www.iFourWinns.com

I have installed the Garmin 526 into my Vista 278 (2006). Where can I find a place to connect the red and the black cable (plus and minus) to the 12 V system inside the instrument panel?

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

I wired mine to the ignition switch so that it turns on and off with the ignition switch

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2001 328 Vista "Nauta Dream 2"
AB Inflatable 10AL "Little Dreamer"
2000 248 Vista
1997 225 Sundowner


Mike

Should be purple (+) and yellow (-) from about any of your instruments. Depth finder would be a good suggestion to wire from.

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Walt B
"Debt-Charged"
Black '07 H210SS
6.2L Bravo One turning a 21P HIFive
Wakeboard Tower with Perfect Pass Stargazer version
Missouri River; Kansas City, Mo.

Thanks for input! May I ask - why is the depth finder good to wire from?

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

Be sure the circuit can handle the added drain of the chartplotter. Check to see what wattage it draws. Some plotters take a lot of power. You generally should not just add them to whatever voltage source is handy. You end up pulling more load than the wire can provide. This is bad for several reasons, one being change of fire from overheated wire. The other being low voltage causing the plotter to malfunction (and possibly damage it). Separate circuits like those for the depth finder often have enough spare capacity to accommodate adding a plotter.

Also, be sure the wire is of sufficient gauge (heavy enough) to provide 12vdc without significant voltage drop. When you run power over distance there's always going to be some drop. Heavier gauge wire lessens the amount of drop over distance. This is true for BOTH the positive AND the negative leads.

It's not uncommon to pull a fresh set of wires and a new circuit breaker to accommodate a device like a plotter.

Now, the real question is where does the factory schematic show a plotter being connected? The owners manual should have the schematics in it. That or the online version of it.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Bill, many thanks for a very good answer. With this input I will connect it correctly; either with the depth-finder, or an already allocated cable inside the instrument panel or add new wires from the fusebox.

Thx, Rolf

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

The instruction manual recommends you hook it up to the fuse block or directly to the battery. Connecting it to the depth finder or ignition switch is less desirable. The CP will not work unless you have the ignition on. There have been many times I check our GPS when at rest and ignition off. Ours is wired direct to the battery with 22AWG wire. The 526 draws a maximum of 15 watts at 13.8 volts DC.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

You are more than helpful! I will check if I have anything available on the fuse block - if not I guess I will install new cables. I agree that it will be convenient to not have to have the ingnition on to start the GPS. Again - thx!! BR /Rolf

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

I greatly prefer wiring through the main breaker panel and not directly to the battery. Using the breaker panel keeps control over all your electrical circuits in one place. Nothing to go hunting after in the event of problems. Fuses buried in-line are a pain in the ass to find later. That and more often than not they tend to corrode inside their little carriers.

The only problem is if the breaker panel is full. Then it's a matter of putting in an auxiliary panel somewhere else. Yeah, more work and a little more money but that lets you stick with the concentrated point of control idea.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

I have checked my breaker panel - it is not full. How do I get behind the panels on a 278 Vista (2006) to install cables and connect them to the fusebox?

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Four Winns 278 Vista (2006)

Panels can vary but most are just a hinged metal panel. If it's that kind you'll see a long piano-style hinge down one side and some screws on the opposite. Remove those screws and the panel will hinge outward like a cabinet door. On my 348 I have to remove the covering smoked plastic panel door to get the panel to hinge all the way out. Just a couple of screws to remove.

I'll leave it to someone with an '06 278 to comment on how to route the wires to it. But before running anything I'd double-check in the factory manual to see what wiring is already present up in the harness. When the factory has an option for a boat they will usually include that in the wiring. It's easier to supply a boat with a generic wiring harness than to have individually wired stuff. But then I don't know the 278 well enough to confirm that. I'd look at the schematic and then confirm what's actually in the boat.

In the case of my 348 when I had to add equipment it was a matter of routing the wires down into the starboard gunwale, back to the engine compartment, across to the port side along the bulkhead and then up along the port gunwale to the breaker panel. That's how all the other factory wiring gets run. I'm a firm believer in following the example set because it makes things less complicated to diagnose later should problems develop. Provided it's good design, of course. This also means factoring for a longer length of wire than might first seem necessary.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista