I met with marine electrician, Dave this morning. Dave did a survey of our electrical systems. We are entering the third phase of our restoration project. From the beginning we knew that the wiring and electrical systems were in pretty poor condition. It's to the point that most of the wiring will be completely replaced. The photos in the gallery - "Wired for Nightmares" - paint a pretty good picture of her condition.

Behind the original Tayana electrical panel lies trouble waiting to happen. There's a spaghetti-mess of wiring, a water pump installed directly behind the electrical panel, and of prime concern, the circuit panel with terminals that are rusty-brown with oxidation.

To focus our efforts, we going to consider safety. We'll work on the AC systems first. We will replace the shore power receptacle, install an isolation transformer, install a new power panel, and replace every piece of AC line on the boat.

While we're at it, we'll also move the water pump to a prime spot (where the recently extracted generator used to be). And we'll replace the wiring to our bilge pump.

From the very beginning, we will establish a uniform labeling system. And as we go through the boat, I'll work with Dave to create user-friendly documentation (i.e., something I can understand).

Coming later in the spring will be new batteries and a battery charger.

Also noted is that our refrigerator doesn't work. The hot water heater has signs of rust, and the water lines that transfer heat from the engine block are not connected.