Weekend progress on the BB3 (Pics)

K

Kevin T

Active member
Working hard to get the new boat ready for season opener (Oct 2 in Minnesota)...finished the interior, wiring and fuel setup.

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A (very) experienced boat builder recommended gluing the deck with 5200 rather than use epoxy and fillets. Epoxy is stronger, but 5200 remains flexible over time. Avoiding the need for under deck fillets is appealing too. This approach allowed me to finish the interior without a deck in the way.

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There's a million ways to configure fuel and batteries. I wanted as much weight forward as I could get. I lost some storage space, but I'm hoping this should help trim the boat and make it handle better. I won't need much access to the battery as the electrical system is set up with charging lugs near the distribution panel.

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A removable subfloor under the splash well will keep gear dry and allow for drainage.

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Deck and motor this week. Sea trials in two weeks!
 
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Kevin, Nice work! I am glad I didn't start one this year because there is no way I would be done by the opener. Do you hunt the early goose? Must not have if you worked on the boat, I didn't either mostly due to lack of access but then the are all the other pesky things that get in the way. Season's a' comin!!! Make sure you let us know how it runs w/o the motor well. Maybe we can get out and run them a bit together.
 
You'll have to make sure your gun or push pole or anything doesnt come into contact with your charging lugs, or you might see sparks. I was going to do mine the same way but ended up using a female plug then I took the male side of the plug put whip on it and clip the charger there. Boat looks great. Just my two cents.
 
Tod:

The bolts fill two purposes. First, they act as a type of bus bar so I don't have to run wires back and forth to the battery. Most of the wiring connections are behind the switch panel (everything grounds to the negative post, which is connected to the negative battery post). Second, the motor is a pull start so no generator is available to charge the battery. The bolts make for eash connections when hooking up a battery charger - necessary since I put the battery under the deck and behind a fuel tank. I could have purchased an on board charger but this should allow me to use the equipment I already have.

There are risks associated with this setup...I need to come up with screw on caps to protect against accidental short circuits. I should also install a master switch in case of trouble behind the panel - just haven't done it yet.

Kevin
 
Tom:

It would be a lot of fun to work the bugs out of this boat with another DBHP member. If you're up to it we can test the transom innovation together.

Kevin
 
You might be able to put an inline fuse on the hot. Just an idea. I just know my luck and the first time I went out, my gun would slide over them and i'd have a burn down the side of it. Todd
 
Kevin,
You have done a wonderful job on the boat and the best part about these builds are the custom details we put into them. I like the remote charging system. I setup the gas and battery similar to you in my BBIII.
 
b e ute t full job there ,,my 2 cents on charging put a cap cover over the two of them at once,one that you have to remove with a screw or latch so things dont go sparky in the nite on ya...just buttons or zippers dog chains etc ....one would not want mans best friend to be severly pissed off at you in the dark dirty hours before lite... i can see you trying to calm said mans best friend down and try to get near the motor meanwhile drifting hopelessly away...................

Its not me .......for the love of god .....ouch!!! *&%^*&^%&*(%($^($^(^%$^$($(^&$ dog.....

shermie...

sorry over active imagination born outa the 70`s and 80 `s i think!!!
 
Tod:

The bolts fill two purposes. First, they act as a type of bus bar so I don't have to run wires back and forth to the battery. Most of the wiring connections are behind the switch panel (everything grounds to the negative post, which is connected to the negative battery post). Second, the motor is a pull start so no generator is available to charge the battery. The bolts make for eash connections when hooking up a battery charger - necessary since I put the battery under the deck and behind a fuel tank. I could have purchased an on board charger but this should allow me to use the equipment I already have.

There are risks associated with this setup...I need to come up with screw on caps to protect against accidental short circuits. I should also install a master switch in case of trouble behind the panel - just haven't done it yet.

Kevin
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I think you need to rethink that design.
 
Tod:

Other than an errant spark, which can be mitigated by covering the lugs, are there other problems you foresee? Enlighten me...thanks.

Kevin
 
Tod:

Other than an errant spark, which can be mitigated by covering the lugs, are there other problems you foresee? Enlighten me...thanks.

