Windows, Electrical Panel & Main Cabin Lights

[wheelsucker]

Hi,

If anybody has any pointers/hints, they'd be appreciated:
a.  What product(s) and methods do you use to clean and polish (light scratches) your saloon windows (you can blame Andrew for this question)?
b.  I have to look behind the main electrical panel - is there anything I should be especially aware of or careful with?  I looked behind the forward sub panel and it was a rats nest.
c.  The port side main cabin ceiling lights went dim (still getting some sort of power) when it got a little bumpy on our last trip.  I imagine a connection is loose somewhere - any advice on likely places to look?

Thanks in advance,
Brian

[Charlie-Bravo]

Brian,
a) some say that the headlight restoration polish from Holts, Turtle, or 3m can be good for scratch removal, it is likely to take a while doing it by hand.

b&c) Beware the rats nest, Jeanneau generally start off with quite tidy cables compared with many boats, invariably owners add new equipment over the years and a lot of them seem to leave the old cables in place, (I have been guilty of this in the past), and just leave cables loose as they are out of sight, the boats motion can allow cables to sway in the waves eventually fatigue sets in and dodgy connections and broken wires cause you grief.

A tidy cable job , well clipped in place makes problem solving a lot easier, it is worth understanding your nests with study, put labels on new installations as you soon forget what you did, and labelling a lot of the existing cables as to what they are supplying, you will probably find a few inline fuses hiding in the nests and knowing where they are and what they protect will also speed up future fault finding.

Happy window polishing and nest organising
CB

P.S you might put your boat model and location in a thread.

[Don Reaves]

Apr 16, 2021 9:12:40 GMT Charlie-Bravo said:

Beware the rats nest, Jeanneau generally start off with quite tidy cables compared with many boats....

If only this were true. When my 2004 SO35 was originally commissioned, there was already a rats nest of cables behind the panel. And this was after I had just fixed this problem in my previous boat, which I hadn't been planning to replace when I started the project.

Such is life.

Don

[Charlie-Bravo]

Well I drew the conclusion from 5 jeanneau boats I have had the pleasure to have been on, which given the quantity made, I would agree could be a poor sample quantity on which to base an opinion, however every Moody, Sadler, Westerly yachts etc I have been on ... mostly 1980's vintage, seem to have suffered enthusiastic owners who install lots of gadgets to drag them into the present century and create the nest effect, not sure how they came out of the yard, I haven't seen a concours condition model.
Best wired boat was my Grandfathers Cheverton sloop Danegeld.... mind you, there were not many gadgets in 1959 not even an engine when it came out of the yard.

I stand corrected on standards of Jeanneau electrics, I thought they were all lovely.
CB

[zaphod]

I have no complaints about the factory wiring on my 39i. All wire harnesses are bundled neatly and every wire is labeled, and so far the wiring diagrams have been accurate. The only untidy wiring I have found is stuff that was installed post delivery. It stands to reason that as mass production is streamlined the wiring gets neater. My guess is that on my boat all of the wiring was planned in advance, and the wire harnesses were prebuilt and then laid into the boat. The problem with neat bundles is that if you have to trace a wire you end up cutting open the bundle. If you aren't diligent about strapping it all up again when you are done....voila! Rats nest!

[rxc]

I would not advise you to try to polish the windows. It is very soft, and you will likely just make it worse. I bought a complete (-1) set of replacement windows when I bought my boat, in order to deal with this problem (caused by the original owner using a scrubby), but have learned to accept it. With screens on the outside and shades on the inside, it is not possible to see the scratches. If you don't have any leaks, then leave the windows alone - just wash them with liquid soap and a soft cloth. Do not powerwash them and do not use any scrubbies or bristle brushes.

[wheelsucker]

Thanks for the guidance on the windows Ralph.

Regards,

Brian

[rxc]

Two more thoughts about your other issues. I just had to take apart the aft cabin to run an antenna wire, and I tried to turn on my overhead puck lights. They are ver flaky, and I am going to have to take them down and clean the contacts. If you pull the caps off, you can see the contacts, and mine are a bit green. If you don't use them frequently they will corrode. We haven't gone out on the boat in 2 years, because of the pandemic and some cat issues, and I am discovering a bunch of these sorts of issues. I anticipate that the light in the aft head will need to be dealt with.

The dangerous part of the electrical panel is the AC section. The rest of the panel is 12v DC. If you have a rats nest, you risk pulling connections apart, which can be a PITA to track down, and maybe a spark if a live wire gets grounded.

[robert1]

I love Camco wash brush broom! I especially like the button that turns the water on and off. I used this, today, to wash the 2nd-floor vinyl siding. My favorite features on this brush are: on/off lever adjusts water amount with thumb or finger and doesn’t leak, drift, or get bumped. Dense, soft bristles perfect for hard scrubbing without scratching. Squirt dish soap refit into bristles to suds up about 10 feet of RV at a time.

[rickmidlik]

Window starches can be removed, if not deep.



I wet sanded the black boarder on the windows of my 2003 DS. I wet sanded starting with 800 grit, then 1000, 2000, and finally 3000. Make sure you use lots of water. After this I used Green Turtle Polishing compound on my oscillating tool with a foam pad. The edge is completely clean, clear, no scratches. However, I now see the sealant has failed and have started the job of rebedding the windows with Sikaflex 295 UV. Big job that I will share the project when completed.

[saltymetals]

Wheelsucker,  yes, the product i use to clean the windows and panels of my sprayhood is "VuPlex", originally made for the aviation industry. You can find it online. 

As fore the side lights in the saloon, i think it is the switch which gets faulty and needs cleaning

Best of luck
Andrew

[wheelsucker]

Thanks Andrew.