Wiring mess

Lightwave395

Lightwave395

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Trying to sort and simplify the wiring on my boat as I migrate from a complete previous owner (I assume) jumble to a more coherent interim N2K network when I find a hither too unnoticed junction box. On prying the lid off it's packed with choc blocks and wires that don't appear to have any power.

Apologies for the post, I wish I could solicit assistance in identifying but I'm only giving vent to the frustrations of buying a SH boat from previous owner(s) who thought they could install cabling... :rolleyes: Tempting to take this lot out but I'm nervous about doing that without knowing what it's there for.

I guess I'll have to start at the helm pod end where there are 4 X ST60's and an ST5000 and follow the cabling back marking it with coloured tape as I go to see where it leads, I am subsequently planning to run an N2K backbone cable up to the helm for future upgrades

Awaiting installation are a Raymarine E97, an N2K VHF, an N2K AIS transponder, a Raymarine ST1 to NMEA E85001 box, Actisense NMEA0183 to N2K and Actisense N2K to Wifi to install down below.



Junction box 1.jpg
 
Lightwave395 said:
Trying to sort and simplify the wiring on my boat as I migrate from a complete previous owner (I assume) jumble to a more coherent interim N2K network when I find a hither too unnoticed junction box. On prying the lid off it's packed with choc blocks and wires that don't appear to have any power.

Apologies for the post, I wish I could solicit assistance in identifying but I'm only giving vent to the frustrations of buying a SH boat from previous owner(s) who thought they could install cabling... :rolleyes: Tempting to take this lot out but I'm nervous about doing that without knowing what it's there for.

I guess I'll have to start at the helm pod end where there are 4 X ST60's and an ST5000 and follow the cabling back marking it with coloured tape as I go to see where it leads, I am subsequently planning to run an N2K backbone cable up to the helm for future upgrades

Awaiting installation are a Raymarine E97, an N2K VHF, an N2K AIS transponder, a Raymarine ST1 to NMEA E85001 box, Actisense NMEA0183 to N2K and Actisense N2K to Wifi to install down below.



View attachment 203061
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Why not start at that box and try and trace the wiring from there?:eek: You will then at least know what the box is for, hopefully:p
 
wonkywinch said:
Look, it's very simple. The same as your torch.
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Slight aside. Re. the torch. I once knew a Chief engineer who asked me to have a look at his large 3 "C" cell torch which didn't work after he had put new batteries in. It does help if the middle one and the other two are all the same way up :ROFLMAO: Maybe things are not as simple as they seem:unsure:
 
Alex_Blackwood said:
Slight aside. Re. the torch. I once knew a Chief engineer who asked me to have a look at his large 3 "C" cell torch which didn't work after he had put new batteries in. It does help if the middle one and the other two are all the same way up :ROFLMAO: Maybe things are not as simple as they seem:unsure:
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It isn't always whether or not that the thing is simple, sometimes it's the person.....
 
If I think forum members are brave enough, I'll post the mess behind the instrument panel on my newly-acquired (but 36 year old) Sweden 340. I'm in the process of stripping out wires going nowhere...
 
Well Lightwave - this cable box is a horrible mess ... made by an "electrical idiot" ... and I guess it is not the only bad amateur installation on your boat.
I have made some similar findings on my purchase of an Azimut this summer: Some DC / 12V installations far away from a professional view point.

My advice: You have to follow ALL suspect cables - connectors - boxes. Make initial pictures, measurements, add a label / number to each cable and try to find out what it is for. Draw down the schematic / circuit of this "mess" and after you have the understanding, you can take away or replace with proper installation or change as nesessay.

I had been working with my bad installations from the last 20 years for over a week to get it back to a professional and clean installation. This means also a reliable and secure installation.
 
Lightwave395 said:
Trying to sort and simplify the wiring on my boat as I migrate from a complete previous owner (I assume) jumble to a more coherent interim N2K network when I find a hither too unnoticed junction box. On prying the lid off it's packed with choc blocks and wires that don't appear to have any power.

