Don Silsbe Posted March 7, 2015 Report Share Posted March 7, 2015 My tongue is frequently in my cheek. At least when my foot isn't in there somewhere! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hi All!, back to work on our CS20 MKIII this week, just starting to plan the "electrical" system and I will be running 2 14 guage tinned wires to the main mast for a spiffy LED anchor/nav light. I was pondering making a "secondary filet" with the wire hidden inside the cosmetic filet. Any known problems with this idea? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 You are planning on a masthead tri-color with 360 white? If each has its own hot connection you can simply connect all the commons together. This would mean a single 3 conductor cable would be all you need to run. 14g is plenty, probably more than needed, especially as you only use one light or the other at a time. I don't ever use 16g. Not that it won't handle the voltage drop for low draw items like LED lights, but for physical strength. I don't like the idea of epoxying in the wires as you can't inspect of repair them. If your wire chase is going to be closed in I would run a string through as well and keep both ends secured some where for access later as a snake. Wire ties attached to the cable in close spaces with the tails left long will keep the wire pinned up against something and keep it from rattling. This works well inside masts as well as other tight spaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Thanks Dave, guess I will look into using some tubing inside the cosmetic filet and pull wires thru. Thanks for your wisdom, I am squemish with the wires directly into the filet....but..... This masthead light is a NASA brand, it has two leads and you reverse the polarity to select which function. About the size of a hocky puck and weighs about 3 oz. Pretty cool little light! Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hmm, does the mast rotate on a mk3 ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 That seems like a reasonable plan. Most wiring gets ruined because its not protected and there isn't many places where it could be protected without running conduit. As for the mast, I'm not planning on running a mast head anchor light, just nav lights. I don't anchor in deep water very often, and its pretty easy to hoist a light on a halyard if need be. If you are working on electrical you must be getting close. I have the hull panels together and am working on the center module. I think 3-D in about two weeks. Take Care, Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted March 30, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Hopefully the mast will remain safely attached to it's tabernacle and I it will have a disconnect point inside the tabernacle well so I can remove main mast if needed. Steve, 3d, congratulations! Then it look like....well like a boat! I have my electrical system to install before the cockpit seats tops go on then I will be about out of parts! This way I can see how all the totally inaccessible hardware was installed on my other boat! I plan to just use a mast head nav light/ anchor combo. Save a tiny few amp/hrs. One LED cabin light, one LED "connivence" light on the mizzen, a USB charge port and the ballast pump is my electrical system. Small solar panels will charge the battery, a 24 series AGM, probably more than Graham intended! Home in a few days then I want to spend as much time on the boat project before the ridiculously hot days get to the South Coast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Docpal Posted March 30, 2015 Report Share Posted March 30, 2015 Jay, Is there any reason you aren't just running your wire(s) up through the mast itself? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Cameron Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Hirilonde Hmm, does the mast rotate on a mk3 ? No. It's mounted in a tabernacle, which means a tricolor will stay properly oriented. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted March 31, 2015 Author Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 My battery box will just aft of the aft cabin bulkhead, starboard side, planning to put the switch panel in the aft cabin wall, ( about where Doug's oar tubes are) then I want to "hide" the wires through the cabin till they exit in the tabernacle well. They will have a quick disconnect plug then up inside the mast they go! Anybody got any ideas for a thin tubing to make a wire conduit? Looked at vinyl tubing but that stuff has some thick walls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rattus Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Thanks Dave, guess I will look into using some tubing inside the cosmetic filet and pull wires thru. Thanks for your wisdom, I am squemish with the wires directly into the filet....but..... This masthead light is a NASA brand, it has two leads and you reverse the polarity to select which function. About the size of a hocky puck and weighs about 3 oz. Pretty cool little light! Thanks Oh, so now the Chinese have appropriated the NASA brand... what could possibly go wrong? ;-) Not to be cynical, but have you ever encountered a Chinese product engineered to be anything other than cost-optimized? Also, how could a 3-conductor wire power a tricolor masthead light, unless you use the mast as your ground? I've had bad experiences with the conductivity of anodized (or any other) aluminum in corrosive, and even non-corrosive environments. Use 4 copper conductors, well tinned, to be safe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hirilonde Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 Also, how could a 3-conductor wire power a tricolor masthead light, unless you use the mast as your ground? I've had bad experiences with the conductivity of anodized (or any other) aluminum in corrosive, and even non-corrosive environments. Use 4 copper conductors, well tinned, to be safe. Very easily. It probably contains 1 bulb that shines through 3 lenses for the tricolor, so 1 hot and 1 common. It probably contains 1 bulb that shines through a 360º clear lens so another hot and another common. So use 1 conductor for each hot and 1 conductor for both commons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted March 31, 2015 Report Share Posted March 31, 2015 I'll bet it uses LED technology which is a diode, (the D in LED) only working in one direction. Edit: yes. Change polarity and change lights. Only two wires required with no common. Slick, energy efficient and expensive! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted April 1, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 Steve, the LED mast head light is a little expensive, ( just over 200 on Amazon) but then you consider it is a stern , port, starboard running light and a anchor light I budget it will be less expensive in the end product. You are correct, it has 2 leads, and you swap polarity to change functions between nav and anchor. It comes with a 3 position switch, nav, anchor and off. It seems to be good quality, made in the UK, but I don't see any evidence of Sir Lucas. Time will tell! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted April 1, 2015 Report Share Posted April 1, 2015 Jay, that is a great light and you are correct that as a combo light its not THAT expensive. Bring ON Another Thousand.....hell that's just a fraction. Are you planning on having regular running lights at deck level? And if so, whats the plan there? I saw on FB there is a CS20.3 being built at B & B. Take Care, Steve. PS....more pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rattus Posted April 2, 2015 Report Share Posted April 2, 2015 I'll bet it uses LED technology which is a diode, (the D in LED) only working in one direction. Edit: yes. Change polarity and change lights. Only two wires required with no common. Slick, energy efficient and expensive! Hey, and I'm an EE and didn't even think of the *diode* part. Most of my work's been sub 30nm. Reality loses its grip, and quantum effects start to get serious. ;-) In the immortal words of Homer Simpson - D'oh! Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 Hi all, thinking it is about time to share the progress on Core Sound 20 MKIII sn #2. The kit is going together just fine, no problems ( other than the ones I induced!). The little Suzuki 2.5 is in the starboard cockpit locker, snug but doable. The ballast pump install is finished (sure hope it works!) Tabernacle is installed and the anchor locker is about done, tight in there, easy for that area to become a sticky mess. The cabin is epoxied, sanded,sanded,sanded and painted. The cabin steps are hung from some homemade bronze hinges and the lower step serves as a fiddle to keep items in the ballast tank cubbie. Installed the cockpit tops today and started the wrestling match on installing the inner coamings. Graham suggested a minor mod to the top of the ballast tank to prevent water from coming through the centerboard pennate slot. Centerboard and rudder finished. I have built lots of things, but surly not a master marine carpenter, but the accuracy of the kit is astounding, the digital level shows me at 1 tenth of a degree off! Notice how many times I try to say "finished"! Cabin tops tomorrow, then the hatch decision begins. I have a nice Bomar Offshore hatch and am tempted to use it for the forward hatch, easy install, but it might be too much. The cabin will have cabin doors with a hinged overhead hatch, thus the cabin has beams to bump my head anytime I want! . I like Graham's dodger rendering, hope I can scrounge a decent dodger frames. All the best to all who share on this forum, great group! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 Hi all, thinking it is about time to share the progress on Core Sound 20 MKIII sn #2. The kit is going together just fine, no problems ( other than the ones I induced!). The little Suzuki 2.5 is in the starboard cockpit locker, snug but doable. The ballast pump install is finished (sure hope it works!) Tabernacle is installed and the anchor locker is about done, tight in there, easy for that area to become a sticky mess. The cabin is epoxied, sanded,sanded,sanded and painted. The cabin steps are hung from some homemade bronze hinges and the lower step serves as a fiddle to keep items in the ballast tank cubbie. Installed the cockpit tops today and started the wrestling match on installing the inner coamings. Graham suggested a minor mod to the top of the ballast tank to prevent water from coming through the centerboard pennate slot. Centerboard and rudder finished. I have built lots of things, but surly not a master marine carpenter, but the accuracy of the kit is astounding, the digital level shows me at 1 tenth of a degree off! Notice how many times I try to say "finished"! Cabin tops tomorrow, then the hatch decision begins. I have a nice Bomar Offshore hatch and am tempted to use it for the forward hatch, easy install, but it might be too much. The cabin will have cabin doors with a hinged overhead hatch, thus the cabin has beams to bump my head anytime I want! . I like Graham's dodger rendering, hope I can scrounge a decent dodger frames. All the best to all who share on this forum, great group! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jknight611 Posted April 12, 2015 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2015 Oh well, a twofer! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve W Posted April 13, 2015 Report Share Posted April 13, 2015 Jay, fantastic progress. I have been slowed a bit by nice weather her. I had intended to go 3-D in a week or two, and then read the instructions that getting the puzzle joints fair was best right now while the panels are flat. Just about finished with that. My rudder is holding me up from putting the module together, but I'm probably over thinking it. I have nightmares about plywood blades coming apart. Its clearly unfounded and a result of poor construction, but I decided to build my blades out of solid stock. If I was smart I would have taken the blanks to B & B and had them shaped with the CNC. Next Time! Question. I see you installed a ladder. How do you think the step down will be? I worry that its a big drop. Also, with that ladder how is access to that area behind it? Take Care, Steve 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.