GunPilot
Member
Hi all - if you don't mind me chiming in. - Sunset's pictures look very familiar to me as my A25 looked almost identical in terms of the wiring, although I would say mine was a bit more tragic. I guess that is just something to face with these old boats.
I just spent quite a few hours (months) tearing out virtually all of the wiring in the wiring panel and battery box areas. I left the factory wiring runs in as they were mostly ok. Nothing electrical worked on the boat when I got it, except the starter and a few lights.
Rather than a battery switch, I set everything up on the house batteries and ran an echo charger to the start battery. I constructed a battery box similar to what you have (mine was a rotted flat piece of ply when I got it) and used two 6v golf cart batteries plus a marine starting battery. I installed a fan to cool the box and a temp sensor for it.
I used two Blue Sea fuse blocks in the wiring cabinet and ran everything through there, with the exception of a Blue Sea switch panel on the helm for the lights, bilge, etc. That switch panel is fused with 10a on each switch. Boat had basically every wire run directly from the 12v battery to a switch with no fuse or breaker when I got it.
It had no way to charge the battery when I got it - even the alternator wasn't charging due to a faulty key switch not energizing the field. Now I can charge via shore power, solar, and engine alternator. Everything charges the house batteries, and they take care of the starting battery through the echo charger.
Best decision I made was to rip the existing junk wiring out. I found literally pounds of wire that went nowhere - whole multi-conductor cables (not original) that were just chopped off but still in place. I'll post a pic of the wire that came out but did not go back in. Life got much easier with a clean slate.
I changed everything over to LED and installed a battery monitor. With every light on my boat on, the draw is barely 1 amp - just one of the festoon incandescent lights drew that much before.
The boat came with radar - the seller didn't list it on the ad or include in the price since it wasn't working. I found the cable terminated under console - not connected to anything. Connected to 12v and the radar fired up and went to work. Score.
Shore power is a connector routed to some household Romex and a few outlets, with no breaker. Breaker will be installed.
I tossed the macerating toilet overboard and will install a porta-pottie in its place. No place I plan to run the boat will allow that bottom-dumping toilet. The enormous through-hull bugs me now. I have the seacock shut off but man that is a big opening in the hull. In hindsight I may have been able to install a holding tank instead.
There's lots more to talk about on it but I'll stop here.
-George
I just spent quite a few hours (months) tearing out virtually all of the wiring in the wiring panel and battery box areas. I left the factory wiring runs in as they were mostly ok. Nothing electrical worked on the boat when I got it, except the starter and a few lights.
Rather than a battery switch, I set everything up on the house batteries and ran an echo charger to the start battery. I constructed a battery box similar to what you have (mine was a rotted flat piece of ply when I got it) and used two 6v golf cart batteries plus a marine starting battery. I installed a fan to cool the box and a temp sensor for it.
I used two Blue Sea fuse blocks in the wiring cabinet and ran everything through there, with the exception of a Blue Sea switch panel on the helm for the lights, bilge, etc. That switch panel is fused with 10a on each switch. Boat had basically every wire run directly from the 12v battery to a switch with no fuse or breaker when I got it.
It had no way to charge the battery when I got it - even the alternator wasn't charging due to a faulty key switch not energizing the field. Now I can charge via shore power, solar, and engine alternator. Everything charges the house batteries, and they take care of the starting battery through the echo charger.
Best decision I made was to rip the existing junk wiring out. I found literally pounds of wire that went nowhere - whole multi-conductor cables (not original) that were just chopped off but still in place. I'll post a pic of the wire that came out but did not go back in. Life got much easier with a clean slate.
I changed everything over to LED and installed a battery monitor. With every light on my boat on, the draw is barely 1 amp - just one of the festoon incandescent lights drew that much before.
The boat came with radar - the seller didn't list it on the ad or include in the price since it wasn't working. I found the cable terminated under console - not connected to anything. Connected to 12v and the radar fired up and went to work. Score.
Shore power is a connector routed to some household Romex and a few outlets, with no breaker. Breaker will be installed.
I tossed the macerating toilet overboard and will install a porta-pottie in its place. No place I plan to run the boat will allow that bottom-dumping toilet. The enormous through-hull bugs me now. I have the seacock shut off but man that is a big opening in the hull. In hindsight I may have been able to install a holding tank instead.
There's lots more to talk about on it but I'll stop here.
-George
