Hello all, I just purchased a 1991 Beneteau 370 Oceanis. It was a strange deal, long story and bottom line is I have no manuals or diagrams or schematics. So I am going to have to "wing it" or get answers from fellow Benetear owners. The 12v switch panel is a breaker panel or are they just swithces? The white switch below the voltmeter, is that supposed to be a main switch that kills all the switches at one time? The reason I ask is because as of now, it does not. The white switch turns on the spreader lights, and does not shut all the other switches off. The "deck light" switch is missing (probably broke) so the previous owner must have thrown the circuit on the white switch, and dissabled the "main" feature of it. (Assuming the white is a main switch) Any help or input by an owner that has some experience with what I'm talking about would be greatly appreciated! Thanks fellas, Jack Ohlanger Buttercup B-36
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Amityville Mystery
Feb.25, 2001 Dear Jack, Congratulations on the new boat , and as you have learned now the fun begins sorting out what is what. First if possible try to get in touch with the previous owner to get some answers, although from the sounds of things that might not be possible. Second to address your two questions, the tape in the head shopuldd be a mixing valve. Look under the sink their should be two water lines in. If not, then it is straight cold water. Second on the panel, those should be breakers, not just switches. If they were just switches the breakers would be elsewhere, which is not how Beneteau built the panels. If you want to check, look behind the panel. Breakers are larger then simple switches, and switches don't usually come with LED's. As to the big white switch you refer to I have no idea what that is. May be one of the other owners can fill us in. If not and you aren't handy with a multi meter it may be time to call in an eletrician to sort things out. Good luck with the new boat. Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.net aboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Feb.25, 2001 Dear Jack, Congratulations on the new boat , and as you have learned now the fun begins sorting out what is what. First if possible try to get in touch with the previous owner to get some answers, although from the sounds of things that might not be possible. Second to address your two questions, the tape in the head shopuldd be a mixing valve. Look under the sink their should be two water lines in. If not, then it is straight cold water. Second on the panel, those should be breakers, not just switches. If they were just switches the breakers would be elsewhere, which is not how Beneteau built the panels. If you want to check, look behind the panel. Breakers are larger then simple switches, and switches don't usually come with LED's. As to the big white switch you refer to I have no idea what that is. May be one of the other owners can fill us in. If not and you aren't handy with a multi meter it may be time to call in an eletrician to sort things out. Good luck with the new boat. Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.net aboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Brian, Thanks for response
Brian, I neglected to mention that I am a certified master mechanic. (unfortunately, for cars!
) So the boat is a new realm for me. That's not to say; that with some advice or guidance or manuals, it should'nt be that big a problem. Do you know if Beneteau still makes manuals for the 1991 era boats? Schematics would really solve my problem. By the by, I bought the boat from the estate of the previous owner. (No longer around to answer any questions, until the next life.........) Thanks again, Jack Ohlanger Buttercup B-36
Brian, I neglected to mention that I am a certified master mechanic. (unfortunately, for cars!
) So the boat is a new realm for me. That's not to say; that with some advice or guidance or manuals, it should'nt be that big a problem. Do you know if Beneteau still makes manuals for the 1991 era boats? Schematics would really solve my problem. By the by, I bought the boat from the estate of the previous owner. (No longer around to answer any questions, until the next life.........) Thanks again, Jack Ohlanger Buttercup B-36Brian, I have an update!
