Has anyone who's done a neat job of wiring behind their control panel got
any tips for success?

I've added a bus bar in a waterproof container behind the passenger side of
the dashboard of my bow rider but haven't figured out how to keep the wiring
neat and organized. Here's a list of the equipment on that side of the boat:
2 VHF with an antenna switch, ADF, AM/FM, GPS with connections to VHF and
transducer, radar with connections to GPS, utility outlet.

"William Andersen" wrote in
news:d1yBf.13657$JT.1368@fed1read06:

Has anyone who's done a neat job of wiring behind their control panel
got any tips for success?



If you're talking about a total rebuild, I use wire loom lacing, the old
fashioned way with waxed lacing made for it....
http://www.action-electronics.com/braid.htm#Lace
The picture shows it simply wrapped around a bundle of wires, but I don't
do it that way. Run the lacing 1", then take a turn around and loop the
lacing through the point where the turn around begins, then repeat. Some
knot at the turn but that's not necessary and time consuming. A neatly-
laced wire loom is very strong, does not chafe and lasts 50 years. As
there is pull in both directions on the turn, it also does not move.
Unlike tywraps, too, it isn't really tight to hold it in place and crimp
the wires under the tywrap out of shape. Unlace it and you can't tell
where it was laced as the wires are still smooth.

If you're talking about adding more wires to existing wires, tywraps are
the way to go.....

I agree with Larry,

I'm redoing ( actually it's 95% done) the wiring on my Yankee 30, complete with a new "hinge-down" power panel, and used
the old waxed lacing cord trick. Some parts will have to be re-done in the future (my fault). The key is planning...I
can't tell you how many sketches and rough drawings I made to make sure the "dress" was right. In MHO, it's worth the
effort.
Norm


On Tue, 24 Jan 2006 20:04:12 -0500, Larry wrote:

"William Andersen" wrote in
news:d1yBf.13657$JT.1368@fed1read06:

Has anyone who's done a neat job of wiring behind their control panel
got any tips for success?



If you're talking about a total rebuild, I use wire loom lacing, the old
fashioned way with waxed lacing made for it....
http://www.action-electronics.com/braid.htm#Lace
The picture shows it simply wrapped around a bundle of wires, but I don't
do it that way. Run the lacing 1", then take a turn around and loop the
lacing through the point where the turn around begins, then repeat. Some
knot at the turn but that's not necessary and time consuming. A neatly-
laced wire loom is very strong, does not chafe and lasts 50 years. As
there is pull in both directions on the turn, it also does not move.
Unlike tywraps, too, it isn't really tight to hold it in place and crimp
the wires under the tywrap out of shape. Unlace it and you can't tell
where it was laced as the wires are still smooth.

If you're talking about adding more wires to existing wires, tywraps are
the way to go.....

"William Andersen" wrote in message
news:d1yBf.13657$JT.1368@fed1read06...
Has anyone who's done a neat job of wiring behind their control panel got
any tips for success?

I've added a bus bar in a waterproof container behind the passenger side
of
the dashboard of my bow rider but haven't figured out how to keep the
wiring
neat and organized. Here's a list of the equipment on that side of the
boat:
2 VHF with an antenna switch, ADF, AM/FM, GPS with connections to VHF and
transducer, radar with connections to GPS, utility outlet.

Larry's suggestion sure sounds good...... I tried it a little, and IF
it were my boat the flat waxed linen lacing would sure be my choice. EXCEPT
at the point where your design puts the foot or so flexing portion of the
bundle at or near the panel hinge. The flat plastic spiral wrap really works
great there. As the panel hinges out for access to the rear (hopefully
almost never) there is always need for a certain amount of slippage of
individual conductors against each other. The spiral wrap seems to grip the
bundle with just about the right amount of tension to allow slippage to
equalize the stresses among the conductors. I think that an "L" turn in the
bundle at the hinge point makes the most compact arrangement. However if
there is plenty of clearance, a substantial loop (spiral wrapped) may be
even better. The loop can be rather long if no actual hinge is intended, and
the panel can be merely unscrewed and pulled out on the cabin sole. (my aged
knees prefer the actual hinge)
Old Chief Lynn

