Chasing Gremlins (Electrical)

Examples of some very ugly Gremlins are shown here. Gremlins of all kinds are not unusual and can be expected to pop up often in older boats. Electrical Gremlins on a boat can be fleeting, mysterious, challenging, annoying, frustrating, exasperating and sometimes even dangerous.

• Gremlin #1 is just plain U-G-L-Y. 
  
• Gremlin #2 is ugly but entertaining. 
  
• Gremlin #3 is cute. 
  
• Gremlin #4 is shocking.
  
• Gremlin #5 is ugly and a major pain.
  

Electrical Gremlin #5: can be found on many boats- old and new. This gremlin is "corrosion"- and this ugly critter is particularly common on saltwater boats. Like many problems, electrical corrosion is better prevented than repaired. At least corrosion can be easy to spot- due to the growing green deposit of crud.

A different type of electrical gremlin cropped up during the early days of my Triton ownership. The Atomic 4 gas inboard engine is a throw back to a simpler time. Give it gas, air and spark and it will usually run.

While motoring back from a nice day of sailing the engine suddenly quit running.The engine had gas, air, whoops- no spark. A quick check of the not-very-old batteries proved that they had run down. The question was why? 

Back at the mooring with the engine covers off- exploration of the wiring and connections began. After gently tugging the main feed wire to the alternator the answer revealed itself. The ring terminal was securely attached to the alternator stud as it should be- the wire was a different story. The #10 feed wire dangled loosely, no longer attached to the terminal. While it had looked solid- the truth was that this was a poorly made crimped connection. Corrosion was not a factor. The wire connector was easy to fix. The alternator was not so cheap. The blame for this costly mistake goes to a P.O. (previous owner).

Old Wiring and many owners

This is not a photo of the wiring system from an old Triton:

Neither is this.

However, reality was not all that much different.

The original wiring system of a 1960s era Triton was very simple. Several decades of owner's wiring additions had made things somewhat more complex.

One ambitious owner had made several wiring additions; a couple of engine gauges, a couple of 12V outlets, a couple of electronic (old) devices. In an effort to save money he bought one spool of wire. That is, one spool, one color of wire. All new wires were green.

Wow. Power wires (+), negative wires (-), sending wires, all wires. The result- a user unfriendly setup not ideal for electrical system troubleshooting. In addition, there were other wiring that ran to long ago discarded equipment.

The solution- rip it all out and start over.

This is a Pearson Triton

The Triton was built by Pearson Yachts in Bristol, RI from 1959 to 1967. Approximately 700 boats were built during this period. The Triton was a successful example of early fiberglass boatbuilding. At 28-1/2 feet long and weighing in at around 8400 lbs. the Triton is a heavily laidup, ruggedly built craft.

Naturally, the Triton is not without a few faults and a few peculiarities. Clearly, any boat built 40+ years ago will be in need of equipment upgrades, cosmetic work and likely will need some reconstructive surgery. This well used old boat is in need of all three.

While this blog is specifically about one Triton, many of the issues to be dealt with will apply to a majority of "veteran" fiberglass sailboats. Follow along as we work to make this one better than new.