Tell me how to wire my accessory switch

[marc]

I was planning to add a DC outlet in the cabin on its own circuit. Then I realized I already have an accessory switch on my panel. I am not aware that it switches anything. I am a dummy in understanding wiring and am not sure what I am looking at. I don't have a battery on-board yet so I haven't been able to just mess around. Here is what the back of my panel looks like.

From left to right the switches are Nav. cabin, bow, accessories. I'm assuming the top end of the switches is the positive and the bottom end is negative and that all the negative wires must meet a common wire to go back to the battery.  So if I want to power a DC outlet, I'd have my negative wire go to the empty spot for a spade connector on the far right switch- but where would I tie in the + wire?
Also, what would the switch labeled 'bow' power? Is that the steaming light?
Thanks for your help.

[MacGyver]

Marc,
I think I read everything right, and hopefully answer correctly according to what your asking.

First off, you have no grounds here, everything grounds back to the battery on its own or a common grounding buss bar.
I dont remember seeing one on mine..... but that isnt saying much as I dont really remember how the ground side is setup off hand (I see and work on too many boat wiring projects... cant keep em all straight)

Second, the wire coming in on the left of the picture is your RED positive wire. that comes from the battery. It then is distributed across the top of all switches via the RED with BLUE TRACER wires.

The WHITE, BLUE, AND ORANGE colored wires going from the fuses to the middle part of the switches is the power distribution to the switches themselves.

The GREEN, YELLOW, and BLUE colored wires are for the circuits themselves, YELLOW is CABIN LIGHT, GREEN is NAVIGATION (Bow and Stern Lights) and the BLUE is your mast steaming light.

The switch with the no wire attached is your accesory switch, attach a wire to it (like how the GREEN YELLOW AND BLUE wires are attached to the others) and that will be that new circuits POSITIVE WIRE.

Make it a different color if you can with a guage of 14 or ample for the circuit you are running.
The connection is made to the item, then you run a seperate GROUND/BLACK wire off your item and run it back to the battery GROUND to complete the circuit.

I hope this makes sense.
Follow up with more questions if you need.

Mac

[Shawn]

"From left to right the switches are Nav. cabin, bow, accessories. I'm assuming the top end of the switches is the positive and the bottom end is negative and that all the negative wires must meet a common wire to go back to the battery. "

No, negative is not on the switches at all. Top row is Positive connected to the battery. That is hot all the time. Big red wire on the left top would go to the battery and the rest of the wiring up top is running power to all the rest of the switches.

Bottom row is the switched positives. Those are hot when the switch is on and disconnected when the switch is off.

For all your negatives they will all run to a ground bar on the boat and that connects to the negative on your battery.

Shawn

[marc]

Hey. I think I understand this! I connect to the open tab and run it to my accessory. That is my hot wire. I then run my ground back to a ground bar or the battery. I must have a ground bar under the cockpit foam. I saw the colored wires entering under the foam below the companionway but there are 2 black ground wires at the battery. One black comes from the transom. That must be the ground for the stern light. The other black comes from forward and that must be from grounding bar.  You guys are great! Thanks.