Holy Crap Mods Picture Puzzle Test

[Ixneigh]

What kind of padding do you use when running wires between the hull and liner.

Ix

[K9Kampers]

What kind of padding do you use when running wires between the hull and liner.

Ix

Tartan cloth!

[BOAT]

Are you going to make a central status / info panel to replace random awkward peepholes?

Ha ha, very funny . . . the whole point is to eliminate wires, not add more - - you guys are making fun of me - I thought you wanted to see the pictures . . .
I like to use the rubbery soft foam around all the wires behind the liners - I like it because it is sort of sticky and stays in place and it has a very low melting point so it starts to burn an stink before the nylon insulation on the wires in the case of a short - It's an old navy trick to wrap wires in waxed cloth so that if there is a short in the wire you can find it real easy to find it by just looking for the charred fibers. The foam is great because it stinks real bad and makes a ton of smoke if it gets hot and just turns to liquid if it burns because it melts so easy. If a short happens you will see it and smell it immediately and know right where it is - just look for the dripping plastic.

There is lots of space for indicator lights above the new panel that fits in this framework I made here in case K9 and his dogs ever go sailing with me:



I just need to give it a good finish




by adding a power point here amid ships it also put all the AP pilot control stuff closer to the source of power - the piston that drives the rudders uses DC power and is a very powerful piston - it will use whatever power it needs to push those rudders around and it's fed by a large 12 gauge wire right from the brain. I was glad to shorten that up a bit too.



This dry bar I created years ago is turning into a bunch of other things now too - I guess man does not live on scotch alone, (well, maybe Highlander - but he is not mortal anyway), so I guess I will add storage under the dry bar too with doors that also give access to these wires.

[K9Kampers]

Wasn't joking about the peepholes! Not much to add a few short wires from the bulkhead to that sweet looking control panel.

You know what else stinks real bad, makes a ton of smoke when it gets hot and melts so easy?... Fiberglass!!
Better to throw the fire extinguisher in the ocean and jump in after it than look for a concealed burning smell!

[Russ]

Is that mahogany? Such a pretty wood (like teak).

I'll save comments until you are done. However, I'm really curious why the 45-degree cut that leaves wires exposed? I'm sure you have a plan.

--Russ

[BOAT]

Wasn't joking about the peepholes! Not much to add a few short wires from the bulkhead to that sweet looking control panel.

You know what else stinks real bad, makes a ton of smoke when it gets hot and melts so easy?... Fiberglass!!
Better to throw the fire extinguisher in the ocean and jump in after it than look for a concealed burning smell!

The melting point of the foam is way way way way way lower than fiberglass - the idea is to get smoke and stink fast long before the fiberglass ever catches on fire so you crash the perko switch before anything burns. The same principle is used to make a fuse - you put something with a lower melting point than the wire in line to protect the wire. I have power fuses to protect the wire on the primary DC panel but this secondary panel runs the Auto Pilot and the Backbone and the Bilge Pumps so I do not have a primary fuse on that panel - I don't want the bilge pump to stop because the AP is shorted or visa versa.

[BOAT]

Is that mahogany? Such a pretty wood (like teak).

I'll save comments until you are done. However, I'm really curious why the 45-degree cut that leaves wires exposed? I'm sure you have a plan.

--Russ

It's in the dry bar - remember? Everything is behind a panel that makes the seat back:



Yes it is mahogany - I needed to match the existing wood that is holding up the hinged part of the seat back - after it's finished it will match the other wood exactly.

[Russ]

The melting point of the foam is way way way way way lower than fiberglass - the idea is to get smoke and stink fast long before the fiberglass ever catches on fire so you crash the perko switch before anything burns. .

Sumner turned me on to these things. I never knew they existed. But it stops the juice at the battery. Brillant and simple.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems ... 1516641283

[BOAT]

The melting point of the foam is way way way way way lower than fiberglass - the idea is to get smoke and stink fast long before the fiberglass ever catches on fire so you crash the perko switch before anything burns. .

