New member - 1978 F32

[GrumpyDuck]

We took her on our first short cruise this past weekend. She's in pretty good condition except for the DC charging systems and batteries, which I get to address in the near future amongst a few other things. Good things come to those who wait - we've been looking for a boat like this for about 12 years now.

[Barrie]

Welcome here!

[prowlersfish]

Welcome to the forum . Great looking F32

[AwayOnBusine$$]

Welcome, Ours is a 76 F32 thay are a great boat, and yours looks top notch.

[WayWeGo]

Welcome aboard! She's a beauty!

Where are you located?

[GrumpyDuck]

Welcome aboard! She's a beauty!

Where are you located?

Thanks! The boat is in Deltaville, VA. Fishing Bay Marina to be specific - which is a fantastic facility.

[WayWeGo]

We seem to have a fair number of Virginia Trojan owners here. Maybe we need to have a rendezvous in Solomon's this summer...

[P-Dogg]

Welcome!


www.bestboatwire.com should you need wire. Ebay for hydraulic terminal crimper (about $70 of the best dollars I ever spent) and terminals.

[GrumpyDuck]

Welcome!


http://www.bestboatwire.com should you need wire. Ebay for hydraulic terminal crimper (about $70 of the best dollars I ever spent) and terminals.

Oh man! Wish I had found this website earlier this week. Good thing I haven't ordered all of the wire I need yet. Great link!

[captainmaniac]

Gotta love the gloss in that late '70's gel! Looking good, and welcome!

[oil&water]

Beautiful F32. Looking forward to seeing her on the water this summer.

[GrumpyDuck]

I spent a few days last week working on the primary 12VDC systems. Still plenty to do but it's a start, at least she runs and charges correctly from the alternators and shore power. I don't want to mark or tie any wires done until I get close to a "final" system and that includes adding a third battery just for house use. The BlueSea gear is really well done and worth the price. The batteries are junk and will eventually be replaced but are new and not otherwise in use.



Also took the fighting chair off the back just to allow for more room. We aren't going to do any high-end fishing in the near future.



Next step is to find out what the hell is going on with the toggle switch system as it isn't wired to primary power in a way that makes sense. Some bonus photos of the totally vintage console and original Raytheon Fathometer. The gauges I'm going to leave alone for the most part but the electronics are getting a much needed upgrade.

Anyone selling moderately recent MFDs for a reasonable price or can put me on to some? I'm eyeballing the newer stuff but the prices are a bit high for my taste right now.

[oil&water]

If only marine electronics had a "vintage" following. We'd all be rich on this board!

Keep an eye out for the Simrad NSS series of MFD's (that's the pre-EVO models). They were strong MFD's that did a great job with chart plotting and good bottom contoring with the 80/200Mhz transducer. They have a weak resale market due to upgrades and you can usually get one for a steal. They will also handle the Go Free Wifi module which will allow you to have an iPad or Android tablet at lower helm to avoid the costs of a separate system. They use the Navionics charts and interface with the Navionics app on the iPhone and iPad.

My good friend runs the 3G radar on one and loves having it at the helm. I personally have owned the NSS 7 and will be looking for an NSS 9 or 12 for Oil & Water.

Your electrical upgrades are looking good. An added suggestion for USCG Aux inspections, if you don't install battery box covers, is to install the positive terminal plastic covers.

[prowlersfish]

Next step is to find out what the hell is going on with the toggle switch system as it isn't wired to primary power in a way that makes sense.

What issue and questions are you having ? And with what exact switches ?

[GrumpyDuck]

Next step is to find out what the hell is going on with the toggle switch system as it isn't wired to primary power in a way that makes sense.

What issue and questions are you having ? And with what exact switches ?

None of the toggle switches that are mounted above the lower console have any power. The switch lights are on constantly, but nothing else is getting 12V. The distribution fuse panel should be sourced from the battery bank but doesn't appear to be. Same thing with the trim tabs and engine compartment blowers. It should be a matter of chasing wires, which I am going to start with in earnest today. I think that during a previous overall all of the house systems were wired to the output of the shore-powered battery charger. That's convenient but to my mind at least unwise. I'm not ABYC certified but have a long background in electronics - maybe I'm wrong?

Keep an eye out for the Simrad NSS series of MFD's (that's the pre-EVO models).

Thanks for the suggestion, I'll start a search for those. Also WILCO on the battery terminal covers - they're in the box of many parts up on the deck.