Renegade Cruisers

Here's the next installment. I've been working on the new electrical system, basically ripping out all of the old and re-wiring the entire boat. The first step was to make the new elctrical enclosure because I have moved it and install the new panel. I spent this past weekend making the box and installing the panels.

Here's the old panel



Here's the new panel ready to be wired - this should only take a few hours.





Here's the new main breaker panel.



My main battery wire should show up at the end of the week so I can start connecting things together one at a time. I have all the bus bars, fuses etc, just need lots of time for the next step.

Bryan,

I plan on running the AC side away from the DC. Your comment and concern is duly noted and appreciated. Due to the design of the location of the panel, a hinge on the bottom would cause all sorts of access problems. As with all boats, it's all about compromises and then more compromises.

Skip,

Thanks for the great comments. Just to clarify and I know this can be confusing but Loith is my brother and has a different boat, a Peterson 44 which he is working on in a separate location. My wife Juli is the one responsible for the fantastic tile work amongst many other great things.

Beacon,

That alternator was a bitch to fit in the boat. Had to do some serious modifications but I believe it will be well worth it. Had to replace the old one anyway and this is the one Jack Rabbit suggested, along with everything else I am doing. Hope all is well with you, Nav and Scout.

Alex,

Lots of sparks and none from the panel - thanks.

Just eliminated ALL of my electrical problems in one day.

Anybody want an entire electrical system for a 41 footer? Cheap?

Now to finish the new wiring diagram and start to install all the goodies.

Vintage Sailor,

Not much here, I do have the original panel with some breakers ( I think about 5) and a main battery switch - you can have it for just the shipping, couldn't possible charge anyone for that, I also have a 35 amp a/c battery charger that still works, if you want it you can have that also. Not much else unless you are really into splicing wires together.

This weekends project, paint the bilge and get ready for new plumbing & wiring.

Here's the old bilge before powerwashing last year and prep this week.







Now here it is today, all electrical and most of the plumbing removed. I re-enforced all of the sole frames by glassing in support posts at each end. I also installed a new runner on the hull to allow me to attach my electrical and plumbing fittings and lines.

Spent some time this weekend inside since it's so damn cold outside. We had purchased a new Edson pedestal guard and Juli really did not like the plastic mount which it came with so I made a teak overlay to cover it up and spruce up the helm a little bit. I had a lot of fun doing this, took about 2 hours with a router.



Here is the finished piece covering the plastic insert.



Next Item is our new to us wheel. This is the best Ebay find I have had to date on this boat project. I need to thank a very nice gentleman in Arizona named Salvatore for putting this up for bid. I won't say what I paid for this but it comes close the something the "Boat Theif" would find. This is a picture after putting on 8 coats of varnish. Photo's don't do it justice, the varnish is like glass.

Yes, I need it for the support, the teak overlay is just for looks.

I think you both came up with this one last summer on Scout.

Next chapter in this long process. First off, our batteries showd up this week. I was very please to pick these up for 200 each, I consider that a very good deal. I need to built the box to hold these and they will be mounted at the base of the mizzen mast under the cockpit sole.


Refinished the main hatch over the winter. I won't mention how many coats of varnish this has, I lost count after 10.


I moved the engine instruments to next to the pedestal. I used one of my old portlights as the mount. I needed the room for the C120 chartplotter which I did not want at the pedestal. I fully intended to have a chartplotter at the helm but any size I looked at restricted my view too much and I really did not like that at all.





Here is the C120 Chartplotter mounted where the instruments used to be.


Now this part I am very proud of. This is my new pedestal, Ebay wheel, Ebay instruments and the custom mounts I made for all of it. The wheel has 10 coats of varnish and the rest has 8 at this point. I still need to wire everything but for now I can at least look at it all.







I like this little added feature, I installed to red LED lights underneath the Edson support. This casts a perfect red light on the cockpit sole for those long night sails. Makes it easy when you drop those small objects to pick them up.



The final photo of the entire cockpit.



Here is the light from the LED's taken at night - pretty cool I must say.

John, I don't have a teak grate for the cockpit - at least not yet. I have not decided what I will use yet, teak is way too expensive for me to do this now.

Time for another update.

Spent a lot of time over the last 2 weeks installing the main electrical system. I still have lots to do but the main system is now in place and up and running. I had a lot of fun doing this, it's much easier than I thought it would be, you just need a good wiring diagram of the entire system before you start and follow it to the letter.

Here is my new main 700a/h Rolls battery bank installed and bolted in place. When I was building this enclosure, my brother John (Loith) said to think "inverted" which I did. These batteries are not moving - anywhere. The main 4/0 cable running across the ceiling will be secured up and away from the exhuast line - trust me. These batteries are located under the cockpit sole at the base of my mizzen mast support just below the water line.



Next was the main panel and the main bus bars - I didn't take pictures of the main bus bars - kinda boring really but here is the DC powered main panel up and running. The AC side goes in later this week, I ran out of 4/0 battery ends so I could not finish the installation this weekend.



Here is the font of the panel, powered up. Everything is powered except the Xantrex charger inverter panel.



Now this picture - Please ignore all the crap!!!! It's a work in progress. This picture is of our new Alpenglow Cold Cathod Flourescent lights. Juli is very picky when it comes to our house lighting and she is amazed at how well these light up the main cabin. They have a high and low setting, the picture is on the high setting. They only draw .5 amps on the low setting and .8 on the high.



Here is a picture of the sames lights on the "red" led setting which also has a high and a low setting. AWESOME LIGHTS!!!!!!
Sorry if the picture is blurry, the shutter stayed open for quite a while.



I added Red LED lights to the underside of the lazarette in the cockpit so you can find stuff at night and not hurt your night vision.



Powered up the C120 chartplotter - the area on the screen is "home" - Naragansett Bay location of the RI Raftaroo.