I'm not doing a total rebuild, as the only mess is behind the panel. This is
a 19' bowrider: the panel is the passenger side dashboard, with a shelf
below it. Right now the wires are a maze laying on the shelf - I want to
organize them and avoid them taking up all of that space. I have a few wires
in the gunwales - plastic ties to keep them together. Most of the wires
enter the area behind the panel from the same place. I have the excess radar
cable stowed out of the way. I guess that since I'm just about done adding
stuff to that side of the boat, I can wrap them, leaving just about 12" free
to make the connections. I'll have to find some way to tag the wires, so
that I know what they're for.
I considered adding a board, hinged at the forward edge, keeping the wires
on top of it, and lifting it up to keep the shelf clear. I'm concerned that
there's so little space to work already, that board may make it almost
impossible to get my hands in there if it's ever necessary.


"Lynn Coffelt" wrote in message
...

"William Andersen" wrote in message
news:d1yBf.13657$JT.1368@fed1read06...
Has anyone who's done a neat job of wiring behind their control panel got
any tips for success?

I've added a bus bar in a waterproof container behind the passenger side
of
the dashboard of my bow rider but haven't figured out how to keep the
wiring
neat and organized. Here's a list of the equipment on that side of the
boat:
2 VHF with an antenna switch, ADF, AM/FM, GPS with connections to VHF and
transducer, radar with connections to GPS, utility outlet.

Larry's suggestion sure sounds good...... I tried it a little, and IF
it were my boat the flat waxed linen lacing would sure be my choice.
EXCEPT
at the point where your design puts the foot or so flexing portion of the
bundle at or near the panel hinge. The flat plastic spiral wrap really
works
great there. As the panel hinges out for access to the rear (hopefully
almost never) there is always need for a certain amount of slippage of
individual conductors against each other. The spiral wrap seems to grip
the
bundle with just about the right amount of tension to allow slippage to
equalize the stresses among the conductors. I think that an "L" turn in
the
bundle at the hinge point makes the most compact arrangement. However if
there is plenty of clearance, a substantial loop (spiral wrapped) may be
even better. The loop can be rather long if no actual hinge is intended,
and
the panel can be merely unscrewed and pulled out on the cabin sole. (my
aged
knees prefer the actual hinge)
Old Chief Lynn

"William Andersen" wrote in message
news:aGFBf.13718$JT.3837@fed1read06...
I'm not doing a total rebuild, as the only mess is behind the panel. This
is
a 19' bowrider: the panel is the passenger side dashboard, with a shelf
below it. Right now the wires are a maze laying on the shelf - I want to
organize them and avoid them taking up all of that space. I have a few
wires
in the gunwales - plastic ties to keep them together. Most of the wires
enter the area behind the panel from the same place. I have the excess
radar
cable stowed out of the way. I guess that since I'm just about done adding
stuff to that side of the boat, I can wrap them, leaving just about 12"
free
to make the connections. I'll have to find some way to tag the wires, so
that I know what they're for.
I considered adding a board, hinged at the forward edge, keeping the wires
on top of it, and lifting it up to keep the shelf clear. I'm concerned
that
there's so little space to work already, that board may make it almost
impossible to get my hands in there if it's ever necessary.

