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Installing Electrical Components


Mike Pennington

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I have been collecting electrical goodies for a few months now anticipating the time when I finally feel good enough to go back to playing with my Vacationer. Two deep cycle batteries, for those long trips to Lake Paxson, located on the Richardson Highway out in the middle of no where. Excuse me can I plug into your RV to charge my batteries, naw, I don't think so.

One of my questions, is grounding, should I run a bolt through the keel, and ground to it. Your knowledge on this subject would be appreciated.

Pictures of existing set ups would also help me make up my mind on how to and how should I.

I plan to place the two batteries up forward to help ballance the boat. I would like to mount the switch box close to main hatch for easy access. I am wondering if this distance will cause excessive resistance, should I mount the switch box closer to the batteries. Or can I get away with the distance by using a heavy gauge wire such as 10? :shocked!:

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Guest Anonymous

Ray,

I get your point about adding up my usage, I'll be careful with that.

It took me a few minutes to find my West Marine catalog, who would of thought I would put it on a book shelf with the rest of my boat books? :oops:

I love those blue pages, information pages on products. Okay, I'll do some reading up.

My distribution panel is a 12 volt, 4 switch/ 4 - 15 amp fuse panel.

So there I have set some limits to what I can drag on board a Vacationer. Naturally I want running lights, an anchor light and cabin lights, and an FM/Disc player. I hope to purchase a small out board some where along times way. So I won't be drawing current for propulsion.

However, these inverters, look like they might be just the ticket for a decadent blender and Margarettaville.

Yes, I had noticed before, while working on autos that little wires do tend to get hot over a distance. Ray, I will take your advice on lower gauge wire.

But how about a ground for a basic little set up, skipping the inverter, would just using the ground to the batteries work. I would rather do what ever is need to do the job right from the beginning. Half baked don't work for me.

I have been having a little fun with this part of the Vacationer Project, a new learning experience, not that the whole boat hasn't been one heck of a hoot.

How about that you proud boat builders, come on, this old brain pan is empty, lets give me something to chew on.

Thanks Ray, you have all ways been quick to respond and help a person out, you are definately on my Good Guy list.

Mike Pennington

PS you folks down South and to the East, have been getting all the good weather in North America. It has been nice and toasty in Alaska. Heck it rained in Feb. I got my fingers crossed for an early break up, no more hard water. Happy Sailing!

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Definitely just lead the negative back to the battery. It ISN'T a ground in a 12 volt system. It's the return to the source of a closed electrical system. Techanically, a 12 volt system does not have a "Ground" like an ac system does.

On every boat I have ever owned, the 12 volt system "floated" independent of the physical structure of the vessel. I firmly believe that "grounding" or bonding the system only contributes to more electrolysis.

On my current boat (21 foot sloop) I have the battery forward, the circuit switch mounted very close to the battery (so I can shut it off at the battery). The leads run from there about 8 feet aft to the bus bars that feed the distribution system. (switch panel for the positive side, and the return bus bar where all the returns are connected. I don't remember the guage of those leads, and it's too messy to go out and look, but they are pretty heavy.

I connect my battery charger to those bus bars when I am charging the battery. We have a single group 27 battery and can go at least 5 or 6 days aboard on a single charge. I run interior lights, running lights (when needed), a depth sounder (when needed) and a VHF . My anchor light is a kerosene lantern, and our stereo has it's own batteries.

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Ray,

You're a wealth of information!

Just thought I'd point out that I was at a friend's and on his desk was a set of Perco LED nav lights. They're good for two miles and draw 10% as much power as the old kind!

I have a GUEST anchor light that supposed to run 10 days on one set of batteries.

Mike, I think two batteries might be overkill if you're not going to be using an electric trolling motor.

Since we're talking about your money, and not mine, I'd think that the best option might be one battery and a solar charger. Assuming you start out with a fresh battery, you could go quite a while without the charger. ANY charger would extend your time. It would seem a charger about the size of the forward hatch cover would really extend your time.

Ray could probably give a more knowledgeable opinion.

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I would think that you could get by with the basics, why in the world do you need a blender :?: , Nav lights I understand, and the new LED's are so great, Along with the solar charger, I would be guessing that you plan on useing a petrol powered kicker, most of them have some kind of charging system, Another thought would be a wind gen of some kind. I am thinking of a bicycle gen we used to use years ago, :idea:

Several years ago when I was Squid Fishing, off the channel Islands here on the west coast, the most important device I had was my coffee pot, other then the lights and gens to pull up the fish,

For cooking I am thinking maybe a propane stove, but there again we could alway add that inverter, or better yet a gen set, the stereo, TV, Sat Dish, micro wave, dish washer, AC/Heating system, Shower, Bath tub, ect

:popcorn:

But back to reality, you have been given some great advice, these guys are smart,

I would also always run a heaver gage wire then what is required, IE: if it calls for 20 use 18, voltage drops are a pain in the butt

Islands

( I think too much )

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I would think that you could get by with the basics' date=' why in the world do you need a blender :?: )[/quote']

Blew out my flipflop, stepped on a poptop

Cut my heel, had to cruise on back home,

But there's booze in the blender,

And soon it will render,

That frozen concoction that helps me hang on.

