AC panel???

[Florida sail]

After reading Don Casey's book on sailboat elelctic I have decided to install, for safety reasons, an AC breaker for my 30 amp shore power. I have two GFI outlets on the boat, do not have A/C or a fridge. I use the AC for a lamp, radio, small charging unit and a fan. is there anything other than the standard panel that I can use? It seems for my needs that this is overkill. In addition with the limited space I have on the Rhodes 22, I can't figure out an appropriate place for the panel. Any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thanks...

>>ron<<

 

[kenn]

On our similarly-sized sailboat, we just use one of those commonly-available AC (120v) power-bars with built-in circuit breaker. It solves the problem of protection and distribution in one under-$10 solution. You can also get power bars with surge protection, EMI filtering, etc. Some samples. Your GFI plus the breaker on the power bar should give you good protection.

Note that the power-bar has to be protected from the weather, so the best location is in the cabin or a cockpit locker, away from gas, natch. It's also advised to carry an AC receptacle tester to confirm the presence and safety of the shore power.

 

[NCNoviceCouple]

Check out the thread I started a couple of months ago.
http://forums.sbo.sailboatowners.com/showthread.php?t=105805
Based on the input from several people I have a shore power cord conneted to an adaptor that goes to a power strip with a circuit breaker. I can run anything from a radio to my Cruisair. I'm still cautious about being careful not to overload the system. I've thought about the permanent system you are proposing, but I've been happy with what I have and I didn't cut any holes in my boat.

 

[Dan Johnson]

Serenity...

here's the smallest AC power panel with main and three breakers that I could find to replace literally just an on-off switch on my last boat, a 27 footer. The wood trim around it was made from moulding from the HD. Doesn't take all that much space to be safe--don't forget to cover the back side with plastic safety box!

 

[SanderO]

Blue Seas makes breaker AC panels with as few as 2 or 3 circuits including a main breaker.