OK, I totally understand where you're coming from. I sure wish you
luck. That typical installation was a real nightmare in servicing (except I
charged by the hour.. heh..heh). Some of my attempts to "clean up" while I
was there, was to add wrap-around stick-on wire numbers to the wires that I
did know, and keep an index in my files. If the owner took care of his
documentation, it was worthwhile (I thought) to add a sheet with the
information, or at least write a little wire table in pencil on the nearest
clear surface.
Old Chief Lynn

wrote in
news
I agree with Larry,

I'm redoing ( actually it's 95% done) the wiring on my Yankee 30,
complete with a new "hinge-down" power panel, and used the old waxed
lacing cord trick. Some parts will have to be re-done in the future
(my fault). The key is planning...I can't tell you how many sketches
and rough drawings I made to make sure the "dress" was right. In MHO,
it's worth the effort.
Norm


I'd also like to suggest that all the TESTING and MODIFYING be done prior
to all this neatness, too!...(c;

Re-lacing just to change a few wires is awful time consuming.

"William Andersen" wrote in
news:aGFBf.13718$JT.3837@fed1read06:

I'm not doing a total rebuild, as the only mess is behind the panel.
This is a 19' bowrider: the panel is the passenger side dashboard,
with a shelf below it. Right now the wires are a maze laying on the
shelf - I want to organize them and avoid them taking up all of that
space. I have a few wires i

You should have seen my buddy's Hatteras 56 FBMY. Hatteras does a
fantastic job of wire looming throughout the boat, but the previous owner
was a real idiot. I found balls of lampcord wrapped up behind the
overhead electronics panel above the main helm....all taped
connections...going to a single FIFTY AMP breaker! Any short would have
set fire to the main cabin, killing anyone below who couldn't get out the
companionway right next to the fire. How stupid.

I took a jigsaw to the beautifully appointed end panel on the port side
where the 50A cable ended and installed a 12V breaker panel with LED
indicators. Appropriate-sized breakers for each piece of equipment and
rewired it all with new loomed cabling, where possible. The whole bottom
of the panel had to come out to get to it all, a major project.

The 32VDC battery banks in the bilge were similarly wired, oops,
haywired. If you think YOUR batteries are expensive, tell the battery
man you need those 8V, 4-cell beasts for a Hatteras. There are 3 banks!
A new house is cheaper...(c; I replaced all the rotten and haywired main
DC to the helm's 12V analog regulators and both 8V92TA engines. She
cranks right up when you have 32VDC at the starter....not 20..(c;

I used to call it "The Train"....Trains are 32VDC.

Something I come to regret not doing is running a spare pair of wires for
future use.
- Allen
getting ready for bow to stearn rewiring
Q: are there any problems running one large common ground wire fore and aft?
-Allen

"bushman" wrote in
:

Something I come to regret not doing is running a spare pair of
wires
for future use.
- Allen

This is a good time to also mention PUT IN PULL STRINGS
EVERYWHERE YOU EVER PULL A WIRE! God I hate workin' on someone's
boat and have them say, "We had to pull a wire through that awful
place last year."...and the idiot didn't have enough brains to
pull in a string so we didn't have to do the whole thing over
again! Grrrr.....(d^

getting ready for bow to stearn rewiring
Q: are there any problems running one large common ground wire
fore
and aft? -Allen


Question is where. If you run it in the bilge, it'll become part
of the electrolysis problems. Try to keep it as high up in the
hull as possible so it's never laying in the water until the
waves are washing over the sinking hulk. Grounding the rigging
is a great idea, but make sure none of the rigging ever sits in
the seawater and just eats the zincs.

If it's just DC wiring negative return, its path isn't very
important. If this is supposed to be a lightning ground, that's
a different matter. A lightning stroke isn't DC. It's a very
high risetime pulse with lots of RF component. If your ground
has any sharp, oh-so-neat-looking corners, it isn't a lightning
ground, at all. All turns in a lightning ground system must be
made with a large, smooth radius that creates a minimum of
inductance. A wide, flat ground strapping is far superior to a #
0 battery cable as the wide strap's inductance per foot is less,
also. NO SHARP CORNERS, I don't care how neat it looks! The
lightning pulse will just go shooting off the corner of the neat
corner into the cabin...not good.

http://www.thomson.ece.ufl.edu/lightning/SGEB17.html
Thomson, a sailor and electrical engineer in FL, the lightning
capital of the world, wrote this article...