DC Outlets/Supply
Date: February 20, 1999
From: Tom Gilbert TGil95746@aol.com
Ok, it's dead of winter and time to do the interior trim pieces. I need ideas generated for D.C. power plug locations. I use a cell phone, blender, t.v. set, blow dryer (yes d.c.), and a laptop. I figure the following:
- One in the fwd bunk starboard side mounted in the locker facing forward.
- One in the stbrd locker facing aft for the cell phone/laptop/mini t.v. set, since singular application is expected.
- One in the galley (stbrd side) for the blender.
What have I forgotten ? Thanks.
Date: March 28, 1999
From: Rick Martini rpmartini@worldnet.att.net
Any one have experience in replacing port side cabin wiring on an "A" layout boat. The wires disappear somewhere under the deck in the aft cabin, pulling the headliner would involve major surgery.
Thanks
Date: March 30, 1999
From: Dan Hawryschuk Dan_Hawryschuk@norstanconsult.com
Rick,
Hello. Get your scalpel ready. I have been refitting my E37 A plan for some extended cruising and checking and/or replacing the wiring is one of the tasks I have already tackled. The E37 has two wiring systems. These systems are composed of the DC side for lighting and the AC side for the power outlets. The wiring in my boat was run under the side decks and hidden by the headliner cover boards. All the wiring is run together and secured to the underside of the deck by plastic retainers that are screwed into the underside of the deck. I initially tried to pull a few wires out to see how securely they were attached and found that they would not budge. I also tried to run a wire fish under the headliner cover boards but was unable to get the fish to go far enough to be of any use. With the idea that I would unscrew the headlined boards and simply pry them down a few inches to gain access to the harness, I began what turned out to be a major project. First, if you haven't already noticed, there are a lot of screws holding the headliner under the side decks. Second, just taking the screws out of the cover panels has no relevance to their willingness to pull free.
On top of all that, there are a number of miscellaneous trim pieces that seem to have at least one, if not all, of their screws screwed into these cover panels and also need to be removed. I won't go into all the gory detail of how I ended up completing the extraction but, I will say it involved a hammer, a chisel, a pry-bar, and more profanity that I care to admit. Many of these cover boards were in various stages of dry rot and water damage underneath the white vinyl. The water damage seems to be the result of water leaking in around the ports and underneath the cabin-top side panels. ( I am in the process of replacing all the leaky plastic ports with chrome plated bronze ports.) Also, the plywood pads that the cover panels screw into were in various stages of rot. (There are to sets of strips: The strip closest to the hull is 3/4 " thick and about 2 1/2" wide, the strips closest to the inside of the cabin are 3/8" thick and 2 1/2" wide.) Once I had all the panels ( port and starboard) removed I had access to the wiring. There are a lot of bulky mechanical splices in the DC wiring that never could have been pulled through the retainer clips. Even if the wiring was not in retainer clips and there were no splices the pressure of the cover panels against the wiring as it passes above the bulkheads was too great to allow pulling the wiring through. This also explained why the fish could not be pushed more that a few feet under the panels. In general, the wiring seems to have held up well except for some failures due to moisture at the mechanical splices.
I have run PVC as conduit under the side decks and now run all the wiring in these conduits. I retained most of the original DC wiring but have alleviated a lot of the splices by reducing the number of branches for DC lighting fixtures. I replaced all the AC wiring. I also ran extra AC and DC wire in the conduit for additional needs or future repairs. (These extra wires are not connected to power or fixtures on either end and the wire ends are sealed against moisture.) I also ran a couple pieces of 60 lb. mono-filament inside the length of the conduit in case I should need to pull additional sets of wires for new fixtures.
I have yet to replace the cover panels due to my ongoing project of replacing all the opening ports. I will most likely devise new panels ( with fewer mounting screws and no vinyl ) to replace the original ones. I'll have to see what works best when I get to that stage. Good luck and if you have additional questions please feel free to email me.
Date: April 20, 1999
From: Tom Gilbert TGil95746@aol.com
Success. Three power plugs now installed. I used 10 gage wire and twisted the red and the black 3X per foot. It took about 28 feet of wire to run from the panel to the starboard locker, fwd bulkhead. We can now run the blender and computer from these locations and still have room for the cell phone to recharge. I can also fill the rafts from the galley outlet as necessary. I suggest you monitor D.C. consumption and run the diesel as necessary ! I used 10 gage so as to not have a power loss greater than 3 % under load. It works... Now on to the blow dryer and the vacuum.!!
Date: April 24, 1999
From: Steve Witzel witz1@interaccess.com
How about a weatherproof one out by the nav station for a portable gps or spotlight?
Date: May 4, 1999
From: Tom Gilbert TGil95746@aol.com
The job is complete. I used # 10 gage wire and found minimal voltage drop with the t.v. set running at the fwd. end. Don't forget to twist the wires to limit the emf radiated from the current flow !!! (about three (3) turns per foot does it nicely!) I needed 30 feet to run the installation.
The D.C. installation is great. I have a D.C. blender that is great for margaritas and smoothies. Yum. Don't try to crush too much ice. My laptop is quite happy as well. I hung my stereo from the headliner above the shelf in the fwd corner of the starboard side. I can play my CD through it, so I use my walkman plugged into the D.C. outlet right there. My VHF is hung under the overhang just to the port side of the entranceway step. way to the right, so I still get to use my countertop. It crowds the sea berth, but oh well. I installed a 3 phase "smart charger" in the sea berth, too. It is up on the wooden trim piece that is just aft of the little access door for the batteries. It plugs into an extension cord over to the galley A.C. while in the slip, then goes to the batteries via the access door being ajar. On cruise, the wires are removed and tidied up. In the slip, it is viewable for status, and also in a ventilated, dry place. No one really sees it but those in the know.
Date: July 11, 1999
From: Tom Gilbert TGil95746@aol.com
SPOTLIGHT !!! That's it ! The light plugs into the galley plug, and I can stand in the cockpit ok. Out on the bow, it goes through the hatch into the fwd. plug. Aft ? Hmmm. I have my autohelm 3000 out there, and power is readily available from that. It's a seperate circuit. It all works well.