Parrotheads Unite!

:D

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Several years ago when I was Squid Fishing' date=' off the channel Islands here on the west coast, the most important device I had was my coffee pot, other then the lights and gens to pull up the fish,

[/quote']

Lordy! :!: :!: I spent several years of my life one night on a squid boat while I was in high school. Longest night I ever had! They did everything by hand, and I was this scrawny kid, so I couldn't use the nets to pull them out of the water. I got stuck with a squeege thing on a stick pushing squid down into the hold. I hope they have improved the process ... every time I see one of the squid boats heading out of Channel Islands Harbor I think of how hard those guys work.

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Guest Anonymous

Ray Frechette Jr your idea about putting the mast down on your weekender when seeing a storm puts you as the tallest object. It's hard to know what to do if youre caught in a lighting storm but putting the mast down would not change your odds. If you want to see what lighting does to a boat I have some great pictures of a 38-foot sail boat in our marina. It had a factory grounding system and it did work as far as the boat did not have the bottom blown out of it. But every piece of electronics was shorted out and some 30 blow out holes along the water line. The boat did have water coming it but if the bulge pumps were working they would have kept up with the water coming in. So for the most part the ground did work.

http://photos.yahoo.com/sailor3356

As far as power I would keep every thing 12 volt DC. Converting it to AC uses batteries at an alarming rate. What I have done with my Ketch is to make 3 circuits. 1. Shore power AC for charging the batteries and 120 volt at the dock. 2. DC power for navigation lights and companion way lights. 3. Radio and electronics. This way if one system has a problem it doesn't pull down all the systems. All systems are grounded to separate grounds. To the question have I been in a thunderstorm, yes. I have never been hit by lighting and hope I will never be. When caught in a thunderstorm all of my electronic gear goes into my refrigerator. It’s the safes place for electronics on the boat. Still the best place to be in a thunderstorm is on the couch at home.

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All right! I got some good information, thank you very much. Yes, Ray, old buddy, post that pic. Charlie, I feel better from your reasurance, concerning grounding the 12 volt system to negative termenal. I found a 400 watt inverter so I may install one yet, but separate from 12 volt system, I got that Ray.

Bill, thanks for explaining the need for the blender, you got that one right on the money. I got to have my smoothies.

Last year while trailering my Vacationer, on a 34 year old trailer, I had a couple of flats, it would have been nice to plug in a portable air compressor from the cockpit. Instead I changed that puppy right in the road. If I could of given that old tire a squirt of air, I could of made the tire change in a safer spot. And I do have one of those big old spot lights, with a 12 volt plug in, I can see where that could be very handy.

I will sit down tonight, at a slow point here at work, and map out where I want lights and other accessories. From there I can calculate how much current I'll need and to where.

Keep it simple, tends to work for me, so I doubt this old tree hugger will get to involved with the finer things in life like airconditioning, television, and the foot massager on board the Wolf.

Thanks for the input Builders, Mike :multi:

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Mike,

They make 12 volt blenders.

They make 12 volt coffee pots.

Coffee can be heated with a stove.

I have a wonderful butane stove. It's square, one burner, and ignites at the push of a button. It's much hotter than propane. I've seen them at Sears for under $30.....or you can get one at West Marine for about $65 or $70.

I think it makes great sense to have an inverter for charging hand-helds.

It seems to me it will use up much more battery to go through an inverter to run something on 110 volts AC when it can be done directally at 12 volts DC.

Whatever you finally choose, we want detailed reports!

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I must admit, I thought the blender might have been somebodys imagination at first. Quite a few sites advertise them though.

I can see it now. Six A.M., nice coastal cove, flat water, sun just coming up. Iv'e managed to anchor just close enough to one of the $200,000+ sailboats to make them all nervous. Jolly roger flying freely in the light breeze. Let off a couple of large loud burps and farts just to get everyones attention. Then fire up the two-stroke blender for some nice morning juice drinks, while I slowly take my clothing back down off the forestay drying rack. Yup, I'll wonder why my sponsorship at the local yacht club fell through... :D

Bill

[attachment over 4 years old deleted by admin]

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Gas Powered Blender...what a concept!

After the laughter settles down I have a thought to share. I am considering recharging the battery via the trailer lighting curcuit. Almost every sailing adventure is preceeded by at least 30 minutes driving time. (I know, it is a drag NOT having a house on the waters edge with my own dock) The lighting curcuit on the van is fused at 15 amps, but all the lights running cant take anything close to that...so there might be some capacity to spare. Another possibility is to tap into one of the accesory curcuits on the van to provide plenty of amps.

Either way this might make a good way to top the battery off. Anybody tried this?

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