[wrench 3]

First off, any wiring coming off of the battery positive should be fused close to the battery. Except for the starter.
Usually the tilt/trim and the auto bilge pump are wired directly to the battery and sometimes a keep alive memory for the stereo or a mercathode if you have one. The batteries are usually only shut off if your closing up the boat after an outing. So nothing else is going to be used.
I beleave that they hotwire the tilt trim for trailering.

 

[bruceb58]

Nothing should be coming off the positive post of the battery except the cable going to your battery selector switch. You want to be able to turn everything off. If you moor your boat, having the bilge pump wired directly to the battery through a fuse is ok.

 

[wrench 3]

Nothing should be coming off the positive post of the battery except the cable going to your battery selector switch. You want to be able to turn everything off. If you moor your boat, having the bilge pump wired directly to the battery through a fuse is ok.

Moving water can corrode the drive without the boat moving. So you need to have the mercathode working when moored.

 

[bruceb58]

Moving water can corrode the drive without the boat moving. So you need to have the mercathode working when moored.

If your boat has and needs a mercathode system then yes. BTW, has nothing to do with water moving.

 

[Grandad]

I agree with Bruce that all power from the batteries should be controlled by the main selector switch. That way you have absolute control of any power drain. Off is off. I have connected my single channel battery maintainer via the fuse panel to my dual batteries. So even selecting which battery gets charged is done via the selector switch. - Grandad

 

[wrench 3]

I forgot about the battery charger. If you have a two bank charger it has to be connected directly to both batteries.