Hunter 27 AC Main breaker DC breakers

Nov 5, 2019
53
Hunter 27 Jones Creek
Hi new owner to 1979 Hunter 27 and started to go over electric. Previous owner had a fresh water flood while dry docked from a disconnected scupper line and a dead battery. Flood line reached half way up on breaker panel, completely submerged the ac main breaker, battery switch up to DC bilge switch. While cabin lights and bilge and mast spreader lights still work, running lights and anchor do not.

I am on a budget and can't have a marine electrician complete the work. I plan on doing as much work as I can and have more knowledgable friends review my work. So far I have gone through and sanded terminal connections and added dielectric grease and labeled wires. I wanted to replace all breakers and battery switch. I plan on replacing nav and cabin lights to LED.

Can anyone confirm the main AC breaker is a 30 amp breaker, label on breaker is missing. Also breaker looks like a double pole circuit breaker with a single switch, but haven't seen anything that looks like it online store or west marine. Looks like the AC breaker feeds a few outlets should the galley be converted gfi. I have not tried connecting to shore power as of yet because I wanted to replace the AC main breaker. When looking at the online store what breaker would I need to purchase to replace the main AC breaker. Looks like a duplex breaker but with only one switch. What should the AC ground wire be connected to from the romex it is currently disconnected and not grounded to anything. See attached picture.

I wanted to disconnect the DC 12 volt breakers wires one by one and attach wires to the new breakers instead of disconnecting everything and getting confused when hooking back up. Can anyone provide what size breakers are needed for my panel. The labels are obscured. Most of the switches on breakers are white but a few are red is there any significance to to the color coding like amperage? What breakers are needed for 12v DC panel.
Cabin lights 15a
running lights
steaming lights
anchor lights
Bilge pump
Thank you for your assistance I have found some great info searching the posts already.

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Nov 5, 2019
53
Hunter 27 Jones Creek
After more searching is the AC Main breaker a double pole with a single throw? How many amps is the breaker?
 
Nov 8, 2007
1,523
Hunter 27_75-84 Sandusky Harbor Marina, Ohio
Welcome, CMF! You have a great cruising boat. Ours has served us very well for 20 summers on Lake Erie.

On your electrical system:

- Here are the original system drawings, including one for the DC system: https://sbo.sailboatowners.com/downloads/Hunter_27_75-84_46749354.pdf

- From it’s appearance, I doubt your switch panel is original. Not a big deal, but keep your eyes open for Prior Owner inventions.

- Our AC system is very simple. Starts with a plug for the shore power cable taking two power cords, and a ground. These go into a breaker with the same outputs that are wired to three outlets, one in the head, one in the cabin above the aft end of the port bench seat, and one aft of the sink and ice box in the galley. I don’t know the detail of the breaker, but imagine it should protect the same amps as your shore power spec.

Way to go, diving in an tacking your issues. I hope ours will have more info on the AC breaker.
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
That is the original panel for an early Hunter.
My 79 30 C has the exact 12v DC panel (sans the red breaker switches
and plus some I've added).
I would remove the "guts", clean up the bus bars, renew the terminal ends, and check every circuit wire run for chafe.
 
Apr 22, 2011
865
Hunter 27 Pecan Grove, Oriental, NC
I didn't like the location of the circuit breaker panel being under the quarter berth. By removing it, was able to have room for another battery in the battery compartment. Also, the current thinking is to have the AC and DC circuits on separate panels. My DC panel was in good shape, so I just cut the AC portion off and bought a small Blue Seas AC panel. I covered the old panel cutout with a louvered teak door; this looks nice and allows more ventilation to the batteries.

