Hello forum users,
I have been
bareboat sailing for the last 10 years or so but generally do this through
charter companies, so I am no expert on
maintenance or
wiring of
marine boats.
I just purchased a 1973
Morgan OI 41' on the
west coast of
Florida and plan to sail it to the
east coast sometime in January to give me quicker access to the islands.
As you might expect, this '73
boat is in need of multiple
repairs and cosmetic upgrades. The most concerning of these to me is the
electrical system. Over the last 15 years, this
boat had had some strange
wiring done for which I have no schematic to use for troubleshooting. It also has a fuse panel, no breaker panel, 15+ year old
GPS,
vhf,
autopilot, and
radar (Furuno dome and console). My
surveyor could not completely verify these
instruments are working due to potential disconnected wires to antennas etc.
Due to my lack of knowledge about
marine electrics, I am considering having a licensed electrician redo all wiring on this boat. Currently, the
bilge pump and blower will not
work which is probably a wiring issue. On the upshot, I do have excellent main sail, jibs,
spinnaker, and a well running
perkins 4-108 with low hours. I also have a pretty good
Navionics app on my
iPad for the initial
cruise to the
east coast.
So finally to my question - would sailors experienced with this type
work just strip out the 15 year old
instruments and replace with a
single console
gps, plotter, and
radar? I've seen combo units by
Garmin and
Raymarine for around $1200 on line. If so, any input you may have on particular brands or features would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks much,
Paul