We Do An Electrical Audit On A 40 Year Old Cal 39 Sailboat (We FOUND A LOT Of Mistakes)
March 3, 2017 · 53 min · 112K views
What this video covers
An electrical audit of a 40-year-old Cal 39 sailboat reveals several critical safety hazards and maintenance oversights. The inspection identifies an exposed, unshielded AC panel that poses a lethal shock risk, compounded by the use of red-jacketed cabling for 120V AC circuits, which violates standard color-coding conventions.17:10 On the DC side, the audit highlights improper terminal stacking on the battery bank, where smaller gauge wires impede current flow from larger conductors.1:56 Other findings include an unfused windlass circuit, electrical wiring routed dangerously against the engine’s hot wet-exhaust mixing elbow, and redundant switches that complicate troubleshooting.10:46 The inspection also notes the use of black wire for positive DC connections, marked only by potentially brittle red electrical tape.26:20 To improve system reliability, the audit recommends using a DC-capable clamp-on multimeter for load testing, installing a battery monitor to track depth of discharge, and organizing wiring into logical terminal strips to prevent current loops.35:09 Proper maintenance requires removing sharp, protruding zip-tie ends and ensuring all connections follow a pyramid-stacking order from largest to smallest gauge.3:12
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