Baxter
Well-Known Member
Yup, for sure. Marine spec stuff only.
Wiring Advice
- Thread starter Baxter
- Start date
prodjsaig
Well-Known Member
nice what switch panel is that? i got the contura 6 panel and individual switches for the side deck. washdown, bilge auto on off and dual usb. blue seas.
adrian1991
Well-Known Member
Why not piggy back all the grounds off the switches and have 1 ground wire leaving from your helm? Lot less wires going out
A little more work but worth it in the end
sir-vivor
Well-Known Member
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sir-vivor
Well-Known Member
It is , Prodjsaig is right (and ya it was a LOT more work , but glad only had to do the 4 panel because 6 panel had it supplied)
prodjsaig
Well-Known Member
ya the best place for a bilge switch is custom. I like to keep two bilges whatever rating. No heat shrink or heat shrink. with two at least one will work. you arent going to hit something you cant see. well you might your boat should glide over it. ive hit 2 submerged dead heads and watched my main kick up out of the water. the key is speed and skim. ive since installed dual headlights. ill use maybe 1. better to let the moon light light up the water for you. buy two bilges. you got nothing to worry about.
jim morrow
Active Member
Maybe the sounder maker says in its manual to wire directly to the battery. sharing power leads means sharing static and interference!
Baxter
Well-Known Member
I did this a year or so ago. Took maybe a couple hours and minimal cost. And I know it’s done right, consulted a mechanic at the marine supply store (mechanic owns it and helped me buy the right stuff)
Charlie415
Crew Member
The main reason sounders are wired direct is that they are sensitive to voltage drop. When you start the engine the sounder cycles off. Depending on wire size to the fuse panel and which battery you are using. If you switch to your starting battery or both it should be fine. If you leave it on the house battery and try starting in the morning after having the furnace on all night you might see the sounder cycle. But having the start battery dedicated to starting the motor and nothing else is priceless. I would avoid an ACR and assume responsibility for battery management myself.
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sly_karma
Crew Member
I have a 12-circuit Blue Sea fuse block under the dash (VHF, sounder, plotter, stereo, nav lights, instrument lights, gunwale lights, NMEA, manual bilge pump, trollmaster), and a 6-circuit behind the transom (downriggers, auto bilge pump, trap puller), with a Blue Sea 60A breaker for each fuse block. One of the nice things about these fuse blocks is they have an individual ground post next to each fuse and a single ground running back to the battery. One 4-pole bus bar for grounds next to the battery switch and ACR is all that's needed. The only lug terminals connected to my start and house battery are to the ACR (via battery switch) and onboard charger (Noco 2-bank). Hate seeing multiple lugs on terminal posts, looks like a Mexican power pole. And I think in fact the ABYC code says max of 3.
casper5280
Crew Member
Exactly as mine is wired, best thing I ever did to my boat.