Apologies for the post, I wish I could solicit assistance in identifying but I'm only giving vent to the frustrations of buying a SH boat from previous owner(s) who thought they could install cabling... :rolleyes: Tempting to take this lot out but I'm nervous about doing that without knowing what it's there for.

I guess I'll have to start at the helm pod end where there are 4 X ST60's and an ST5000 and follow the cabling back marking it with coloured tape as I go to see where it leads, I am subsequently planning to run an N2K backbone cable up to the helm for future upgrades

Awaiting installation are a Raymarine E97, an N2K VHF, an N2K AIS transponder, a Raymarine ST1 to NMEA E85001 box, Actisense NMEA0183 to N2K and Actisense N2K to Wifi to install down below.



View attachment 203061
Click to expand...
I used a Wago L32 from Screwfix to tidy a similar mess up.
 
I recently upgraded the entire instrument system on my boat.

A lot of the wiring looked just like the OPs pictures. I tried at first to trace it all, intending to re-use it where possible, but it turned into a nightmare - I found multiple breaks, junctions, and sh!t connections including those scotch-lock connectors which are the work of the devil, so in the end, I ripped all the old instrument wiring out and started again.

I spent ages deciding on installation locations for all the new kit and once decided, drew up a system overview diagram showing all the zones on the boat where I wanted to install the equipment .....

1765019169262.png

Next, I broke each location down, and did a detailed wiring diagram, numbering every wire, and referencing which zone it connects to. e.g. Power/Fuses (Zone F) and Chart Table Seat (Zone E) like below.

1765020334347.png

I then laid new flexible conduit in a different colour to the Bavaria original between all the zones, and fitted mousing lines to pull the wires through - it's a pain in the arse, but accessibility wasn't as bad as I expected, I had to remove panels, seats, and inspection hatches, and ended up spending hours doing boat yoga and skinning my arms and hands, but nothing was overly difficult. Once the conduit was fitted, installing the mousing lines was relatively painless - I do this with a vacuum cleaner and a small bit of rag. Tie the line to the little bit of rag and stuff it into the conduit. Ensure plenty of slack and free-running line. Then go to the other end of the conduit. Put a stocking over the conduit, shove on the vacuum hose and switch on. There is a satisfying rattle and a "thock" sound as the rag hits the vacuum tube - mousing line installed.

All the wires that weren't OEM supplied were bought new in marine grade tinned copper - along with appropriate crimp terminals and heat shrink. The network/antenna cables were either proprietary or marine grade.

During the install I used a Niimbot label printer to label all the wires .... NIIMBOT D110 0.5 Inch Label Printer with Tape - Efficient Labeling On-the-Go.

I then worked through the diagrams installing all the components and running all the wires. It took months because I live 600km from the boat.

End result is a traceable installation that looks like this (Zone F)... e.g. I (and the next owner) will know that the label in the pic "006 D" is the 12V -ve connection to the Raymic Cradle at the Chart Table.

1765020756882.png
 
thinwater said:
I've always thought of sailing as an anachronism, something we do to reconnect to the old school. I guess not.
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I think it is universally true that sailors aren't happy until their boat is how they want it. In this day and age, that includes a lot of electronics and electrical systems ... sometimes I think chasing down electrical gremlins and updating software is the modern day equivalent of varnishing back in the days of wooden boats. It's never ending.
 
Baggywrinkle said:
"... sometimes I think chasing down electrical gremlins and updating software is the modern day equivalent of varnishing back in the days of wooden boats. It's never ending."
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That seems insightful!

Having worked a career around refineries, I draw a clear line between messy and unreliable/unsafe. I really like good labels and proper documentation, but most plants have gone through so many revamps, that if it looks solid and tight, and I don't know what it is, I leave it alone. There are always a few messy but solid things done quickly by a competent electrician while a plant manager mumbles "$10,000/hour of shut down time" in his ear. Sometimes I was the whisperer. "We'll clean this up during the spring turnaround," and then maybe it is forgotten. 99 times out of 100 no harm comes of it, if it is solid. It's all cut away during the next instrument revamp. Yes, often I had to do the troubleshooting, so that is not lost on me.
 
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