Other Goodies
Rigging boats is all about continuous refinement and coming up with ideas to enhance what we already do and to reduce things to their simplest form. That's actually more difficult than coming up with complex solutions. Following are photos and explanations of some of the "tweaks" we're utilizing.
The photo here shows the aux input we installed near the passenger/co-pilot seat for hookup of an MP3 player to the stereo in the overhead console (the sliding door to the left with the latch is the port side door; the MP3 player is sitting on the companionway sliding door).
This photo shows the "wouldja" switch we installed on the passenger/co-pilot side of the overhead console. The switch operates the port windshield wiper so instead of the person occupying the port seat always having to say "wouldja turn on my wiper" or "wouldja turn off my wiper" the co-pilot can do it for themselves. It's a 3-way toggle switch; down is a momentary position and the wiper only runs as long as the switch is held down, center is off, and up is continuous run.

I might also mention the window fans here as well. We searched a long time and tried quite a few fans until we found these. Not only do they look pretty good but they have 3 speeds, are quiet, and have very good mounts that allow for positive positioning.
We use the same wiper switches at the helm station. We deleted using the wiper switches on the main electrical panel (they're hard to find and you have to lean over to reach them which is sometimes "interesting" if the boat is moving around a lot) and instead installed three of these toggle switches near the wheel. Each switch has a momentary down position for quick swipes and a continuous run up position. You can see them in this photo just above and to port of the wheel.
Our efforts to simplify and refine also extend to evaluating factory installed systems. We reorganize the main 12-volt panel (mostly by removing the wiper function from two breakers and reordering the others); we install a toggle guard over the macerator pump switch which may avoid an unintended discharge but also serves to break the panel into an upper "boat" section and a lower "electronics" section. That allows us to utilize the lower portion for the autopilot, nav system, power to the upper console, power to the trim tabs, etc.
This little gem of a battery switch (shown below) is a recent offering of Blue Sea Systems of Bellingham, Washington and lets us do an amazing amount with just two main switches on the boat. The one shown here is on the lower port side of the helm console and there's another located aft under the transom seat. This one controls power to the boat from the house battery and the switch aft is for the engines. The specific feature that make these superb switches is their ability to control two unrelated circuits at the same time. In the case of the engine switch aft when the knob is moved from "off" to "on" both engine are independently connected to their respective start batteries. If one battery is low the switch knob can be turned fully to the "combine" position to parallel the two start batteries. The house switch connects the house battery to the main 12-volt panel and provides power for all electrical loads on the boat other than the engines. If the house battery switch is moved to the "combine" position it parallels the house battery with the starboard start battery (and port too if the engine switch is in the "combine" position). In other words, for typical operation one would come aboard and turn the engine switch to "on" and the house switch to "on"...that would be it. We also install Blue Sea Systems ACRs (Automatic Charge Relay) so as soon as the start batteries are up to 13.7 volts (either one) the ACR closes and charging current is sent to the house battery from the engine(s). The ACR drops out at 12.8 volts so the house loads can not deplete the start batteries.
E.Q. Harbor Service & Sales
265 Cornet Bay Road
Oak Harbor, WA  98277
www.eqmarine.com
(866) 679-4783