I was down at the boat today to take a better look at the circuit panel. Upon close inspection it is evident that the white switch below the volt meter was installed by someone other than Beneteau. If you look closely, I was able to see that the hole was crudely drilled through the panel front and a similar looking, switch was installed that turns on the spreader lights. Even the surveyor that that was a "main" switch, so I don't feel foolish. So if anyone can tell me if the original swith for the "deck lights" is still available through Beneteau, I would appreciate it. Thanks again, Jack B-36
I was down at the boat today to take a better look at the circuit panel. Upon close inspection it is evident that the white switch below the volt meter was installed by someone other than Beneteau. If you look closely, I was able to see that the hole was crudely drilled through the panel front and a similar looking, switch was installed that turns on the spreader lights. Even the surveyor that that was a "main" switch, so I don't feel foolish. So if anyone can tell me if the original swith for the "deck lights" is still available through Beneteau, I would appreciate it. Thanks again, Jack B-36
Good news and Bad news
Feb.26, 2001 Dear Jack, First the bad news: Beneteau manuals such as they are are woefully inadequate for what you want. I mean no use whatsoever. Now the good news: Jack, your a master mechanic. I wish I had your skills when I started boating. Heck, I wish I had your skills now! The bottom line is that your going to have to create your own schematic to sort things out, but once you open up the panel and start tracing lines you will find that it isn't that big of a deal. he engine manual is available at most chandleries that carry marine books and if not there then from the distributor in your area. On your question about replacing the part Beneteau should be able to help you with that; call customer service at : 843 - 423 - 6459. If not the breakers are available through marine wholesalers and chandleries. Fair WInds, Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.net aboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Feb.26, 2001 Dear Jack, First the bad news: Beneteau manuals such as they are are woefully inadequate for what you want. I mean no use whatsoever. Now the good news: Jack, your a master mechanic. I wish I had your skills when I started boating. Heck, I wish I had your skills now! The bottom line is that your going to have to create your own schematic to sort things out, but once you open up the panel and start tracing lines you will find that it isn't that big of a deal. he engine manual is available at most chandleries that carry marine books and if not there then from the distributor in your area. On your question about replacing the part Beneteau should be able to help you with that; call customer service at : 843 - 423 - 6459. If not the breakers are available through marine wholesalers and chandleries. Fair WInds, Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.net aboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Ordered the Breaker Today
I called Beneteau this mornign and ordered the breaker for the deck lights. I think I'll just leave the extra switch in place, it will look better than taking it out. Maybe I will even find some use for it downt the road. AS far as the manuals, the parts department said the manuals are just coming out in digital form and should be ready by next week. They can print me a set for $10.00. Not bad, except as you say, they're gonna be useless. I was afraid that your going to be correct when you say these are things I'm just going to have to figure out on my own. I hate doing that, would be so nice to have schematics. My battery banks are loused up.Those funky switches in the aft cabin do not isolate the batteries. Somebody monkied around with them. The gell cells went dead so somebody piggybacked wet cells in the aft starboard locker. Somehow just tied them all together. I replaced the 2 dead gell cells with hi output automotive sealed, dry cells. I will plan on keeping the wet cells that are on board in the aft, but reconfigure the elcetrical assignments, and hook them up so I have 2 banks of 2 wet cells, instead of 5 who knows what!? I will let you know how this plays out. Talk to you soon!] Thaks again Brian, Jack Ohlanger
I called Beneteau this mornign and ordered the breaker for the deck lights. I think I'll just leave the extra switch in place, it will look better than taking it out. Maybe I will even find some use for it downt the road. AS far as the manuals, the parts department said the manuals are just coming out in digital form and should be ready by next week. They can print me a set for $10.00. Not bad, except as you say, they're gonna be useless. I was afraid that your going to be correct when you say these are things I'm just going to have to figure out on my own. I hate doing that, would be so nice to have schematics. My battery banks are loused up.Those funky switches in the aft cabin do not isolate the batteries. Somebody monkied around with them. The gell cells went dead so somebody piggybacked wet cells in the aft starboard locker. Somehow just tied them all together. I replaced the 2 dead gell cells with hi output automotive sealed, dry cells. I will plan on keeping the wet cells that are on board in the aft, but reconfigure the elcetrical assignments, and hook them up so I have 2 banks of 2 wet cells, instead of 5 who knows what!? I will let you know how this plays out. Talk to you soon!] Thaks again Brian, Jack Ohlanger
On batteries...
Feb.27,2001 Dear Jack, Thanks for the update. I think you might have a problem with your battery selection though. High output automotive are O.K. for starter batteries but they willl not give you the life span you want for the house bank, the latest thinking there tends to favour one large house bank and if you don't go with gel cells, and many people are shifting away from them, then the choice becomes group 27 deep cycle wet cells (commonly referred to as golf cart batteries). The most popular choice is made by Trojan, and they are about 105 amp hour batteries. These are 6 volt batteries that you wire in series to get `12 volts and then wire a bunch of them in parallel to get the amps you want. You might want to take a look through the archives for discussions on gel cells vs. wet cells. etc. We have Trojans on board here ( 8 of them in two banks), and have been very satisfied with their performance. As an after thought, if your looking for a good overall manual on boat maitenance the best in the business is Nigel Calder's Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual. Fair Winds, Brian Pickton, aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Feb.27,2001 Dear Jack, Thanks for the update. I think you might have a problem with your battery selection though. High output automotive are O.K. for starter batteries but they willl not give you the life span you want for the house bank, the latest thinking there tends to favour one large house bank and if you don't go with gel cells, and many people are shifting away from them, then the choice becomes group 27 deep cycle wet cells (commonly referred to as golf cart batteries). The most popular choice is made by Trojan, and they are about 105 amp hour batteries. These are 6 volt batteries that you wire in series to get `12 volts and then wire a bunch of them in parallel to get the amps you want. You might want to take a look through the archives for discussions on gel cells vs. wet cells. etc. We have Trojans on board here ( 8 of them in two banks), and have been very satisfied with their performance. As an after thought, if your looking for a good overall manual on boat maitenance the best in the business is Nigel Calder's Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual. Fair Winds, Brian Pickton, aboard the Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Brian, what do you think of this?
