Installed rocker switches om instrument panel

[waynenvabeach]

I installed a new 3 gang rocker switch panel on the instrument panel. First I ran it off my navigation wire (grey). This allowed the rocker switch panel to light up with the factory switch panel when the Nav lights were on. When the nav lights were off no power to switches. I removed it from nav lights and installed it on the fuse block. Now it works when ever the battery switch is on.. It is always lit up too I know there is a way to have it only light up with nav lights, just got to play with them wires some more. I also had a different switch for the raw water wash down. It only lights when on.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Looks good.
I went with the BlueSea panel.

 

[waynenvabeach]

Looks good.
I went with the BlueSea panel.
View attachment 15712
View attachment 15713

8 gang, what do use them for, mine were for baitwell(3 switches pump, aerator, and light) and the other single switch is for raw water wash down.

 

[Lt.Mike]

All the basics, nav light , anchor light, bilge pump, wiper, plus freshwater bait pump, bait air pump, and washdown pump.
I may install another 4 gang panel in the area of the “no bananas” decal.
The new blue sea panel will be mounted inside an o-ringed container and I’m still figuyout whether I want it outside under the helm where it is now or Dry on the inside of the cabin.
The goal is to locate it where I can get to it and replace a fuse the easiest in rough conditions.
One note; when wiring the nav and anchor lights I incorporated a diode between the nav lamps and the anchor lamps. This way when the nav switch is flipped the anchor lamp is on. With the nav switch off and anchor switch on just the anchor light is on.
The diode only permits electrical current to flow in one direction.
The anchor light has been replaced with LED bulbs to keep currant draw to a minimum.
On the nav circuit I also wired two blue LED lamps for the bait wells.

 

[waynenvabeach]

All the basics, nav light , anchor light, bilge pump, wiper, plus freshwater bait pump, bait air pump, and washdown pump.
I may install another 4 gang panel in the area of the “no bananas” decal.
The new blue sea panel will be mounted inside an o-ringed container and I’m still figuyout whether I want it outside under the helm where it is now or Dry on the inside of the cabin.
The goal is to locate it where I can get to it and replace a fuse the easiest in rough conditions.
One note; when wiring the nav and anchor lights I incorporated a diode between the nav lamps and the anchor lamps. This way when the nav switch is flipped the anchor lamp is on. With the nav switch off and anchor switch on just the anchor light is on.
The diode only permits electrical current to flow in one direction.
The anchor light has been replaced with LED bulbs to keep currant draw to a minimum.
On the nav circuit I also wired two blue LED lamps for the bait wells.

That sounds like you have been having fun with all the electrical work. I like the idea of running the baitwell light off the nav lights. I did not even think of doing that.

 

[Lt.Mike]

That sounds like you have been having fun with all the electrical work. I like the idea of running the baitwell light off the nav lights. I did not even think of doing that.

You saw the gauges in the dash right? There are a minimum of 3 wires to each gauge, the engine management gauge, trim, Hobbs, and tach are part of the engine harness. The volt meter and fuel gauge are aftermarket I bought to closely match the factory gauges.
There’s 16 wires in/out from the Blue Sea switch panel.
You can route every wire, label everything, tie wrapping them as neat as you can and you can’t get around it, it’s still an absolute nightmare under the panel.
You have to remember that you may sometime in the future get back into it so though you want to make it pretty you have to plan for that so you don’t have to rip “everything” apart.
There is a lot of back and forth on this but I crimp and solder my connections then seal it with marine shrink tube over top.
Corrosion gets into everything if you let it. I’ve been doing it this way for 30 years and the only thing I’ve had to get back to is to clean corrosion from the connectors end. Silicon grease helps with that.
I had replaced the fake wood laminate panel with black starboard to modernize it. To further dress it up I got 1/8” gray starboard special ordered from homedepot and of course there’s the GW logo.

 

[Lt.Mike]

Oh one final note, you’ll notice the decal on the shifter is mint. That’s because I found a company that was able to recreate a lot of the decals, capacity plate, Overnighter plaque, things like that for a very reasonable price. I’d take pictures and measurements, tell them what I want and they’d send their rendition back. I’ve come to feel they could recreate anything like that.