Libra II Electrical Nearing Completion – Part 4

With Poison nearly complete with our fiberglass work it was time to move the boat to the mechanic which would perform a complete electrical system renewal. The boat itself is over 20 years old and by the looks of it the Libra II electrical system is still the original equipment. It was time for a complete remake on the boat, and that includes from the ignition switch to many new additions for your comfort. As expected, getting the boat to the electrician wasn’t so easy.

Before we even left for the electrician with the boat in tow I knew it was going to be a hassle getting the trailer parked into his garage. And I was correct. The hour long attempt brought out the neighbors for a viewing party. I got the sense they really enjoyed watching us struggle to fit the boat into a tight space. After an hour or so and some grunt pushing by many of the neighbors we eventually got the boat into a secure location.

And so it begins. Out with the old and in with the new. Part of the reason why we are doing this is at times things do not work for us without a little TLC. Things like the ignition, or running lights, or bilge pump have been, shall we say… temperamental… since we purchased the boat.

Libra II Electrical System is Hurting

And this is a huge reason why. There’s a number of things wrong in this photo. Now mind you I’m not an electrician, but right away I can spot the ground wire isn’t attached to anything. Surely that should be attached to *something*. Also check out those connections – crimp-fittings for a marine environment. Not good. Guaranteed to rust, if not simply pull apart, no doubt resulting in connection issues. All the new connections have been soldered, covered in liquid tape, and then finally shrink-wrapped in additional insulation. Rusting or loose connections shouldn’t be an issue for a decade or longer.

And then there is this. Let’s just say that is the sort of stuff that creates new wreck dives of molten fiberglass. You have several insulation jackets worn through exposing bare copper wire which is fairly corroded. Yikes. I’m not exactly positive where these wires were located but that is clearly from a lack of wire support and guides which allowed the wires to constantly rub with each bounce of the boat across the waves. These two images are proof enough that an electrical overhaul was long overdue on this boat.

Have no fear, Alex and crew are here to fix our Libra II electrical system!

Besides the safety concerns we also had many electrical components simply not working. So we had Alex take apart the console and give us new switches throughout, plus added us / you a radio (musical, we already had VHF).

One of the several upgrades we added were courtesy lights underneath each seat for night diving.

And at night they are glorious!

Working exactly as planned these lights will provide our night divers with plenty of light for gearing up and yet not affect the night vision of our Captain.

Alex gave us a few other upgrades, like these interior flood lights and docking lights, but you’ll have to join us both for day diving and night diving to see and experience all the upgrades to the Libra II electrical system.

With his work now complete it was time to get the boat back to the boatyard for the final adjustments and paint job. We are so excited to get this boat back in the water and dive off it with you! Look for one more update detailing the completed boat coming soon!