I knew you were going to say something about those automotive batteries. My problem is that I cannot find marine batteries small enough to fit into the well in front of the engine. I picked up a pair of Delco 70DT7YR batteries that have a 675 cca rating. I know they may not be "deep cycle" but I needed a set of batteries to get me through surveyor process. This boat has been on the hard for 2 years, the previous owner passed away, that's how I came accross this boat. I charged up the existing wet cells (which were new, just prior to the owner's passing) and they took a great charge. What I will do for now, is wire the batteries in two banks of two batteries, consisting of one marine and one automotive battery for now. Once I get some more time to decipher the boats habits and quirks, I'll think about a better "house system". For now, I have only my automotive expertise to guide me in a logical approach to this. As more marine experience comes into play, I can change my thinking a bit. I'm gonna have to "dope" out what's going on with those three switches in the aft cabin. They don't seem to isolate the batteries at all. (Probably because the previous owner tied them all together when he installed the new batteries in the cockpit locker. Oh well, just more to do this spring. I already have a major teak restoration job ahead of me on this boat. Fortunately; the interior is very clean. (Wife takes care of the inside anyway) Thanks again Brian, Jack
I knew you were going to say something about those automotive batteries. My problem is that I cannot find marine batteries small enough to fit into the well in front of the engine. I picked up a pair of Delco 70DT7YR batteries that have a 675 cca rating. I know they may not be "deep cycle" but I needed a set of batteries to get me through surveyor process. This boat has been on the hard for 2 years, the previous owner passed away, that's how I came accross this boat. I charged up the existing wet cells (which were new, just prior to the owner's passing) and they took a great charge. What I will do for now, is wire the batteries in two banks of two batteries, consisting of one marine and one automotive battery for now. Once I get some more time to decipher the boats habits and quirks, I'll think about a better "house system". For now, I have only my automotive expertise to guide me in a logical approach to this. As more marine experience comes into play, I can change my thinking a bit. I'm gonna have to "dope" out what's going on with those three switches in the aft cabin. They don't seem to isolate the batteries at all. (Probably because the previous owner tied them all together when he installed the new batteries in the cockpit locker. Oh well, just more to do this spring. I already have a major teak restoration job ahead of me on this boat. Fortunately; the interior is very clean. (Wife takes care of the inside anyway) Thanks again Brian, Jack
Electrical planning
Feb.28,2001 Hi Jack, I was going to say don't wire the automotive and marine batteries together in a single bank because they have radically different charging rates, holdover rates, etc. and that the lower charged battery will drain down the higher charged battery. But then I realized what your saying about the switches means that they are all wired together in one big bank anyway, so mixing the batteries together makes no difference. In the current set up you are going to have real charging issues to deal with and I would be very careful of overcharging one of the banks while trying to charge the lower bank. As I'm sure you know overcharging will kill batteries just as fast as undercharging. You might consider taking the old batteries off line and equalizing them if they fail to hold that great charge they took. I'll tell you what, I think getting those switches straightened out is going to move right to the top of your priority list because you are not going to be happy with it over the long run. You should only need two switches to control two house banks plus the starter battery, provided the switches have off, 1, 2 and all settings. Then you use one switch to control the two house banks and the other switch to control the starter bank and tap into the house banks if the starter bank fails. Looks like you have your work cut out for you sussing it all out, so good luck with it. Fair winds, Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.net aboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Feb.28,2001 Hi Jack, I was going to say don't wire the automotive and marine batteries together in a single bank because they have radically different charging rates, holdover rates, etc. and that the lower charged battery will drain down the higher charged battery. But then I realized what your saying about the switches means that they are all wired together in one big bank anyway, so mixing the batteries together makes no difference. In the current set up you are going to have real charging issues to deal with and I would be very careful of overcharging one of the banks while trying to charge the lower bank. As I'm sure you know overcharging will kill batteries just as fast as undercharging. You might consider taking the old batteries off line and equalizing them if they fail to hold that great charge they took. I'll tell you what, I think getting those switches straightened out is going to move right to the top of your priority list because you are not going to be happy with it over the long run. You should only need two switches to control two house banks plus the starter battery, provided the switches have off, 1, 2 and all settings. Then you use one switch to control the two house banks and the other switch to control the starter bank and tap into the house banks if the starter bank fails. Looks like you have your work cut out for you sussing it all out, so good luck with it. Fair winds, Brian Pickton of BeneteauOwners.net aboard The Legend, Rodney Bay, St. Lucia
Jack; re: electric panel and switches. The panel is made by,(at least the one in my boat is) Bass Industries in the northeast. I've ordered breakers thru them. Re: the ON/OFF switches in the aft stateroom; you might have the same wiring scheme my boat had when I bought it. There is a heavy jumper between the two switches, used for emergency engine starting. Remove that jumper and the switches will isolate your batteries. The center one is engine start, the after one is house battery. Rodney is right, don't combine different battery types. I use two Trojan 8Ds in the aft lazzarette for house batts and a Group 24 for engine start under the ladder. My first two years of Bene ownership (after owning a few other boats) was a steep learning curve that has yet to flatten out, so take heart. Larry W. OC400 Moondance Long Beach, CA
Larry, tell me again?
