Small Day Sailor Wiring

[M.B. Naegle]

I'm new to sailing and just getting into a project sailboat, a Gulf Coast 18, and while I'm getting into fiberglass work, I'm also trying to plan ahead for what holes will be or can be where.

I plan to mainly use the boat as a day sailor on lakes and the coast, but also want it to be overnight ready, so in addition to the nessisary bow, stern, and mast lights and bilge pump, I want to add a solar panel, dimable led strip lights on the deck, dimable interior lights, interior connections for things like a radio and mini fridge, and an electric horn.

A lot of this can wait until the boat's back in the water and I can get a better feel for what I need and what isn't worth it, but I'd be interested in any input. One thing I'm trying to figure is the horn. I'll likely mount it on top of the house near the mast, but I'm not sure where to put the button? All the other switches will be just inside the cabin, but I'd think that the horn should be more accessible.

[hjohnson]

Originally Posted by M.B. Naegle

I'm new to sailing and just getting into a project sailboat, a Gulf Coast 18, and while I'm getting into fiberglass work, I'm also trying to plan ahead for what holes will be or can be where.

I plan to mainly use the boat as a day sailor on lakes and the coast, but also want it to be overnight ready, so in addition to the nessisary bow, stern, and mast lights and bilge pump, I want to add a solar panel, dimable led strip lights on the deck, dimable interior lights, interior connections for things like a radio and mini fridge, and an electric horn.

A lot of this can wait until the boat's back in the water and I can get a better feel for what I need and what isn't worth it, but I'd be interested in any input. One thing I'm trying to figure is the horn. I'll likely mount it on top of the house near the mast, but I'm not sure where to put the button? All the other switches will be just inside the cabin, but I'd think that the horn should be more accessible.

To be honest, I wouldn’t bother with the electric horn. Just get yourself a portable air horn (either one you can pump up with a bicycle pump, or uses disposable “canned air” cans. They work reliably and don’t depend on your electrics.

Similarly, lighting on deck is neither here nor there. You won’t be using it if underway (due to needing to stay dark adapted with your eyes) and if you’re thinking for hanging out after dark, little solar powered LED garden lights work well enough.

Lastly, I’d also say that an electric bilge pump also falls into the “nice to have but not essential” camp. We finally did add one to our E27 (along with another one to pick up some other water) but for the first 45 years of her life, our boat simply had a permanently installed manual whale gusher pump for clearing the bilge. We’d probably get 10 strokes of water out on arriving at the boat, and another 10 or 15 after a long day of motoring. If we got more than that, it meant that our packing gland needed to be adjusted.

In terms of navigational lighting goes, check what is required for a boat of your size. The rules depend on length. At 27’, we just have a combined tri-light/anchor light on top of the mast, and a combo steaming and foredeck light half way up the mast.

[Spot]

Your boat is small my friend, just like mine, and only NEEDS one all around white light at less than 7 meters to run or anchor after dark.

Mine came with red, green, stern, and forward-facing 'steaming' light. I will be adding an anchor light. Since I work 'in electronics' a little pimping is necessary but nothing that interferes with VHF radio. Cheap LED bulbs and power supplies are often offenders.

Night vision and submarine movies are important so I added a cabin red option and my compass lights up when nav lights are on.

My boat came wired with many sins, including solid core wire, panel by the gas tank...have you read my big thread yet? Use marine grade tinned wire and decent heat-shrink connectors. Fuse what needs to be fused. In my boat, which was not designed for electric bilge pumps (no well or limber holes), I use a kayak pump and a sponge.

Here is my schematic so far, has most of the elements you seek. I am adding a new solar controller that will have direct USB 5v charging provided it passes a VHF noise check.

[Rumrace]

I’d suggest a couple surface mounted lights over strips in the interior. There are several on the market which switch from white to red for marine. They have an ip 68 rating for moisture. There is some US and German made led strip with ip68 rating.
Electrical causes 30% of all boat fires.
BUy rubber covers for the toggle switches BG make great marine switches. Tin everything. You need two batteries and a switch. Every system need a redundant source. Add a wifi booster and a charging use port. You can pickup free wifi locations off shore. Isolate the VHF. So separate ground. There are some really inexpensive chargers which are designed for bass boats to charge up their trolling batteries. The come in 10 amp 2 circuit 120 plug in.

[tkeithlu]

I can't recommend the solar garden lights, because they usually have ni-cad batteries that die after a number of cycles.

Given a single overnight, manual bilge pump, and air horn, Consider the possibility of powering your anchor,deck, and interior lighting needs off a lithium battery that you charge before going out. A battery such as the palm sized jump off your car batteries would easily cover your 12vDC needs for one night. Such as:

https://www.amazon.com/NOCO-GB40-Ult...%2C165&sr=8-10

If you are anchoring at night I do recommend more than the legal minimum masthead light. Add some LEDs that will allow an approaching barge and tug to recognize tht you are neither a star nor a city light, and to judge how long it will be before he runs over you.

[M.B. Naegle]

Thanks for the tips and input! I have a large electrical component supply via our family machinery business, but I know I'll need to order some stuff too.

