Electrical Assistance on Nic. 42

[zigzag]

Dear Felow Nic ownwers. I have put in an offer on a Nic 42 and since there is no group to discuss issues with I am posting here in the hope that there are parallels on the 38 and 42 wiring and electrical controls and accessories.
Before I use disassembly procedures on the AV (manufacturer) screened control box no 446’24’1 can anyone assist with some information.
Also was it common to have 2 banks of paired 12v batteries (deep cycle) one as house and one as engine start. This does not seem to be the best solution as I would like to add two more high cranking amps truck batteries not deep cycle as starting batteries.

Thanks

[Van]

Hi zigzag,

I’m not sure what the AV control box is. Is that the circuit breaker panel?

We redid the wiring on Rainshadow and can tell you it’s of generally of high standard, although some modification by the previous owner were not so great, although safe enough. The only chafe I found was a wire put in by the previous owner (ie not C&N). This was a 16 gauge wire carrying 12V that had its conductor exposed, but fortunately, not close to any grounded/earthed objects. Most of the wire is not tinned, but the connections were clean, and only a few wires showed much evidence of corrosion.

The main problems you will likely find are:

1. The circuit breaker panel – one of our breakers became unreliable after 35 years so we replaced the panel with a modern one. Replacing the panel was quite easy and gave us the chance to identify and label all the wires behind it. There were many that were not connected to anything any more.

2. Prev owner added a high output alternator (a common upgrade) – exceeding the nominal capacity of the wires carrying the current to the helm where the ammeter was. We’ve replaced that with a remote shunt and a new meter so the current does not have to travel an extra 15 feet to the helm and back.

Using two battery banks is standard practice. We use a single starter battery for the starter circuit and two golf cart batteries for the house. In your Nic 42, you probably have more space. Perhaps the previous owner wanted the extra capacity. The original two battery switches permitted either battery to feed the house circuit and/or the starter circuit. We replaced those too.

Good luck!

Van

BTW, s/v Gosling is another Nic 42. Jean-Guy occasionally posts on this forum – you should read his bio in the Members Directory (see the link at the top of this page – you need a password which if you don’t have Marilyn can send you). And look at his blog at http://svgosling.blogspot.com.

[Author]

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