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T O P I C    R E V I E W
stanirish Posted - 01/10/2022 : 14:07:39
I have a 1980 Cat 25 and I want to replace the switch toggles on the panel since some of the wires have broken off from the back of the panel.
Catalina direct sells them as well as other companies like LED Supply; the are 10a 12v. The switches come with 2 black six inch leads. I understand that the 2 black wires are not + and - but get put in
the + or - line and the toggle just turns on or off the current.

Question: 1) is it a must you use the catalina direct switch for replacement which is also a simple 10a 12v and 2) how is the new switch put or cut in

10   L A T E S T    R E P L I E S    (Newest First)
islander Posted - 01/20/2022 : 11:12:20
My method that a marine mechanic showed me is to strip the end of the wire then insert the end into a tube of Permatex Black Silicone Adhesive Sealant or somthing similar. Insert the wire far enough to cover the bare wire and a bit of the wire cover with the silicone adheasive. Next insert the silicone covered wire into the terminal and crimp it. The silicone adheasive will fill and squeeze left and right filling the tube on the conector making the conection watrertight and very resistant to pulling apart once cured. The silicone adheasive never dries out or hardens and cracks. It remains rubbery and flexable.
Voyager Posted - 01/19/2022 : 20:57:59
Lee, I like the paint-on tape, I’ve used it elsewhere. Only problem is once you open the can, you have to use it within a few days or weeks, otherwise the can will cure and harden up. Shrink tubing works well to prevent shorts, provided you put it on the wires before you crimp on connectors, and you have to make sure to have large enough diameter tubing to fit your wires and terminals.
redeye Posted - 01/19/2022 : 13:57:07
I rebuilt my switch panel in June of 2010 and it still works fine with wrapped electrical tape.

before

midway

after

replaced the switches and fuse holders..

regards.ray
redeye Posted - 01/19/2022 : 11:13:19
Allied Electronics

https://www.alliedelec.com/product/carling-technologies/dc100-pb-b/70131567/

Carling Technologies DC100-PB-B

Im not sure that would fit gotta look at the specs.. but i imagine they have the part that will. My local electronics store closed so I'm back to online ordering.. not thrilled.

looks like Advanced Auto parts has Dorman 85906 toggle switch..

Lee Panza Posted - 01/18/2022 : 18:17:56
stanirish, and Bruce (and everyone else who - from first-hand experience - can appreciate what Bruce just said about checking the electrical tape on his wiring connections):

For at least a decade, now, I've been using "liquid electrical tape" products instead of vinyl electrical tape. This is a thick, paint-like coating that gets brushed onto the connection and sets up as a plastic-like coating completely enveloping the connection. It's waterproof, if you apply it out beyond anything that could leak, and it holds up much better than tape. Tape can leak, and the adhesive eventually seems to loosen and allow the tape to begin to unwind. This stuff doesn't. When I've needed to undo connections it's soft enough to peel off, but I haven't seen any indication of it peeling on its own. Just a suggestion.

Voyager Posted - 01/16/2022 : 20:09:37
When I replaced the wiring in my DC panel several winters ago, I brought the battery red and black power leads over to the panel on two #8AWG stranded wires with an inline fuse next to the battery on the red + side. I definitely used the Don Casey reference book to calculate loads and wire gauge.
I connected the + and - voltages to their own separate copper bus bars that I bought at the local hardware store. From there, I connected all the negative leads directly to the negative bus bar and connected each switch and fuse combination to the positive bus. From there I fed each switched circuit from its corresponding switch and it’s been working without a problem ever since.
I did make sure to wrap the positive leads and bus bars with black tape to prevent an accidental short circuit. I reckon that I ought to check that the tape is still in place this spring.
stanirish Posted - 01/14/2022 : 12:32:21
Thanks Leon for the info, the LED Supply switches ($2.50 each) work just fine and were easy to install once I realized I need to follow the color codes; red for running, blue for anchor etc. For my minimal electrical needs for my boat the newer switches are solid and I really didn't want to replace the whole board.
quote:
Originally posted by Leon Sisson

stanirish,

Re:  "is it a must you use the catalina direct switch for replacement"

I doubt there's anything special about the Catalina switches, other than the price associated with being sold by a company with "Yachts" in the name.  I would expect just about any reasonably good quality switch which fits where the old ones are, and meets the electrical current requirements, will work just fine.  (For that matter, converting to LED lights will greatly reduce the current load the switch has to handle.)
 
Re:  "how is the new switch put or cut in"
 
The new switches get wired in the same place the old ones were.  It's been quite a while since I replaced the entire electrical system of my Catalina 25.  However, as I recall the power source side of the branch circuit switches may have all been bridged together with a copper bar soldered to them.  If so, that could make it a bit less obvious how to install the new switches.  Just keep in mind, the electrons don't care about a conductor's shape or appearance, so long as it leads them where you want them to go.

As a general broad statement about boat factory electrical systems of similar vintage and boat size to ours — boat wiring has come a long way since then.
 
I recommend studying at least one or two books on boat electrical systems, such as "Sailboat Electrics Simplified" by Don Casey, and "Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook " by Charlie Wing.  "Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Calder and "The 12 Volt Bible for Boats" by Miner Brotherton are also good.
 
If you have additional questions, there is a lot of info and knowledge to be found by searching previous posts on this forum.
 

OLarryR Posted - 01/12/2022 : 22:25:17
My advice is to add a switch panel and migrate some or all your electrical loads to the new panel. For now, I still utilize my old switch panel for 3 loads: VHF radio, fish finder and a switch controlling 12 volt accessory plugs (which I rarely use). The new switch panel, I located in front of the galley, adjacent to the companionway primarily to gain access to my nav lights while I am still in the cockpit. The link below has photos of the positive and negative bus bars and the master circuit breaker of the old switch panel. Also, some details of the new panel with circuit breaker switches and the electrical loads that the new panel controls.

http://catalina25.homestead.com/Panel-Wiring.html

For more details of the new panel install, there is a link on the opening page of my website.


Leon Sisson Posted - 01/12/2022 : 13:39:36
stanirish,

Re:  "is it a must you use the catalina direct switch for replacement"

I doubt there's anything special about the Catalina switches, other than the price associated with being sold by a company with "Yachts" in the name.  I would expect just about any reasonably good quality switch which fits where the old ones are, and meets the electrical current requirements, will work just fine.  (For that matter, converting to LED lights will greatly reduce the current load the switch has to handle.)
 
Re:  "how is the new switch put or cut in"
 
The new switches get wired in the same place the old ones were.  It's been quite a while since I replaced the entire electrical system of my Catalina 25.  However, as I recall the power source side of the branch circuit switches may have all been bridged together with a copper bar soldered to them.  If so, that could make it a bit less obvious how to install the new switches.  Just keep in mind, the electrons don't care about a conductor's shape or appearance, so long as it leads them where you want them to go.

As a general broad statement about boat factory electrical systems of similar vintage and boat size to ours — boat wiring has come a long way since then.
 
I recommend studying at least one or two books on boat electrical systems, such as "Sailboat Electrics Simplified" by Don Casey, and "Boatowner's Illustrated Electrical Handbook " by Charlie Wing.  "Boatowners Mechanical and Electrical Manual" by Nigel Calder and "The 12 Volt Bible for Boats" by Miner Brotherton are also good.
 
If you have additional questions, there is a lot of info and knowledge to be found by searching previous posts on this forum.
 
keats Posted - 01/11/2022 : 07:09:39
Most people just replace the old switch panel with a new one:

https://www.catalinadirect.com/shop-by-boat/capri-25/electrical/switch-panel-kit-7quot-high-new-style/

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