tom cat help

[jimmydj]

few questions.

1. what is acc2 switch? lights up but cannot figure what it controls.
acc 1 seems to be bilge, not sure. never recv. a manual for the tc other than some plumbing parts.

2. there is a i assume under the galley table a 12 volt plug, however this has never worked. i fixed some wiring on the other plug at the helm marked 12 volt, it now works. the other plug does not say 12 volt. it has a yellow and red wire in the panel.

3. on shore power if i set battery switch to off will i be charging batterys?

4. port and starboard fuel gauges. do they feed together or by switching will i be drawing from only one. trying to fill port side as boat leans heavy to starboard.

5. how does the 3 rd battery work. house battery i assume.
should that be used at some point, and is it being charged all the time.

thanks to all
jim

[squidslayer]

Jim

I am just about to launch my new TC...
Here's what I know

1) acc2 switch is a spare... you can add an accessory to it...they hooked my rear deck flood light to it..

2) Both plug outlets..one under the table..one on the side of sink are 120V...only used if you are hooked to shore power or a generator

3) I was told that shore power will charge batteries even with switches off

4) I was told that fuel is fed from the two tanks at the same time..one for each engine....there is no switch

5) I was told that the third battery is a back up...if your engines won't start because of low power..you switch to the third battery and they will have a fresh battery to start

Dick
Orinda.Ca

[Jeff Brigner]

Nice looking boat squidslayer. have fun!!

[jimmydj]

dick, thanks for the quick response. that answers alot of the questions.

the plug in question is the 12 volt plug not the 120.

there is one on the helm and one at the table seat aft.

wires seem to be connected correct, just no power flow.

helm has a fuse and works ok , seat 12 volt is connected to panel breakers and has no power.

thanks again
jim

[squidslayer]

Jim

Why would a plug outlet be 12V ?? I can see the cig lighter plug on dash being usefull for 12v fans and such...but what kind of 12V item could you find that has a outlet 3 prong plug??? I was told by the mech that all the plug were AC.....

Lets keep in touch as we go along with out new boats

Dick
Orinda,Ca

[Byrdman]

Hey Jim.

Who delivered your boat to you. Not much of a new ownere/new boat orientation/ hand off it appears... or, maybe they did not understand/know the boat either.

I can recall spending about 2 hours going over switches, buttons, guages, hoses, hatches and valves on my delivery.... AND FOR SURE WISH THAT I HAD THE CAM-CORDER GOING...AS TO PLAY IT OVER AT TIMES MAKING NOTES ON EACH SYSTEM.


Les at E.Q. Marine fixed up the TomCat I owned. It was a TC24.
He had a great fuel filter system and a valve that I could select what I wanted the fuel systems to do. Feed both motors from one tank (select port or starboard), or, feed from both. I do not know the answer sitting here now if I had 40 gallons on one side and 10 gallons on the other, if it would pull fuel at an even rate from both tanks, or....if Mr. Gravity got into the picture and drew from the heavier/fuller tank at a faster rate. My guess, and not enough coffee yet...is that the same flow from each side due to the fuel possibly being "sucked" into the motors from the fuel pumps rather than "pushed" into the motors...but then...you toss in all the filters and stuff...


This was the first "system" boat I had owned...and it was really almost overwhelming the 1st few trips out... AC or DC, what works what, full Raymarine electronics systems...with a bunch of warning buzzers...bells..

I had to turn everything on the boat off. I had to remember I had been boating all my life...and this WAS A BOAT. I knew the waters I was in. So, I started one motor and just enjoyed my boat for about 20 minutes, riding around real quiet...no buzzers or bells, not a single thing on...but the one motor. Then... I started the second one.... did the same thing bringing the boat into the dock. I could always dock a boat with one motor... why not this one with one motor. It worked fine....but better...once I got use to the second motor and realized and played with both motors out in the middle of the river a bit. The folks at the Raymarine plant do not get a lot of sunshine I do not think... I did figure out the system and loved it...particuarly the auto pilot stuff...and the remote for the auto pilot...and oh my what you can do with that color radar overlayed on a detailed chart... but.... it all took time.

You have a nice boat. Learn and enjoy it .... you should have many hours of great quality life on that boat. I sure miss my TC.

Byrdman

[Gene Morris]

Jimmy;

The 12V outlet under the seating should be hot. If it isn't then there is a misplaced wire at the BlueSea switches. It is easy to check and repair. Lift the aft dinette seat and remove cover to switch panel. (be sure that battery switches are off and you are NOT pluged into shore power.)
The third battery is the house battery. The start batteries will charge first, then when at full charge the house battery will be charged.
Each fuel tank is separate and utilized by the motor at the tanks side of boat. If you put more fuel in the port tank to correct list then the starboard engine will run out of fuel before the port side. Some of our listing problems were cured by putting all batteries behind the refer.
If you are going to work on the 12V outlet you might want to add a couple 120V breakers to the panel and sperate the 120V outlet leads so that each has its own breaker. I did this and also added an extra outlet on the aft standing locker.
The ACC switches on my rocker panel control the power to the electronics. The second switch is for the macerator pump for the holding tank.
P.M. me or e-mail me, if I can help with anything I'd be happy to.

Enjoy your new boat.
Gene

[thataway]

Lets see if I can help:
1. Acc 2 switch has power to it, (so the red light comes on when you turn the switch on) but in my boat there is no circut connected to the output (the lowest of the spade connectors). If you put anything on this circuit, you will need to put an appropiate fuse in line. There are extra fused circuits on the fuse block, which is just foreward (from the back of the console) of the inboard switch pannel (the one which has acc 2 on it).

2. Yellow and red is "safety wire" for 12 volts. The old code was red positive and black negative. Since black is also "hot" 120 V AC, the code was changed to yellow for negative on the 12 volt circuit.
Yes Squidslayer, there should be a 12 volt cig lighter plug under the dinette by the switch pannel and 120 V AC. There are multiple uses for 12 volt plugs and by convention the "cigarette lighter" plug is utalized.
If there is no power, at this plug there are one of several possiable problems--that the wires were never hooked up, that the connection is improper and or that a fuse is blown. (I had all of these problems in my new Tom Cat 255). Unfortunately you will have to trace the circuit back and find out. If you don't have a 12 volt digital volt meter, now is the time to get one and learn how to use it. I was given a wiring diagram, but it was only for the console area and not for the boat.

C Dory should include a complete 12v and 110 volt wiring diagram in their manaual (more about the manual later)

I have added 3 more cigarette plugs. One in the cockpit under the combing box--for dinghy inflator and a light to be used in the cockpit or spotlight aft. One under the dinette seat foreward for computer, or sterio in the bunk. One foreward of the console in the bunk area, where we have our 12 volt LCD television. These plugs are very useful--perhaps it would be better to have a different configuration--but this is what we have.

3. The battery charger will work if the battery switch is off or on. The charger I got was two 5 amp circuits. This is totally inadequate for the boat, so I added an extra 20 amp dual output charger. In retrospect I should have added a 50 amp charger. The origional 5 amp charger goes to the engine start batteries (and in my boat not to the house battery, unless the "all" switch was on. I hope that the factory has rectified this issue and is supplying at least a 5, 5, 10 or a 5, 5, 20 amp charger.

4. The port tank feeds the port engine and stb tank feeds the stb engine. There is no cross draw or switching. You have to put the switch up or down to read the respective tank.

5. You can only find out if it is being charged by putting a volt meter on it. I do recommend a built in volt meter--digital; reading to two decimal places (12.65 volts). The way my boat was set up by the factory, is that the house draw comes from the STB battery switch. On position #1 (which is the engine start battery) the house feeds off that battery. On position #2, the house draws off the house battery. The Port battery is wired so that the #1 position is the engine start from the port battery, #2 is engine start from number 1 battery (stb engine start). (this is an unusual set up, and not conventional, but it does work). The house battery will only charge on the stb engine if you have the switch on "All" or #2. (I have been told that these switches are make before break, so that it will not blow the diodes on the alternater if you switch when running). Normall start and run with engines: Port on "all" stb on #1.
Some engines can be wired to have dual alternator output. Unfortunately my dealer did not tell me that, and I put in automatic charging relays, to charge the house banks on both sides. I have two additional house batteries--which are mostly dedicated to refigeration and electronics. These are charged off the port engine, and I installed the entire circuit.
I also felt that with the electronics and loads I have, that the factory wiring was not adequate, so I added two additional #8 wires (both positive and Negative) to the battery banks. I also added 6 additional switches and fuses. I have switches which will transfer the extra two house batteries to any other functions in the house, except start.

