Agreed, having a Hunter manual is better than having none. When it comes to the electrical sections in the undated h38 Operators Manual (V1.102506 • P/N 1031383), some basic operational details about the circuit breaker panels -- like the proper usage of the Line 1 and Line 2 lock-out breakers should have been explained. Having actual schematics and wire lists (with color-coding is better, of course).
And you are in luck, sort-of, with your Hunter 38. Before I post links to schematics, some background, a caution, and a warning:
Background: We have a 2009 Hunter 38 (two previous owners) new to us in 2020. Best I can tell, no significant electrical work or modifications by previous owners, though something was done electrically with the auto-pilot at the drive mechanism. The work was not quite professional, but not terrible (the wires were not fully secured using tie-wraps). Our Battery Switch Panel (below the Nav Station Seat) does not match any of the photos in the h38 Operators Manual nor the schematics (linked below). There is minor rub damage to some of the wires as if in removing/replacing the Battery Switch Panel those wires were dragged against the wooden frame to which the panel is mounted. Regardless, until October 2022, all electrical systems worked as they should. The Sinergex PureSine600 inverter, which powered the Bose 3-2-1 system (and was powering the original small TV) failed. Good luck finding any information on that Inverter and how it was wired by Hunter. It was not wired in accordance with AYBC standards in that the power to the stereo and TV were not in conduit, though the DC input to the inverter was properly installed (and connected to the
Entertainment circuit breaker on the DC panel). (The inverter failure indication--besides loss of AC power out) was a DC input fault; however, I could not find any problems with my DC power so simply assumed the 12-year-old inverter died). My search for a replacement led me to a 2000 watt Renogy pure sine wave inverter (It is not marine-grade, but should suffice for my environment). All that required research and some rewiring that relied heavily on the schematics linked below. My original plan was to rewire the circuit breakers for the 700 watt microwave oven and the starboard AC outlets (Outlet 2 on the Line 1 AC circuit breaker panel) to be fed by the new inverter. The new inverter was mounted under the Nav seat to accommodate very short AWG 1/0 cables to a new high amperage circuit breaker on the Battery Switch Panel and DC ground buss bar, plus easier routing of the hard-wired AC output to the AC breaker panel. Revised plan--not yet implemented--is to wire the new inverter to the
Generator circuit breakers as I do not have a built-in generator. Still doing wire tracing for that plan.
Caution: The wiring schematics that I found in this forum are titled, "38 Schematics 12/1/2005"; 28 pages. The Hunter draftsperson labeled the drawings professionally,
but note that the drawings are marked with various dates and Hunter models 38 or 41. The point being, one may assume the wiring between the Hunter 38 and Hunter 41 of that era are very similar or even the same, BUT one should verify by physically checking the schematics against the wiring on your boat.
Warning: if you are not schooled in electricity and reading schematics, seek certified professional help. The electricity on your boat can kill you. Example: testing an inverter with a volt-meter or polarity checker (like those that tell you if the Hot, Neutral, and Ground lines are wired correctly) may indicate that there is no AC coming out of your inverter. That may be true in that those test instruments do not present a significant load on the AC circuit.
BUT: touch the Hot and Neutral or Ground wires with your bare fingers and you may receive a deadly electrical shock. That is because most modern inverters have a demand sensing circuit that will turn on the 115 Volts AC output based on the resistance your body presents to the circuit, which is far greater than that of a volt-meter or polarity checker. Always put a circuit breaker between your DC battery and your inverter and always turn that circuit breaker off before working on the AC circuits.
Schematics, mind the caveats above and BE CAREFUL:
https://sbo.sailboatowners.com/downloads/Hunter_38_29572510.pdf
