NautaBytes

This is likely to be a pretty long post, but it was a LOT of work as well.  so bear with me.... To start putting it all back together, I was going to need to run the wires from where they were, to their new location in the Navigation Station. In some cases I just ran new wire from the appliance or device, and in other cases I just spliced into the existing wiring to make it longer so it would reach (I was NOT going to run new wire up the mast! LOL... )  In all cases it required using MARINE GRADE connectors.  Why did I capitalize that, well, because it is important!  Marine grade connectors won't corrode and will, preferably, have Heat Shrink on them to completely seal the wire.  It is also important that you use MARINE GRADE wire, which is multi strand copper wire that has been tinned to repel corrosion.  Corrosion is the ENEMY of electricity, and will not only keep current flowing, which will increase your battery usage, but will also cause the wires ...

 The electrical situation aboard Dulcinea was pretty sad.  it was one of those things that gradually got added to over the course 37 years. Very much like a house that gets modified over the course of many years.  It started out bad, then just got worse.  The FIRST problem was the location of the electrical panels....  This is the aft bulkhead, right next to the galley.  there weren't enough switches, so you had about 4 or 5 items on one switch in some cases. The Fuel gauge and engine hour meter?  see those round dials WAAAAAY to the right in this picture?  That's them!  the only way to read them was to get on your toes, bend over the top of the stove and use a flashlight.... Oh! and the AC breakers?  well, make that singular - Breaker!  all of the outlets, including the refrigerator were on the same breaker.... not good.  But I digress, I was talking about the location.... Why is it bad?  well, that is because of wha...

 When I redesigned the Navigation Station it reduced the storage available under the desktop.  Now I found that the Items I kept under there before just didn't fit now.  Besides, I always hated lifting the desktop to rummage around and find the chart I wanted.  I needed a way to keep my charts outside of the desk, easily accessible, but not in the way. Enter Office Depot.  They had these wall pockets (a set of 3) on sale for less that $20, and I figured they would fill the bill.  I mean, the Nav station is my office in the boat... right? These are REALLY easy to install.... first, figure out where you want it to hang... Mark and drill the 2 holes needed, then take some stainless steel screws the right length and screw them in, until they are about 1/8 inch out. After hanging the first set, I found that they rattled a bit, because the bottoms are not screwed in.  No problem though.  I just use my favorite all purpose stuff fo...