Boat battery rewiring joy and fun with pics

[Nalu]

Spring project this year was to correct wiring issues that were caused by the previous owner adding to the wiring incorrectly, as well as poor rigging when the boat was repowered at the end of 2005.

I have always had a few problems with power drops with engine starts, and occasional spikes at other times. After the boat was repowered I had more severe issues with this, as well as occasional hard starting of one motor due to low voltage, and severe issues when switches were set to "both". Previous setup was 2 banks, one for the house with a single deep cycle, and then two starting batteries that were combined in parallel. With 2 switches I could choose either bank for starting or house, or combined.

Bound and determined, I researched my options and ended up with a BEP battery cluster for 3 banks that also includes 2 voltage sensitive relays for each independent starting battery. I also added a 2nd house battery that I combined in parallel.

Here is the transom, and where I was to work for a total of about 35 hours of work....



I totally spaced taking a before picture of the switches and single deep cycle battery on the STBD side. Here is space with the battery and switches removed. This battery had something like 6 wires coming directly off the post. BIG no-no. AYBC is 4 max I believe.




Here is the after photo with the following installed: New 40 amp breaker (replaced old push button style just for good measure) New 100 Amp dual buss bar with shield, new 100 amp single bus 24 hour hot block for auto bilge pumps fore and aft as well as the downrigger plugs. (shield installed after pic was taken) All wired components now have fuses close to the bars as appropriate by AYBC. Wires are tagged for identification. Chafing guard was put around bundles of wires that could possible come in contact with bolts or other things. While it doesn't look that different, all ties were redone to make wire routine clean and easy to follow.



Here is another look, different angle. The battery terminals aren't rusted, they are actually copper lugs. I had Englunds cut and crimp new battery cables as well as some of the 6ga and 8ga wires I used.




Here's what the wiring and rigging looked like in the middle transom hatch by the fuel filters. Horrible! Since I was already working down here I took the time to sort as much out as I could. I also re-routed the cables from the switches to the start batteries so they would run appropriately clean and away from any chafe spots...


And here is the after......





So, basically that's it. Somewhere around 35 hours to redo the back end wiring. As always, I feel better, and I know my boat better. I'm certainly no expert in wiring, but going slow and paying attention made for not a single arc or short. Firing the engines up and watching my voltage on the dash was a joy...no voltage drop of any sort.

Here's what the project will look like to everyone that sets foot on board my boat......




And for my buddy Tomic- Here's what the boat deck looked like as I worked in the pole barn..... One nice thing about Grady White is that they have excellent documentation of all the factory installed wiring. It was very easy to track and identify things like fore and aft 24 hour bilge wiring, VHF box wiring, etc.



And one more shot for Tomic...... LOL

[Zodiac-Fisherman]

Its always good to get down and deep into your boat. Now you know your boat better.

A wise capt once said, a good deckhand spends days taking everything apart and puting it back together. Open every door/latch, what do all the corners look like, what about under deck. Where is everything, what purpose does it serve, how is it linked. Engine rooms must be sparkling clean.Organization is key, you should be able to eat your pancakes on the engines

[tracker]

I did a lot of the same stuff this year also! Feel good once it is done but sometimes as you are reaching for some point you can not see and trying to do by braile it get fustrating! One this for sure it looks like you have more room to work on that Grady than I do on my Striper!

[Metal Manipulator]

Wow what a nightmare!


It is nice to have every wire labeled at each end as it helps in trouble shooting problems in the future. Why do boats come from the factory with such sloppy wiring methods, no labels, no tracks, not even any supports. I will say that after a wiring re-do at least you will know your boat better and if a problem arises you will have an idea where to start.
Being out on a rough Ocean and trying to take care of a wiring problem with out knowledge and experience would make problems worse. I would recommend every one at least label each wire on each end to familiarize your self with your electrical lay out.

[Nalu]

One thing that was nice is that all of the original factory wiring from Grady White was just fine. The real problem was add-on wiring by the previous owner and installers of aftermarket electronics. The rigging of the engines was also not first rate from the repower.

My Grady manual has page after page of detailed info on the boat. Every wire is color coded and identified in the manual. Fuses were where they were supposed to be, and all wires were supported and run clean. I was really glad Grady did such a good job on their end as it made cleaning up the poor stuff easier.

[fyshndad]

That makes my electrical system look primitive

You have more wire in the back of your boat than I have in my entire boat
The sad thing is I still get confused if something doesn't work

And yes I have rewired things at sea it is NO FUN AT ALL

For those that followed my Battery thread I replaced both batteries just to be safe and cleaned all connections then sealed them with that black brush on tape stuff (it is a pain to clean off but it protects from corrosion)

Prior to replacing the batts HiTekRdNek came over and rewired my fuse panel for me and now I feel like everything will stay in good working order for the whole season

EVERYONE PLEASE check your wires and if you see ANY corrosion take steps to eliminate it and stay running strong at sea

[Something Good]

Looks like very good work Mike. A job well done is very satisfying. Now stay on top of those connections with a toothbrush and corrosion inhibitor to keep it in tip top shape. You don't want your hard work to go south for a very long time.

[Nalu]

Good call on the corrosion blocker. I still have to mount the battery trays that weren't in yet, and tie up a couple of cables and then I'll be set.

I've replaced a lot of things in my boat from steering to hoses to wiring. Every time is is a big project, but every time I walk away feeling good that I KNOW my boat. Digging through stuff is sure a pain, but in the end it is well worth doing it yourself.

[Spindrifter]

I did the same routine myself recently. Tore out all the junk wiring that went nowhere. Rerouted lots of other wires,hoses and controls. New wiring to the bilge etc. My rerig was also done a bit disorganized and he had my house power running directly to my battery instead of through my battery switch which of course ran my battery dead quick. I'm alot more familiar and confident about things now.
The next project I think is to put my batteries in the cabin up front and use heavy guage cables back to my switches to relieve some of the stern weight with the new heavier motors.
Tracker, I hear ya man, my Trophy is a joke to work on. You can't see anything you are working on and the access panels (loose term) ,are made for gnomes, I think. That is one thing that attracted me to the Seaport 2400xl with outboards. You can open the back deck compartment and get right in it and all the wiring and filters etc. are right in front of you.