Tom Vallois
Hi all,
I am about to start re-wiring my sonata, I have stripped out all the old stuff but dont know where to start. I have a new battery and plan to fit; A VHF, small GPS, navigational lighting, some sort of charger (solar panel maybe) interior lighting and hopefully not too much more!! All suggestions welcome.
Thanks Tom V
Chris Fritot
Hi Tom
I have just completed a rewire on RONDO, If you want to give me a call I will help wherever possible.
Regards
Chris (07797 744678)
James Dargie
Amongst many other tasks before I get my boat back on the water I’m doing an almost complete re-wire bit by bit rather than in one go, that way I can do wiring on the rainy/ cold days.
I’m going for the following circuits:
1. Masthead Tricolour light (sailing) [includes compass light]
2. Navigation lights (bicolour & stern) (an alternative if circuit 1. goes down) [includes compass light]
3. Steaming light (to use with circuit 2 when steaming)
4. Anchor/ cigarette lighter (will be using anchor light that plugs into cigarette lighter socket & might be useful when not anchored for other ‘appliances’
5. Instruments (GPS, log & echosounder)
6. Interior lighting
These 6 circuits will pass through a 6-gang fused switch panel (which is really the only bit I’ve yet installed). The following two circuits will by-pass the switch panel so the services they provide are always available (they will have local inline fuse protection).
7. VHF (it should only need turning on at the set)
8. Bilge pump with on off & automatic (float switch activated) settings (so it can be set on automatic and should help if a leak develops when I’m not onboard).
I drew myself a basic wiring diagram, which really helped conceptualise what I need to achieve.
I’ll also be installing a main fuse & battery isolator.
For the time being I’ll be taking the battery ashore to charge, longer term solar/ wind or aquagen, but I can’t yet afford these (too many other things to complete).
My next task is to feed a new VHF, tricolour & steaming light cables wiring down the mast (1st attempt challenged me) like everything its a bit of a learning curve for me. What I have just learned for the tricolour wiring is that while long-cable runs on 240V systems are not an issue as losing a few volts due to resistance along the way isn’t an issue, with a 12V system every volt and every part of a volt counts, so to reduce resistance and voltage drop you should get decent cable, i.e. just beacause your tricolour draws 2.5amps don’t go for 3 amp wiring, there will be too much resistance, use a bigger amp rated wire (a bigger pipe) with less resistance. I’ve bought 13Amp wire, I have a feeling I shuld of gone higher still, I suppose I should give it a test with the voltmetre before I fit it. The impact of voltage drop by low rated wiring is dull tricolour, but your connection terminals will corrode faster.
Not sure if this is any help.
Alan Moore
Hi all,I am about to start re-wiring my sonata, I have stripped out all the old stuff but dont know where to start. I have a new battery and plan to fit; A VHF, small GPS, navigational lighting, some sort of charger (solar panel maybe) interior lighting and hopefully not too much more!! All suggestions welcome.
Thanks Tom V
Think about fitting an LED tricolour. There are issues about whether they have been approved by the authorities but they seem much brighter than a filament bulb. The huge advantage is the much reduced power consumption and therefore need for heavy gauge wiring, which results in reduced cost and reduced weight aloft. Indeed the advice I received was that the size cable would be determined by its physical strength rather than its copper cross-section.
Chris Fritot