Larry, thanks for the response. Tell me again how the 3 swithes in the aft cabin are supposed to work? Now, if the black switch is off, everything off. Turn black switch on and the reds don't seem to matter. I would appreciate your input here. Thanks, Jack
Larry, thanks for the response. Tell me again how the 3 swithes in the aft cabin are supposed to work? Now, if the black switch is off, everything off. Turn black switch on and the reds don't seem to matter. I would appreciate your input here. Thanks, Jack
Jack's electric panel
Jack; My switches work thus; the forward one, black, is master ground. Shut off, nothing works. The center one, red, is engine start, puts the start battery in circuit, the aft one is house. It must be on to put the house batts in circuit, and this includes all electronics and instruments. My boat had a short piece of cable between the engine start and the house switch, to enable the house batteries to be used to start the engine in an emergency and to charge both banks from a single source, be it alternator or shore charger, but this allowed the house load to draw on the engine start battery, not a good situation. I removed that jumper to separate the banks, and to allow single-source charging installed a combiner, a device that will combine the banks when it senses a rising voltage, as from a charger, but when voltage falls to a preset level, it disconnects the banks, keeping the engine start battery fully charged. If your DC panel works with the red switches OFF, check to see which side of them the shore charger is hooked to, it may be connected wrong. It should connect to the battery side of the switch, not the load side. Hope this helps. Contact me off-line if you like: svmoondance@hotmail.com
Jack; My switches work thus; the forward one, black, is master ground. Shut off, nothing works. The center one, red, is engine start, puts the start battery in circuit, the aft one is house. It must be on to put the house batts in circuit, and this includes all electronics and instruments. My boat had a short piece of cable between the engine start and the house switch, to enable the house batteries to be used to start the engine in an emergency and to charge both banks from a single source, be it alternator or shore charger, but this allowed the house load to draw on the engine start battery, not a good situation. I removed that jumper to separate the banks, and to allow single-source charging installed a combiner, a device that will combine the banks when it senses a rising voltage, as from a charger, but when voltage falls to a preset level, it disconnects the banks, keeping the engine start battery fully charged. If your DC panel works with the red switches OFF, check to see which side of them the shore charger is hooked to, it may be connected wrong. It should connect to the battery side of the switch, not the load side. Hope this helps. Contact me off-line if you like: svmoondance@hotmail.com
Owner's manuel
I had great sucess with calling Ward Richardson at Beneteau USA. He got an owners manuel for my "french" built 1992 45f5
I had great sucess with calling Ward Richardson at Beneteau USA. He got an owners manuel for my "french" built 1992 45f5
Thanks Jeff
Now that I have owned the boat for just over a month, I have come to learn quite a bit about the electric and plumbing aboard. Ward and Todd, are just great down there in Marion, S.C.. They sent me the owner's manual (however light on the technicalities it may be) It is sure nice dealing with those guys and a company that's still in business. I love my Beneteau. Can't wait to get her in the water! Jack
Now that I have owned the boat for just over a month, I have come to learn quite a bit about the electric and plumbing aboard. Ward and Todd, are just great down there in Marion, S.C.. They sent me the owner's manual (however light on the technicalities it may be) It is sure nice dealing with those guys and a company that's still in business. I love my Beneteau. Can't wait to get her in the water! Jack
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