TDB Classic 14 Wiring

C

Chris F

New member
Just bought a 14' TDB-was hoping to wire up an LED light stick on the bow, a bilge and a row of LED strips in the interior of the cockpit. I am unsure of where or how best to mount a battery and switch panel to run the lights and bilge. Would anyone who has done this sort of work to their TDB mind posting a few picture of where they mounted the switch panel and battery. Any any helpful tips of where or where not to mount would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Chris
 
I've got the (6) switch fused panel flush mounted in the rear sidewall of mine (Left) powered by a 12v battery inline fused located in the stern cutout enclosed in battery box (Right)

That powers 4 Red Cre Led's under the L/R shelving + Bow/Stern
Then a 18" Recon LED bar at the bow.
Navigation Lights + 12v Outlet

Congrats on the purchase, great boats mine's on it's 26th season..

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Nice rig but do you really shoot three hunters out of a 14'boat, I feel cramped with one other in the boat. She is a beautiful set up though. If that were mine the dog would have a chair too.
 
Nice rig but do you really shoot three hunters out of a 14'boat, I feel cramped with one other in the boat. She is a beautiful set up though. If that were mine the dog would have a chair too.
Click to expand...

Thanks Tom, I film/photograph alot of the hunts usually hunt 2 + dog but occasionally I've got a camera guy along side the hunt with us. Chairs fold up in the bow for storage been very happy with it so far.
 
Thank you for posting this pictures Anthony...awesome looking interior. Was there any issue in cutting into the flotation pod to install the switch board? Did you do the install/wiring yourself?

Are you able to charge the battery off the outboard? or are you charging it up before each trip with a 110v charger?

Chris
 
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Thanks, I cut into the flotation carved out a section then reinforced the interior sidewalls with a layer of matting & 1/3 strip of wood so the actual screws would grab mounting the panel. Before I sealed it up with 5200 I filled the seam around the panel with spray foam (Great Stuff Brand) then sealed it up to keep any water out.
Did it all myself yes. I use the boat year round for hunting, Clamming & Crabbing in the offseason. I remove the battery to charge fully. Also have a small onboard trickle solar charger I purchased on Amazon I connect when docked so always topped off.
I've charged the battery once since purchased, these LED's don't draw nearly as much as older halogens.
 
Again thanks for the detailed description about mounting the switch panel. Im going to aim for a similar layout, thanks to your advice. What sort of wire gauge did you find sufficient to connect from the battery terminals to the switch panel, and then on to each of the lights and/or bilge?

Thanks,
Chris
 
Chris,

For the main terminal wires to Batt I used 1/0 GA
For the switches / Accessories I used 12GA
Make it watertight, shrink tubing, electrical greese & enclosed battery box.
 
Nice setup Anthony. I have a 1999 14 SeaClass. My battery is on the aft portside in the decoy shelf. The battery tie-down clips snapped off years ago and gravity holds it in place. Mine has a battery switch. Not a bad idea but you can eliminate that if you don't want to spend the money. Isolates everything but the engine from the battery, so no dead battery if you make a habit of switching off, and if a power draw accidentally gets left on. The battery switch is right near the battery on the stern bulkhead. My switch panel is just above that. My panel has only 4 switches so it's not that large. Switches are Running Lights, Cabin Lights, Bilge Pump, 12v outlets. Mine has 12 volt outlets on the aft and stern bulkheads. comes in handy for wired spotlights or to charge your phone. You probably want a 6 switch panel to add the bow LED strip. If your engine is electric start I think they all charge the battery when the engine is running. I rarely put mine on a charger. Now, my boat was made before LED light ropes were available, (as is yours if it's Classic). Mine has 3 incandescent lights, one in the forward storage compartment, and one each midway shining onto the shelves. All of the wiring is covered in a layer of fiberglass tape. Some day I'll probably replace them with LED rope, including below the shelves illuminating the decoy compartments.

Sorry no pictures. Camera broke on my phone a year ago.....

My only other advice is to choke on the price and buy MARINE GRADE tinned wire, MARINE GRADE heat shrink electrical fittings, and coat the fittings with liquid electric tape or silicone after you have everything together and tested.

JimG
 
Do either of you use a dog ladder on your TDB Classic? If so would you mind telling me what brand has worked well for the shape of the boat? Im assuming it is mounted off of the stern of the boat just the right or left of where you would be steering from-please correct me if im wrong.
 
TDB had a proprietary model they sold as an accessory during the Classic production years. I purchased one when I bought my TDB-14', kept it and use it on the TDB-17'. Only modifications I have made are to add a three foot section of edge molding to the platform and some closed cell pipe insulation to the face of the pads that contact the boat hull.
Email Olsen Marine in a couple of weeks, after they secure the molds and move them back east, and ask them if they intend to add these again to the boats they will be producing. I built a stand for mine that enables me to store it in the folded vertical position in the boat by mounting two fiberglass dowels in a 2 X 4 section of oak and mounting this down the center of the long access of an old laminated hardwood cutting board that we retired.
 
TDB had a proprietary model they sold as an accessory during the Classic production years. I purchased one when I bought my TDB-14', kept it and use it on the TDB-17'. Only modifications I have made are to add a three foot section of edge molding to the platform and some closed cell pipe insulation to the face of the pads that contact the boat hull.
Email Olsen Marine in a couple of weeks, after they secure the molds and move them back east, and ask them if they intend to add these again to the boats they will be producing. I built a stand for mine that enables me to store it in the folded vertical position in the boat by mounting two fiberglass dowels in a 2 X 4 section of oak and mounting this down the center of the long access of an old laminated hardwood cutting board that we retired.
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I got one of these with my Classic. Previous owner tried to make upper pad a step but I have restored it to original configuration. These platforms can be set near bow or stern. Stowage is a bit of a pain so I like the vertical rig idea described above.
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I had a TDB dog platform that came with the SC14 previously mentioned. I found it to be pretty near worthless. I found it to be worth $100 when I sold it.... Hope it worked out for Brad.

Are you open water hunting? I never had much issue getting my 85 pound lab back in the boat. Take the bird then he hooks his legs on the boat, put pressure on the back of his head and he can leverage himself back in.
 
Phil, Murray McHenry has one he is thinking of putting up for sale. He brought it along when they moved to Grand Marais from Iowa, after he sold the family hatchery. I will be hunting geese with him this fall, so I will inquire whether he is going to keep the boat or not. He is living in a beautiful area, but not the best site for duck hunting, particularly if the migration is weak or non-existent as it has been over the last two years, just not much bird movement along the Superior shoreline and adjacent inland lakes.
 
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