Now as to pre delivary inspections--it looks as if both Jimmydj and Squidslayer came out on the short end (I did too, but I assumed that it was because I was knowlegable boater)--mine was a quick run thru on some of the switches and start the engines, idle for a time--and no sea trial--the dealer and machanic had other things to do...)

The C D manual. Mine has some of the appropiate sub systems, but it also has some information from systems which are not on the boat. At best I would say it is confusing.

There is no real Tom Cat 255 specific manual that I recieved.

Here is what should be done. The factory should do a QA check on every completed boat, along with that is a signed check sheet for all systems, a copy of which is sent with the new boat to the customer. The dealer should do a QA check on all systems he installs and a copy of that goes to the buyer.

Finally there is a PDI, at which time, the dealer spends at least an hour going thru the various systems with the buyer, being sure that each system works and that customer under stands how these systems work.
The manual should contain a detailed description of what each switch does, how each system works, and schematics of plumbing, fuel, and electrical systems.

These are $120,000 to $150,000 boats--and there is absolutely no excuse for problems and misunderstandings as Jim and squidslayer have. If we are being sold a quality boat--then the factory/dealers need to step up to the plate and be sure that systems work and that the customer understands about the systems.

[squidslayer]

I have not taken the New TC from the dealer yet!
All info has been brief but I am sure that once I take possesion of the boat the Outboard Motor Shop will fill me in ..the only thing I was wrong about..and I still don't understand...WHY 12V outlets??...what appliance ..with a three prong plug would be 12V???? cig lighter plugs 12V yes....but three prong plugs???Why? seems worthless.

Dick E
Orinda.Ca

[thataway]

Squidslayer, there are no 12 volt appliaces with 3 prong plugs. (At least there should not be, because of possiable confusion) There is a cigarette lighter plug which is 12 volts, as well as a 120 volt plug (GRFI) under the dinette table, on the foreward part of the seat face. if the other 120 volt plug by the galley does not work, often it will because the GRFI circuit has tripped.

There are actually "appliances" which run on 12 volts, like small microwaves, (basicallly inverter run), crock pots, coffee pots, small warming ovens etc. Any major truck stop (think Flying J or Pilot) will have a number of these appliaces. they will either be cigarette lighter plug, or hard wire.

Also there are a number of fans--the WalMart fan I have described, the "Endlass Breeze" fan, small defroster fans, fans with heaters for defrosting etc which run off cigarette lighter plugs.

[squidslayer]

So all 12V outlets are cig lighter....all 3 prong outlets are AC...right???

Dick
Orinda,Ca

[mikeporterinmd]

Yes. Wiring a standard 3 prong plug for 12V would make no sense.

It would also be dangerous because if you*did* have a device made for
12V that used a standard 120V plug, and accidently plugged it into
120V...well...that wouldn't be so good. No one would ever manufacture
a 12V device with a standard 120V plug, but I guess you could do it
yourself. Woudn't be a good idea.

Mi8ke

[drjohn71a]

Dick - Congrats on your new boat. Just a note of caution about those "ACC 1" and ACC 2" switches - on my boat, the 'ACC1" switch turns on the toilet holding tank macerator overboard discharge pump. You'd think that switch should be labeled for what it actually operates. If the "Y" valve is in discharge position and you hit that switch, it'll dump your unmentionables right there at the dock!


The Port and Starboard Fuel switch is used to select from which fuel tank you want the Honda digital gauge to read the fuel level.

John

[thataway]

I have seen some boats wired with various forms of AC plugs for 12 volts--as Dr John says, I think this is a very dangerous practice. Some folks will use a 20 amp plug, thinking that most boats have 15 amp plugs. I prefer to use a cig lighter plug or a 2 pole plug--one pole larger than the other--these are available at marine supply outfits. Some are truely waterproof, with O rings and gaskets.

[drjohn71a]

If you do decide to do some of your own 12 V wiring with "plug-ins", check out the Cabela's catalog or similar for the many male and female plug-ins for removable trolling motors.

John