Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

[fstorm08]

Hello Everyone,

Been trying to wrap my head around this and figure it out and am looking for some advice as I do not know if I am going about this the right way.

The pic below is the main switch panel which looks to have 1 power wire to power the whole thing:

Then from each switch is the ground wire which I believe runs back to its intended device.

Here is what I have come up with so far:

Am I on the right track or so far off it's not funny

Thanks in advance

 

[Bondo]

Re: Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

Then from each switch is the ground wire which I believe runs back to its intended device.

Nope,... That panel controls, 'n is wired with ONLY the Positive side....

The Grounds will come from the accessories, to a bussbar, to the battery...

 

[fstorm08]

Re: Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

Thanks for the reponse Bond-o.

How about this one?

Or like this one?

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

No - you have ground wires on the horn switch. Switches do not have ground on them unless they have an internal light. You have a dual buss buss bar (one side POS and one side NEG). All of the grounds from all of the devices go ONLY to the NEG side of the buss.
Your horn circuit has a fused POS line going to the button. That much is correct. But the wire goes to one terminal on the switch. THe other terminal feeds the POS line to the horn. The NEG from the horn goes to the NEG side of the dual buss -- NOT back to the switch. You also need a 20 amp breaker within six inches of the POSITIVE terminal of the battery.

The wiring to the battery switch is also wrong. As you have it, turning the switch on will cause an instant burn down of the switch and very possibly blow the battery up in your face. A switch is a valve for electricity. It allows current to pass or not. You've created a direct short accross the battery. The NEG terminal of the battery goes directly to the NEG side of the dual buass. Get it OFF the switch. The POS terminal of the battery goes to the switch as you have it. The OTHER terminal on the switch goes to the POSITIVE side of the dual buss. Lastly, since you have the bow and stern lights on separate switches, I trust you proper use of the lights?? In case you don't. BOTH the bow and stern lights must be on when the boat is moving -- under power or drifting. ONLY the stern light is to be on at anchor (not moving).

 

[fstorm08]

Re: Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

No - you have ground wires on the horn switch. Switches do not have ground on them unless they have an internal light. You have a dual buss buss bar (one side POS and one side NEG). All of the grounds from all of the devices go ONLY to the NEG side of the buss.
Your horn circuit has a fused POS line going to the button. That much is correct. But the wire goes to one terminal on the switch. THe other terminal feeds the POS line to the horn. The NEG from the horn goes to the NEG side of the dual buss -- NOT back to the switch. You also need a 20 amp breaker within six inches of the POSITIVE terminal of the battery.

The wiring to the battery switch is also wrong. As you have it, turning the switch on will cause an instant burn down of the switch and very possibly blow the battery up in your face. A switch is a valve for electricity. It allows current to pass or not. You've created a direct short accross the battery. The NEG terminal of the battery goes directly to the NEG side of the dual buass. Get it OFF the switch. The POS terminal of the battery goes to the switch as you have it. The OTHER terminal on the switch goes to the POSITIVE side of the dual buss. Lastly, since you have the bow and stern lights on separate switches, I trust you proper use of the lights?? In case you don't. BOTH the bow and stern lights must be on when the boat is moving -- under power or drifting. ONLY the stern light is to be on at anchor (not moving).

Ok.

Am I correct is saying that (with this switch panel) you cannot wire both bow and stern lights to turn on when you hit the nav lights switch? I would need to do them manually?The same also goes for the anchor lights when at anchor?

Would I wire in the breaker between the battery switch and buss-bar?

Just trying to learn something as I am not even close to wiring the boat up yet.

I most certainly don't want to blow anything up

Thanks in advance

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

Look at your panel. It has separate NAV and ANC switches. They appear to be simple ON-OFF switches. NAV is the bow light. ANC is the stern light. For navigation you need to activate both sdwitches. At anchor you activate ONLY the anchor light. There is nothing wrong with having two separate switches. You just need to understand navigation light rules. That has nothing to do with the switches. Most boats have ONE switch to control both lights. To operate them legally that takes either a three terminal or six terminal ON-OFF-ON switch as I showed in the two diagrams. If you wire both the NAV and ANC lights to the NAV light switch and ONLY the ANCHOR light to the ANC switch, without a diode in the system, the minute you turn on the ANC switch the bow light would also turn on. The back of your panel clearly shows there is no diode in that wiring. In the two diagrams I show, both of those switches are like having two switches in one housing for the three terminal version, and four switches in one housing for the six terminal. One position connects the upper and middle contacts, center is off, and down connects the middle and lower contacts. double that configuration for the six terminal switch.

 

[fstorm08]

Re: Q on Wiring up my 68 Glassmaster

Look at your panel. It has separate NAV and ANC switches. They appear to be simple ON-OFF switches. NAV is the bow light. ANC is the stern light. For navigation you need to activate both sdwitches. At anchor you activate ONLY the anchor light. There is nothing wrong with having two separate switches. You just need to understand navigation light rules. That has nothing to do with the switches. Most boats have ONE switch to control both lights. To operate them legally that takes either a three terminal or six terminal ON-OFF-ON switch as I showed in the two diagrams. If you wire both the NAV and ANC lights to the NAV light switch and ONLY the ANCHOR light to the ANC switch, without a diode in the system, the minute you turn on the ANC switch the bow light would also turn on. The back of your panel clearly shows there is no diode in that wiring. In the two diagrams I show, both of those switches are like having two switches in one housing for the three terminal version, and four switches in one housing for the six terminal. One position connects the upper and middle contacts, center is off, and down connects the middle and lower contacts. double that configuration for the six terminal switch.

thank you silvertip