Kevin
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From a mechanics stand point, there is a serious potential to burn out all the electrical components attached to those lugs,(lights, bilge, switch panel, etc). It will feed back through the system into the battery and then back out to everything. There is also a serious potential to cause a battery expolsion as well from a short. It really is a serious danger, from a design stand point. There are plenty of inexpensive fuse blocks that have a cover and accessory lugs that are fused and rated for what your trying to accomplish. The 50 bucks you spend on one will save you money in the long run. BTW boat is looking good. Chris
 
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Tod
To be honest I did not see an issue with the remote charging you built but now that its been pointed out could it not be resolved by connecting the bolts through heavy gauge wire (which I assume already exists) to the battery. Then returning a second pair of wires from the battery to power the switches?
 
Good idea using 5200, when the surface is prep'ed properly that stuff is unbelievable!

thats a really cool idea for charging the batteries, i was wondering that myself. Beats the hell out of dragging the battery in and out of the boat to do it!
Boat is looking like a hunting machine! great job!


Dan
 
I have some plastic nuts with a dome. They would not expose any of the screw post if you screwed them over the end of the bolts.
 
Tod:

Other than an errant spark, which can be mitigated by covering the lugs, are there other problems you foresee? Enlighten me...thanks.

Kevin
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Kevin, there are issues on many levels, as some have been pointed out. My biggest concern are the male lugs. Look at all approved devices of making electrical connections, a hot terminal is usually (always?) inside a female fixture to avoid shock or a short. Appropriate fixtures exist to do what you want to do. Onboard battery chargers exist already, I'd look at them as well. Finally the lugs don't appear to be insulated from each other appropriately. Dry wood is a good insulator, wet wood is not, you have to design using materials appropriate for the job, wood is not appropriate.

You have no battery shut off, this is an important safety item. You need one.

I don't know what size wire you have running to the front, but it would have to be pretty meaty. If you have done the calculations, then you are fine. If you haven't then you should - they are easy. Marine wire size is not as house wiring - it usually needs to be larger than you would think.

As an aside it looks like water will be able to penetrate your flotation chamber through the panel, which is not waterproof, so your chamber can fill with water and your foam saturate over time.

You have enough issues there that I'm nervous for you and it suggests that you may need to learn some more about marine wiring. My suggestion is that you read up on wiring for boats, something like the 12V bible to make sure you are okay. You have several dangerous things there that suggest to me that you need to take a break and figgure out where you need to go before proceeding.

Tod
 
Tod:

As always, your thoughts are appreciated. The lugs are really the only thing that I have any concerns with. As you and others have pointed out there is the potential for a short if they aren't covered properly. I am relying on the wood to act as an insulator - if gets wet I could have problems, but if that wood gets wet I'm going to have more immediate problems to worry about (like staying afloat and avoiding hypothermia).

The whole system is based on #12 marine grade wire - more than enough to support nav lights and a bilge pump. If I install a new motor with electric start I'll rewire as needed. The conduit was built with a future upgrade in mind and I can pull bigger wire if load requirements mandate a change.

As for the flotation foam, there is a sealed pvc box behind it. I had the same concerns you pointed out and designed accordingly.

To me, boat building is about adapting to one's needs and hunting environment. Devlin designed a truly impressive hunting platform with the BB3, but I've decided to tailor it to my needs. I don't pretend to be an expert with this stuff. I seek constructive input from people more experienced than myself, weigh the options and forge ahead.

I've said it before and will probably say it again - I love this site and all of the knowledge we share in this "community". I'll keep you and the rest posted on progress or problems as they occur.

Thanks everyone - looking forward to the opener.

Kevin
 
Kevin the fix for the two power studs can be as simple or as complicated as you want to make it.
This blade type fuse holder is a way to make the circuit protected from a dead short and can act as your disconnect when you are not charging. Splice it in to the positive wire seven inches from the battery stud and you are good to go or put it in conduit up to 40 inches away from the stud. Pull the fuse and the positive is dead and safe.
If you jumped working loads off the back of the studs you need to think how to separate them so you can isolate the studs when not charging.

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2103778&CAWELAID=107598781

If you want it switched you could use a more expensive resettable breaker but you still need to get them isolated during regular use so they are not a welding situation waiting to happen.
Charging is a 10% voltage drop category under the boat builders code and you should be OK with a short run of 12 if you keep charge current under 30 amps.

This will get you your wire size requirements based on your length of run and amperage.

http://beta.circuitwizard.bluesea.com/
 
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