Wiring circuit for Gaffer

[Jeff Robinson]

Electricity is a mystery to me. Is there a simple source of information to allow me to design and build a simple lighting/radio circuit for the Gaffer (out of) the Garage?

JR

[kria]

Hi Jeff,

I like the book called "The 12v Doctors Handbook"
which pretty much explains everything you want to know and a lot of stuff you don't in simple layamns terms.

Cheers

Ian

[paladin]

Write down all the things that you want to install, batteries, switches, etc and I'll draw you a wiring diagram....

[Jeff Robinson]

You good man Paladin - I will set some stuff down and get back to you. Thanks.

JR

[Ed Nye]

The electrical engineering part I've got. How do you get a steaming light hung on a gaffer, or a anchor light for that matter? I don't want to build a new mast. Every example I've seen looks like h___ with the wires taped to the shrouds.
Ed

[John B]

Let me know when you find out Ed. ( of course, we know the answer though, don't we. put wires in when building. No way was I going to rout out a trough into the existing mast.)

Re the anchor light. I have a thing called a Davis mega light. hang it up each night and plug it in to a cigarette lighter thing. It's light sensitive so it turns itself on and off. That's one .
My vhf goes up a shroud. hate it.

[ACB]

Ah, yes, well...I got all keen and rewired with 2.5 sq.mm cross section tinned multistrand dpuble rubber insulated copper cable, as per yer actual Nigel Calder's recommendations...

1. Below decks, running cable tray is a good idea. Warships use them; so should we. It is possible to "lose" them where the appearance is objected to.

2. Watertight junction boxes and switches are also a good idea. My rule of thumb was that I wanted to do what LFH recommends and put a fresh water hose through the boat at laying up time.

3. Steaming light can go quite happily between the jib halyard blocks and the staysail blocks.

4. Riding light - whatever happened to TRADITION, you lot! I use a Davey and Co cone burner kerosene anchor light hoisted properly up the forestay on the staysail halyard. One benefit is that other boats see it when they might miss a white light high up in the air at the masthead.

5. As you can imagine, great big cabling like we have looks vile clipped up the shrouds - but them the shrouds are 10mm and served full length, so it does not show as much as it might. It is ugly, though. The very hypothetical new mast will of course have loads of wire, including spares, run up inside it.

6. Let me see now...masthead tricolour and all round white - three core all the way up. VHF - small wire all the way up. Steaming light - two core most of the way up. Spreader lights....and port and starboard lights on light boards, stern light on gallows...that's about it for the on deck stuff.

[Norske3]

Mr. George Buehlers building book has a very simple wiring chapter... smile.gif

[Mac_Muz]

I would like so see a copy of the diagram once it is done if possible. I do wiring for 12 volt circuits, and am curious is all....

Maybe this will help, but still a mast would need to be down where one can work on it...

This does not always work, and does take a bit of luck.

To run wires in a mast that have no wires anylonger..... Attempt to inspect the area where you want the wires, possibly lighting from the far end and looking up against the light, to determine if the way is clear.

If blocking and screws appear in the way you might have a real problem, but if the way seems more or less clear.... Dig out a strong shop vac, and new spool of string, and a small bit of paper towel.

Take care to find the run of the string ball, meaning that it will freely run out. Many string balls begin from the inner hole rather than the outter thread..

If the way is clear the vac will draw the paper towel bit with the string in a flash, and leave a way to pull wire up thru the mast... This happens so fast you think it did not work.

Sometimes it can be the conduit has a screw, or a nail/staple, and or glue.... Blocking can have rough edges, and it may not work at all, but then there is no other way that is remotely easy... Mac