Sumner turned me on to these things. I never knew they existed. But it stops the juice at the battery. Brillant and simple.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems ... 1516641283

Yes, I have one in front of the line feeding the main DC panel and you should also put one of these in where ever your feeding an inverter. You do NOT put one of these into a line that is feeding a bilge pump. That's why I have the bilge pump in a separate panel that is not fuse protected and also why that panel is so close to the battery box so the least amount of wire possible is feeding it.

[yukonbob]

The melting point of the foam is way way way way way lower than fiberglass - the idea is to get smoke and stink fast long before the fiberglass ever catches on fire so you crash the perko switch before anything burns. .

Sumner turned me on to these things. I never knew they existed. But it stops the juice at the battery. Brillant and simple.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems ... TF8&qid=<a href="tel:1516641283">1516641283</a>

Yes, I have one in front of the line feeding the main DC panel and you should also put one of these in where ever your feeding an inverter. You do NOT put one of these into a line that is feeding a bilge pump. That's why I have the bilge pump in a separate panel that is not fuse protected and also why that panel is so close to the battery box so the least amount of wire possible is feeding it.

Is that to allow the bilge pump to run dry, catch fire, burning the boat down to the water line rather than having to bother with resurfacing a sunken boat?

[Russ]

Is that to allow the bilge pump to run dry, catch fire, burning the boat down to the water line rather than having to bother with resurfacing a sunken boat?

I gotta agree here. First of all, I have no bilge pump. Why? The boat has no thru hulls. If I punch a hole in her, she's going down. And I'm not relying on foam to float her. She's sinking and I'm getting off.

I don't know what is code. But EVERYTHING is fused. No exceptions. Closer to the source the better.

my 2 cents

--Russ

[sailboatmike]

Better check the law, I know the law here is that "If the boat has a bilge a bilge pump MUST be fitted", lack of through hulls doesnt count for anything if you get swamped you need to get the water out.

I know insurance companies will refuse to pay out if the requirement is to have a bilge pump and one isn't fitted regardless of if it would of saved the boat or not

[Highlander]

The melting point of the foam is way way way way way lower than fiberglass - the idea is to get smoke and stink fast long before the fiberglass ever catches on fire so you crash the perko switch before anything burns. .

Sumner turned me on to these things. I never knew they existed. But it stops the juice at the battery. Brillant and simple.

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems ... 1516641283

these r great because if u had an issue & run out of spare fuses for them before u were able to do a temp. or permanent repair they can b bypassed
now ur bilge pump is required to b fused as mentioned above but the fuse should b connected direct to the batts ahead of that buss fuse as is my bilge & fume alert alarms & VHF radio all four will still work even if someone should accidentally turn off all the Batts . so even if u had a major short in ur main power or battery cables all these four major accessories will still continue to operate
these buss fuses r meant to protect ur main power & battery cables between the batteries & the battery shut off switch & main switch panels from a direct dead short as all ur access should b independently fused from that point on
J
PS ur O/B Engine will or should have a major buss fuse or circuit breaker where the poss cable connects to the engine for the same reason to protect ur engine,s main wiring harness

[Ixneigh]

Everything I do has a fuse in it of whatever size appropriate for the wire. I keep a bucket on the boat but haven't installed a dedicated bilgepump yet. Barring serious hull damage there are only two places water can get in. The rudder gudion bolts and the motor well drain.
I guess the boat could fill up with rainwater eventually. Even on the trailer. I am more inclined to have a big pump that I can run off my gas driven dc charger. I can store that somewhere and rig it if needed.
Ix

As an aside the builder didn't deem a pump very important...since none was standard equipment.

[Russ]

I keep a bucket on the boat but haven't installed a dedicated bilgepump yet. Barring serious hull damage there are only two places water can get in. The rudder gudion bolts and the motor well drain.
I guess the boat could fill up with rainwater eventually. Even on the trailer.

Thread jack:

I've yet to find a 12v bilge pump that could keep up with even a minor breach in the hull. The bucket would work best.

A bilge pump is good for nuisance water, like rain. The problem is we don't have a single bilge.


--Russ