The electrical scheme can be very simple or very complex. Officially, because of its size, if you don't have a motor, you do not need any electrical on board at all per the U.S. Coast Guard. You can use a battery-powered flashlight to light the sails at night and you can use LEDs and other such lights for convenience. However, that's boring. Nearly all PocketShips today have the battery in the forward locker with wires running from it to at least the forward navigation lights.
The trick on PocketShip isn't what to run but how to run. Exposed wiring is ugly and dangerous. Most builders go out of their way to develop schemes to hide wires. There are three ways to run from the stern to the forward locker. The first is to run the wires through the seatbacks before you seal them and into the cabin along the seam where the topsides meet the hull panel inside the cabin. The wires can then be covered with a molding or some hollowed wood. The downside is it's a visible molding (which isn't bad at all - most boats have this); the upside is it's very easy to do and if you need to access the wires, you can get to them.
Another way is to run under the floorboards. In this scheme, any wiring from the stern comes through the lazarette wall (what would be bulkhead 8) generally under the footwell. The wires then run along the cockpit deck from underneath and then under the sole (floorboards). You should house the wires in some conduit to avoid contamination. The wires run through holes in the floors (remember "floors" on PocketShip are those triangle support pieces) until finally reaching the forward locker.
The final way is to run wires through a hole under the floorboard at the base of the lazarette compartment. This is still bulkhead 8 but the advantage here is that there are no visible wires at all and therefore nothing to get hit and get loose. The downside is extra care must be made so ensure that the holes you create are properly sealed as this is a low point in the boat and the lazarette must be "inviobly watertight" in the words of John C. Harris. Otherwise, water can get into the cabin if you're not careful. The key is to ensure everything you do is accessible in case of the inevitable failure. Believe it or not, this was the most complicated part of the whole process. It included such things as extra lift outs for the rear cabin sole, industrial-grade conduit to house the wires, multiple bus bars and redundancy, and fuses/kill switches throughout.
My boat uses #3 to get wires forward. I'd say among PocketShips I'm aware of, mine is probably the most electrically complex. In hindsight, maybe too much, but it is what it is now!
Aft/Stern: Stern light, horn, bilge pump in laz area (both horn and bilge pump have hot connections), GPS, rear speakers (installed in bulkhead 8), RAM 3 VHF handheld, 2-12V "lighter" sockets. Also have small speakers installed in the cockpit lockers.
Forward/Bow: Navigation lights, forward speakers, cabin lights, radio, VHF, 2-12V "lighter" sockets, second bilge pump
Mast: 360 anchor light, VHF antenna embedded in mast. I may do a steaming light and/or a deck light on the mast if it'll fit.
Recharge: 2 solar panels and a controller (essential). Considering a shore power set up.
Battery box: has 2-12V lighter sockets here, too.
Runs through a battery kill switch and an 8 panel marine circuit box.
I'm sure I'm forgetting something.
Developing my scheme was interesting and fun for me. I tested all the connections before sealing everything up and so far so good. But if you don't like wires don't do this because it's a lot of work. I plan to take my boat offshore, sailing on Lake Superior and perhaps the Bahamas for days at a time, so I wanted the extra comfort and protection of a robust system. You can get a sense of the work by visiting my blog here:
http://sunmonkeypocketship.blogspot.com ... lectronics
Posted: Sat Nov 15, 2014 12:11 pm
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