Electrical wiring on Hunter 26.5

Apr 15, 2019
39
S2 11 A Toledo Beach, Lake Erie
We recently bought a 30 year old Hunter 26.5. Trying to sort out 30 years of spliced in changes and upgrades. Does anyone have an original wiring diagram? There is not one included in my owner's manual. By the way, heatshrink butt connectors are marvelous.
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,770
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Quite frankly, having an OEM wiring diagram might do more harm than good. Why? 'Cuz you'll be spending unnecessary effort comparing what you do have to what it was supposed to be.
I have been there, a few times.
I spent a week of almost full time wiring diagrams and analysis of what was there based on our OEM manual wiring diagram and the one my PO gave me. I found little changed from the OEM, but LOTS of errors in HIS, both of what it showed vs. what was really there and what he claimed was there and simply wasn't!
Completely wasted time.
The best bang for my buck was starting a brand new diagram of "This is what is there."
And then, only AFTER I did that could I compare it to what I wanted to do, which I developed NOT from what was there but from what was right and necessary. A real design.
Then I figured out whether whatever I wanted to have finally was worth either changing and modifying what was there or whether I had to rip sections out and start over.
Make a design of what you want.
Document what you have.
Make comparisons and decide the physical things you need to do.
Forget some pie-in-the-sky OEM "what could have beens."

I say this from a 40 year engineering career where a lot of my work was investigating old buildings, analyzing them for reuse of various kinds, and figuring out what it would take to make it what my clients wanted. The very last thing I ever asked for were the oringinal plans. Why? Besides the fact that few had them, it was almost guaranteed they hadn't been kept up to date anway.
Why bother?

Same things for our boats.

Indeed, one of the most valuable diagrams I drew was the wiring behind my nav station instrument panel, which never appeared in any OEM diagrams anyway.

And even if your goal is to eventually replicate what was supposed to be there, please know that electrical systems of that vintage have been superseded by newer and better bare bones designs.

Good luck.
 
Apr 15, 2019
39
S2 11 A Toledo Beach, Lake Erie
Thanks Stu Jackson for the advice. Specifically, hoped an original wiring diagram would help me understand how the mast lights work. The anchor light and steaming light were either both on or both off. When the steaming light switch is on, both mast lights are on. Both went off when the bow and stern navigation lights went on, and on with the navigation lights off. So the mast versus navigation lights are working like a household three way switch. Of course I want the steaming light to stay on and the anchor light to go off when the bow and stern lights are on if we are motoring. I thought putting them on separate breakers would solve the problem, but it doesn't. In addition, A mysterious yellow wire shows up coming out of the inaccessible part of the conduit between the lazarette and the bilge and goes up the mast in addition to the red wire for the steaming light, and the green wire for the anchor light. It is not critical since we are not planning to sail or motor at night, but I would like to understand what is going on and maybe fix it.
 
Sep 9, 2014
30
Hunter 26.5 26.5 North Bay
Congrats on getting a 26.5, got mine 5 years ago and find it a great sailor. Also almost unbeatable in PHRF racing. If you go to the resouces tab there is an owners manual for the 26.5 that has some basic electrical wiring buried in the last pages.
https://sbo.sailboatowners.com/downloads/Hunter_26.5_10089783.pdf
This resource also give some great mods. Biggest one is to install genny track and a bigger headsail.
 
Apr 15, 2019
39
S2 11 A Toledo Beach, Lake Erie
Thanks SailorJohnCa! We finally got it out in the big lake (Michigan) and both sails up this weekend. The previous owner used a big genoa she had made for the boat. The main is original, blownout and in need of replacement. She also had Genoa travellers (same thing I suppose) installed (apparently not standard equipment?). Even with the track installed, I was concerned about the the jib/genoa sheets getting caught up and rubbing along the shrouds, but it sounds as if this might be normal. We are really struggling to learn how to use an outboard for docking and departing, especially with a tiller and fixed orientation of the outboard prop, and the prop off to the side of midline! At least those are all our excuses.
 
Sep 9, 2014
30
Hunter 26.5 26.5 North Bay
Not sure why you have problems with the shrouds, is it when you tack. Once sheeted in, inside the lifelines the sail makes a nice shape. As per my little picture on my profile pic. My Genny is a 160. Another thing for speed is if you pole out the sail downwind the boat seems to go way faster than any other similar and larger boats.
 
Apr 15, 2019
39
S2 11 A Toledo Beach, Lake Erie
Sorry I was not clear. When tacking, I have had some trouble getting the big genoa (I don't think it is as big as your 160, but it is big) past the shrouds, the knot on the genoa sheets and the genoa itself gets hung up on the shrouds and rubs against them. My husband who was brought up on power boats, thought I was going to capsize our boat the first time it was close hauled in a stiff breeze! Your dark headsail looks very sharp!
 
Sep 9, 2014
30
Hunter 26.5 26.5 North Bay
Ok, that can happen if you try to force the headsail across. When tacking, get the boat turning across the wind and just let the wind take the headsail over. The trick is to control the sheet but don’t sheet in until you are past head to wind.
 
Apr 15, 2019
39
S2 11 A Toledo Beach, Lake Erie
Thanks. I think I do sometimes anticipate it. We had a few failed tacks in light morning winds this past weekend and I am sure that is exactly what happened.