Category Archives: Projects

Winch Wiring Finished!

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Wiring the system on/off switch

Jim working on the wiring in the electrical panel for the winch system on/off switch.

System on/off switch

The winch system on/off switch is a push-pull switch, and we mounted it behind our steering wheel, just under the electrical safety placard.

Winch battery charger

We mounted the battery charger for the winch battery in our flybridge storage locker, near the winch battery. The green light means the battery is charged.

We were trying to get the wiring for the electric winch finished before Jim’s eye surgery on June 21st, and we did!

We found a place for the system on/off switch behind our steering wheel, where we can easily reach it to turn power on and off to the winch. This switch provides power to the solenoid coil.

Next we ran the cables from the winch motor to connect them to the battery. Then we mounted the battery charger on the inside wall of the flybridge storage locker, near the winch battery, and connected the charger to the battery.

Then we were ready to power up everything to do a system test. It all works!

Next we will need to wind the hoisting line onto the winch drum and actually hook it up. And then we’ll be able to test the whole operation. Let’s hope it’ll lift the dinghy…

RAIN

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Anacortes Farmers Market vendors

Some of the vendors at the Saturday Anacortes Farmers Market a couple of weeks ago when it was sunny.

Anacortes Farmers Market, another view

Another view of some vendors at the Anacortes Farmers Market on a previous day when it was sunny.

Smoked salmon dinner

Smoked Copper River sockeye salmon on fresh salad greens made a wonderful dinner.

What a washout. Rain was forecast for today, and it pretty much rained all day. Not hard. Instead, the normal Seattle-style drizzle that kept things…and us…soggy all day long.

We got out our raincoats this morning and walked to the Saturday Anacortes Farmers Market, www.anacortesfarmersmarket.org. Fortunately, it wasn’t very windy, so all we had to contend with was the rain. We got cranberry and almond scones for breakfast, and fresh salad greens and olive bread for dinner tonight. We recently received a gift of smoked salmon from Ekhard, one of my friends from high school. He has a smoker and had smoked a bunch of freshly-caught Copper River sockeye salmon and was gracious enough to share some with us. So, dinner tonight will be smoked salmon pieces sprinkled on fresh greens tossed with balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Yum.

Jim’s project today was to get AC power up to the flybridge for the battery charger for the Superwinch battery. However, the wire-way between the main deck and the flybridge is already chock-a-block full with existing wiring! Spent most of the day trying to figure out what to do. Finally identified a possible workaround that we will try tomorrow.

By early evening, the rain stopped, and the sun poked out for about a half hour around 1800, which warmed things up so quickly that dense fog is forming all around us, reducing the visibility between Anacortes Marina and Cap Sante, extending out into Fidalgo Bay. We can hear foghorns out there, and the fog is closing in and getting thicker. Should be a very foggy night.

More Wiring

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Alice with the remote control for the Superwinch

Alice shows off the Superwinch remote control, which has been connected to the plug-in, as it will be when the system is operational.

Winch remote plug-in box

A close-up view of the plug-in for the Superwinch remote control, mounted in the junction box on the cabin, and with the wiring installed that connects it to the solenoid.

Solenoid with all wiring connected

Another view of the solenoid, now with all the wiring connected…on the left, the wires lead to the battery, in the center to the remote control, and on the right to the winch motor.

Great weather today! Blue skies and sun all morning gave us perfect weather for a walk to Mary Ann’s Kitchen to have breakfast with Ann and Bob. We think Mary Ann’s is one of the best places in Anacortes for breakfast and lunch…the food is fresh, prepared like home-cooked, and they have great service!

Clouds rolled in for the afternoon, with rain in the forecast for tomorrow. So, we took advantage of the dry weather today to paint the junction box for the winch remote plug-in, mount the box on the cabin, and complete the wiring from the solenoid to the plug-in.

Next we’ll be working on the wiring for a system on/off switch and for connecting the battery charger.

Wiring and Teak

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Superwinch Battery

The Superwinch battery is stored inside a locker on our flybridge, and in a protective box that is tied down.

Solenoid with battery and winch wires attached

The Superwinch solenoid now has wires on the left side that connect to the battery…the wires on the right are the ones that connect to the winch.

Swimstep and boarding ladder before.

Teak swimstep and boarding ladder before cleaning. The boarding ladder is stored in a folded position, on the port side of our stern.

Swimstep and boarding ladder after.

Teak swimstep and boarding ladder after cleaning.

Connecting the battery and remote control to the solenoid is the next step of installing the Superwinch. We found a place to store the winch battery in the locker on the starboard forward end of the flybridge, then ran heavy battery cables inside the side wall of the flybridge to connect the battery to the solenoid.

Wiring the remote control to the solenoid required a little more effort. First we had to decide where to locate the plug-in for the remote so that the 10-foot cord will reach the places we want to be when we are using it. The best place seems to be near the base of the mast, close to where the dinghy is stored on the boat deck. However, we couldn’t find a convenient place where we could recess the plug-in connection. After many rejected ideas, we settled on buying a weather-tight electrical junction box that will be mounted near the stairs to the flybridge and painted white to match the cabin.

We had a dry day on Monday, so I was able to clean up the teak on the swim step and boarding ladder, using the same technique and product that I used on the teak decking a few days ago (see June 3 post). After some serious scrubbing, the dirty teak cleaned up pretty good and it was so nice to see the warm teak color return.

Solenoid for Superwinch

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solenoid for superwinch - closeup view

The solenoid for the superwinch, mounted in a waterproof box on the starboard aft railing of our flybridge.

solenoid for superwinch

A wider angle view of the superwinch solenoid mounted on the starboard aft railing of our flybridge.

Another rainy, cold and gloomy day! Heavy rain and gusty wind at times today, but a few breaks allowed Jim an opportunity to get started on the wiring for the electric winch. Today he mounted the solenoid for the Superwinch.

The solenoid is the interface between the battery and the winch. It controls the winch operation. The remote control is connected to the solenoid, allowing the user to operate the winch using the remote.

We found a Pelican-like waterproof box at West Marine for housing the solenoid. The box is made out of polycarbonate and measures 6”x5”x2”. Jim fastened it to the starboard aft railing on our flybridge, near the mast and just above where the dinghy is stored on deck.

The next step will be to run the wiring that will connect to the battery and battery charger.

New CD player

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Rosie in CD player box

As soon as the old CD player was removed, Rosie had to jump into the empty space.

Rosie and wiring in CD player box

Rosie stayed in the empty space until Jim was ready to insert the new CD player.

When we outfitted Phoenix in 2002, our source for music entertainment was CDs. Don’t think there were any iPods around then. So, we installed a Sony CD player and a 10-disc CD changer, and happily played music from CDs through our stereo speakers.

Well…..since we now have iPods, iTouches, iPhones, and iPads with lots of music on them, it’s about time to upgrade our boat’s music system! We bought a new CD player, which not only will play CDs, but also will play music from our iPods that will connect via USB or audio cable. In addition, the player is Sirius/XM ready, so it easily connects with our satellite radio service.

We bought a Sony FM/AM Compact Disc player, model CDX-GT56UI CD Receiver with USB input. This unit fits in the same cabinet as our previous Sony. Jim disconnected the old player this morning and when he put in the new one, he discovered that the wiring was the same. What an easy installation! The only delay was getting Rosie out of the space…since she jumped into the open cabinet as soon as the old CD player was removed! Cats just love small spaces.