Tidying up my wiring

Blakeys7 · 28 April 2018, 11:21

Hello

Currently the wiring in my rib is a bit of a mess. All working, however lots of cable ties and insulating tape.

At the helm I have a fish finder, GPS, Radio and a single switch for the nav lights.

All of these are run directly from the battery with in line fuses and are all bunched together.

What would you suggest to tidy this up ? Plus i would like to add a usb socket for phone charging etc.

I have seen distribution fuse boxes such as these http://https://www.12voltplanet.co.uk/fuse-box-with-common-power-ground-buses-6-way.html

I assume i could run from the battery to one of these and then to each device.

Any advice including where to buy and other bits to consider.

Hell if you fancy listing me a shopping list down the the last crimped connector go for it.

But budget/wife friendly

Thanks in advance

Blakey

Bern Hanreck · 28 April 2018, 12:00

Try the search function and you will find lots of info on here already.....

eg http://www.rib.net/forum/f37/wiring-...vhf-77841.html

Many folk prefer a isolator with perhaps just the bilge pump having it's own direct (fused ) feed from the battery +ve .

In the long run dedicated marine components and connectors will save a lot of grief later !

diver 1 · 28 April 2018, 12:24

I recently re-wired my boat

I bought most of the kit from these guys including this fuse box (similar to but larger than the one you listed)

Fuse Box 12 pole Blade Fuse Type - 2 positive + 1 negative circuit. *FROM £24.95 EACH!* **CLICK HERE FOR LOWER PRICES!** 1 x 12 pole Fuse Box. Contains 2 Positive Ciruits and 1 Negative Circuit.<br> Positive and Negative common buses: M5 studs.<br> <

I used most of the terminals trying to ensure where possible each item had its own fuse.

Glue lined heat shrink tubing is really useful as are 'glow' fuses that illuminate when the blow. They make life onboard really easy when something goes wrong as at a glance you can see if a fuse has blown

Another thing I did was run a small circuit of sticky backed LED light strips around the inside of the console and linked this to a switch on the console. Then I can illuminate the inside of the console which is useful for looking for things in the dark, checking fuel filter, etc.

Always use tinned cable too - anything else is pointless as it 'rots' in the marine environment