TOPIC: Boat wiring

Why don't our older boats have fuse blocks in them? This is the third 1950-78 boat I have looked at the wiring, and none has even had a fuse or if it did it was in the junction box for the 40 hp Evinrude. They all just wired the nav lights direct to the battery, the gauges radio and fishfinder off of the nav light switch. On each one I have installed a buss bar for ground and a 6 ckt fuse box. I just read the federal boat electrical rules and they do not apply to outboards which is suprising.
On I/O's and inboards they require a seperate ckt for each item. IE gauges, navlights and accessories. The fuses to be located as close to the source as possible.
I do have one question though so far I have just used a switch at the battery to turn on my boats electrical with the ign switch just for the out board. How do you wire up the boats electrical?

Most electric-start outboard motors have the provision for power-takeoff either at the junction box and/or ignition switch, all of which were protected by fuses.

The Johnson and Evinrudes seem to have an accessory position. Although even on the 40 HP selectric on my VIP the switch was in the dash but it wasn't used for accessories and neither was the junction box power takeoff.
I was going to use it but Switched to the 1976 70hp looper where the switch is in the control box and they do not put an accessory wire available. I am tempted to put a connector from the control box ign switch acc term and hook it to a relay going to the fuse block I installed. That way I wont worry about overloading the switch in the box but I will only have to turn on the key
On my Mercury the key is in the remote as well on the 1960 400 and does not have a take off.

For What It's Worth Hustler, I think you're on the right track wiring accessories separately as described in your first paragraph. The wise folks advising when I got started told me to stay away from pulling "juice" from the circuit designed to operate the motor, so I always stuck by that thought.

The fuse block (or circuit breaker box) is an excellent idea IMHO, but keep it totally separate from the motor system. Just my two cents......