Stranded copper, tinned soldered and sealed terminals all make sense. Is there much practicall deference between using fuses or breakers? Fuses are nice for simplicity, but breakers can be reset.

I'll likely start with just the basic lights, but I don't mind things being more "deluxe" electrically if it adds to safety and convenience. While I'm doing a lot of fiberglass right now, I'm pessimisticqlly expecting leaks to fix later and as such want the electrical to be as contained and problem free as possible. Even if it isn't connected to start with, I almost want to have some kind of horn button present so I don't end up closing up my only access point to put on in. The stern lamp is/was on the port decking, so it might make sense to put the button there so all the wires are together. Then it's easily in reach. I'll get a canned air horn too, I'm just thinking it would be good to have something part of the boat in case it is lost or something.

I like the idea of adding a wifi booster. Part of me wants the boat to be "off the grid," as the disconnection and escape is part of the draw of sailing, but having the option to stay connected via GPS and internet can be a matter of safety, if not just sanity.

[Rumrace]

The Wifi booster is for boating. You can grab weather charts and pretend you are at the office. It’s good for golf carts too.

[Rumrace]

Switches I have a few sets of marine rockers I’ll dig out to show you. They are back lit. The horn is a momentary contact, Lighting it’s 3 way. Anchor off running ,Bilge pump and float switch automatic direct wire to both batteries.

I can’t see the bullet holes being an issue. The transom is why we tried to talk you out of it. Frankly I’d start deep in the hull stringers to add a new transom.
A cross brace amidships to hold the hull square and a frame to keep the transom straight.

[Cheechako]

Portable air horn
LED rechargeable camping light for interior and as an added cockpit light for anchoring etc.

[TrentePieds]

MBN:

Your boat is a sweet little boat just as it is. But she's only a baby :-)

The less "enhancements" you put on 'er, the better your sailing experience will be, so don't go gilding the lily :-)

As for the bilge pump: As someone else said: Use a sponge. You don't have an actual bilge so a pump is just gonna be a bother! You won't be taking water into the cabin in any event, unless you centreboard pivot pin leaks in chinch case you need to fix THAT, rather than waste time and effefort and money installing a bilge pump.

Don't bother with wired lighting in the cabin. One or two battery powered LED "puck" lights will do the job, and for that matter one of those nifty little fake storm lanterns you can buy for ten bux will do nicely for an anchor light. Run it up the forestay a few feet using the jib halyard. We used to to that with an old-fashioned oil burning storm lantern. Works a treat!

Presumably you'll be using an "egg beater" for power. I can't imagine that you have an inboard engine, so you don't need electrical power to start your motor., so don't bother with installing ay kind of automotive or "deep cycle" battery.

All in all, the simpler you can keep things, the happier a sailor you'll be!

All the best,

TrentePieds

[Jim Cate]

Just curious: why do you feel the need for an electric horn? After 6 boats and 45 years and ~150,000 miles I've never had one or felt the need for one. A simple "can powered"
or manually blown horn has sufficed for the few times in fog that it has been needed, and horn signaling between vessels is not commonly done by small craft (even those considerably larger than yours).

IMO Trente Pied's advice above is correct: keep it simple and save the "improvements" for later and larger vessels.

Jim

[ChrisJHC]

I’ve seen vuvuzelas used as emergency fog horns before.
You can probably pick one up for $10-$20.
And they never run out of batteries!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela

[Spot]

Originally Posted by ChrisJHC

I’ve seen vuvuzelas used as emergency fog horns before.
You can probably pick one up for $10-$20.
And they never run out of batteries!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vuvuzela

LOL!



I keep a small flashlight, plastic whistle, and a 1$ folding stainless pocket knife in/on my PFD. Then I am covered regardless of which boat, kayak, other people's boat I go out in.

[Rumrace]

While a horn is a required tool. The courtesy beeps are often responded by dirty looks or words. The system of beeps is not understood by the pathetic boaters you’re beeping at.
I used five beeps to save and arguing couple from driving on the rocks a few boats ahead of me.
I had just put a power boat on plane where the river speed limit changed. Around the corner a 24’ centre council with a pair of 250. The captain has cowboy boat on his new glass. I give him 2 beeps to tell him about the pass. Cowboy thinks it’s a challenge gives me a finger and tries to get on plane for race day.
Horns are pretty much useless to communicate with the folks who need to understand them the most.
On the sailboat I’ve not used the horn except to say hi to folks.
An automatic water balloon cannon would be more effective. Yup horn in a can - cheap

[tkeithlu]

Let's go full circle, while fully agreeing with Jim Cate above.

My boat is 44 feet, steel, and 65,000 pounds displacement. After several years rigging various electric horns, all of which failed due to salt water/air, I reverted to an air horn. It sits in a PVC tube on top of the wheelhouse, and has a paddle that presses down on the button when a wire is pulled in the wheelhouse. It works. It does not fail. It has been working for five years just fine, and on the original can of gas. I only use it to wake up the totally oblivious tourists who decide to fish in the middle of the channel.

Simple wins. Save your creativity (which is admirable and will serve you well) for a future boat that has "systems." Right now, go sailing.