Thinking about re-wiring the control panel

[BlindCat]

Now the the boat is on the hard, and there is a long winter ahead, I am having thoughts of what the next big project will be.
When I open up my control panel I shudder to think of this project.
It is a mess of spaghetti in there, and there is not a schematic of the wiring to be found anywhere&$#^@.
Anyone out there taken on this task?
Does Anyone know where I may find a drawing?
I guess it is just a part of owning a old boat.

 

[Augora]

We are going to do the same thing. The big question is what are you going to replace it with or are you going to put back that France type confusion. We want to end up with simple wire splice blocks. Our method is slow and takes two steps. Identify the item you want to. take it and use wire locking nuts. This gets very messy as you continue to eliminate the French fuse/connectors. Once you have all the lines off, remove the connectors and clear the area. Check your line lenghts and starting putting on some of blocks and if you take your time it will look like a normal boat only neater. Good Luck, just do not rush it.

 

[DougM]

If there is a PDF copy of the manual for your boat on the BeneteauUSA website, it can be downloaded and should contain a wiring schematic. If not, perhaps another 285 owner knows of a source. Even though its a though it's a French built boat there could be something around that would help.

You are right about the "spaghetti" behind the panel. However, if you are fortunate, there may be numbers attached to those wires which would help you trace the circuits. Otherwise, it's going to be a good winter project to ring out the circuits and number them. Think of it as an educational endeavor.

 

[Ron20324]

... Think of it as an educational endeavor.

And make a schematic as you go!

 

[Augora]

A schematic is great but by freeing up all the back board gives you the opportunity to label the blocks which is easier when trying to fix and test in the future, not that anything can go wrong.