A25 Refresh

Hi all - if you don't mind me chiming in. - Sunset's pictures look very familiar to me as my A25 looked almost identical in terms of the wiring, although I would say mine was a bit more tragic. I guess that is just something to face with these old boats.

I just spent quite a few hours (months) tearing out virtually all of the wiring in the wiring panel and battery box areas. I left the factory wiring runs in as they were mostly ok. Nothing electrical worked on the boat when I got it, except the starter and a few lights.

Rather than a battery switch, I set everything up on the house batteries and ran an echo charger to the start battery. I constructed a battery box similar to what you have (mine was a rotted flat piece of ply when I got it) and used two 6v golf cart batteries plus a marine starting battery. I installed a fan to cool the box and a temp sensor for it.

I used two Blue Sea fuse blocks in the wiring cabinet and ran everything through there, with the exception of a Blue Sea switch panel on the helm for the lights, bilge, etc. That switch panel is fused with 10a on each switch. Boat had basically every wire run directly from the 12v battery to a switch with no fuse or breaker when I got it.

It had no way to charge the battery when I got it - even the alternator wasn't charging due to a faulty key switch not energizing the field. Now I can charge via shore power, solar, and engine alternator. Everything charges the house batteries, and they take care of the starting battery through the echo charger.

Best decision I made was to rip the existing junk wiring out. I found literally pounds of wire that went nowhere - whole multi-conductor cables (not original) that were just chopped off but still in place. I'll post a pic of the wire that came out but did not go back in. Life got much easier with a clean slate.

I changed everything over to LED and installed a battery monitor. With every light on my boat on, the draw is barely 1 amp - just one of the festoon incandescent lights drew that much before.

The boat came with radar - the seller didn't list it on the ad or include in the price since it wasn't working. I found the cable terminated under console - not connected to anything. Connected to 12v and the radar fired up and went to work. Score.

Shore power is a connector routed to some household Romex and a few outlets, with no breaker. Breaker will be installed.

I tossed the macerating toilet overboard and will install a porta-pottie in its place. No place I plan to run the boat will allow that bottom-dumping toilet. The enormous through-hull bugs me now. I have the seacock shut off but man that is a big opening in the hull. In hindsight I may have been able to install a holding tank instead.

There's lots more to talk about on it but I'll stop here.

-George

Great job George!

Total rewire. - That's what most of us with 30+ year old boats should be doing. Its just that we don't want to be out of commission for long, so we just add another circuit. Maybe next year.

Pictures!!!!

Have enjoyed reading of your electrical project, Gun Pilot!

Our A-25, the Du NORD came to us very much like yours. I agree, an electrical mess pretty much goes with the territory in these old Albins. I am about to rip out ours and use a couple of circuit breaker units (one to include meters) instead of the fuse bar having multiple wires leading off each fuse. Like your boat, only the ignition and a few lights worked when we got her.

However, after a lifetime of sailing, the last 18 in a 28-ft trailerable Yawl, we are starting to become real fond of our 1976 Albin.

Plus one one the pic demand Gunpilot! Battery room AND back of panel. I have finished the battery room and installed the breaker panel but have left the fuse panel a rats nest for the time being as I finish painting the deck, bottom paint, hull polish and shine. Escaping the damn wiring for a while. I figure I can do the house circuits after launch.

On deck I have finished Undercoater (prime) and sanding and just waiting for a clear shot of weather to begin first coat of Easy Poxy off-white. Could not remove all deck hardware.

I am just now remounting ALL of the Du NORD's deck hardware. Everything above the hull/deck joint had been removed in Nov for professional repainting in Dec. The only things left to do are the handrails and the canvas snaps; that was a formidable pile of hardware.

Nick - here's hoping we never dock side by side!

I'll get some pics up but I don't know how photogenic my panel is. It started out looking pretty good and then the wires took over. The difference is, they are all connected to something now, and fused, and they work.

Here's a pic of the stuff that came out that didn't go back in, either because it wasn't connected to anything, didn't work, or wasn't needed after updating stuff:

The forum doesn't seem to like Dropbox links so I'll have to upload the pics elsewhere. In the meantime, I am almost ready to splash the boat. Need an aircleaner sock for the intake and a few other odds and ends.

In other news, last night a huge branch from the neighbor's tree broke off and landed less than a foot behind the boat where it's parked on the trailer :/ Would have crushed the boat if it landed on it.

We may have more in common than Albin-25's, Suinstreak! I used to have a 14-ft Crestliner Jetstreak, an aluminum runnabout that had a pair of tailfins like a 1957 Chrysler. I bought if well-used in the 1970's and converted it to a trailerable sailboat. It looked weird but worked well.

I believe I've seen pics of that model. Truly unique! I'm going to sell mine to help pay for Albin upgrades.