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Here is the back side of the panels:
20160108_140208.jpg


Not sure if your 79 H27 has the same cabinet above and beside the quarter berth that my 84 has. The space has worked out very well for the breakers and battery charger. You will need to drill a couple of holes to run wiring up from the battery compartment. Looking at the pics of your breakers, I would think hard about getting all new panels.
 

dLj

.
Mar 23, 2017
3,373
Belliure 41 Sailing back to the Chesapeake
Amazing how different your '79 Hunter's panel is from my '77 Hunter. I wish I had pictures to post. Makes me wonder now if mine is original as I had first thought. My panel has the old style switch with fuse next to it - the round ones where you twist to remove the fuse. I also do not like the location under the quarter berth and feel this should be higher up. In my boat the 12V and AC panels are two separate panels, I'm pretty sure I have two 30 amp breakers, one runs the starboard outlets and one runs the port outlet. For what it's worth...

dj
 
Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
CMF, a couple of things come to mind, but it is almost 0300 EST, so I'm a little foggy. Yes, I'd get new panels. The AC MUST have a rear cover. You need three breakers, but I suggest you split the AC outlets to two breakers, so get a 4-breaker panel, and it would be like the AC panel in post 5 but split the cabin outlets to two circuits. That way if one blows or breaks, you still have the others. You may later consider a 110 water heater, so plan a breaker for that or ??? /// My very first overnighter was to a marina, so I took an electric coffee pot. I found the galley 110 outlet in a cabinet, which meant the short power cord had to run across the stove and sit on the firdge lid. ASAP back in the home slip, I wired an AC outlet into the folding table in the salon. (AND, I got a stove-top percolato!) When I got into the AC panel, I found TWO 12 ga OEM cables on the same breaker, and they fed all six coutlets in the boat. I moved one of the cables to a new/2nd breaker so I now have AC backup. Putting all your outlet on a 15-amp circuit will assuredly blow the breaker sooner or later. /// Put in LED bulbs. /// The anchor and steaming light will not be on at the same time. The anchor or spreader & deck lights, maybe. I used one of 2, 12 ga cables from the DC panel to the base of the mast in the salon overhead. There, I used one to feed wires to three SPST switches to select which lights I wanted on whenever. This freed up a breaker or 2 for other uses. You could use a SPDT for the steaming/anchor lights. ///

I think David said he used two power cords (30 each?), but I think he meant a 2-conductor plus ground cord? On the AC panel, the 2 breakers protect the hot AND the neutral conductors. /// When you rewire, for the terminal on the 12v buss, use the spade tips with the bent ends that lock the terminal under the breaker screw head. OR, use the ring terminals. /// Keep a wiring schematic updated as you go along. I don't now where Jones Creek is, but if you have a used parts store nearby (Like Baconsails.com) you can save a bundle there.
 
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Nov 5, 2019
53
Hunter 27 Jones Creek
Thank you all, I have exchanged the breakers for new ones and renewed all terminal ends on breaker panel. Lastly installed new battery switch. I still have lots more to do. There appears to be alot of old electrical wires that can be removed due to old systems not being used. For example an old solar panel connection which hooks up to an automatic alternator control panel. With scary connections pictures coming. Can anyone confirm this is no longer needed for anything. Most likely will be hiring a marine electrician.
 
Nov 5, 2019
53
Hunter 27 Jones Creek
I am still having issues with navigation lights on the bow I traced the wire and I have power at the lights however the bulb isn't seating great and flickers does the entire housing need to replaced or can I just buy the light in my hand?
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
CMF, The work seems to be coming along nicely and kudos for your determination and decision to add a separate AC panel.

For future consideration, a "clipped" wire goes somewhere and it could be a conductor of electricity from a nearby chaffed wire or another random source, so I would try to locate and remove it in the course of your refit.
Also, in the pic of the back side of the breakers, it appears that you (or someone) used a
flat head screw to attach the negative wire on one of them. I recommend replacing that with a SS pan head screw as you did on the positive side. A flat head, counter sunk screw will not provide as good a contact and may come loose at a bad time.

Just my opinion, YMMV!
Good Refitting.
G.
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
On your nav light:
I'm not sure that original fixture is still made. I had to replace all of mine 20 years ago.
But if you have steady hands, perhaps you can repair the 'innards' with a soldering iron and some new tinned wire.
I can't remember if that unit/assembly had a spring embedded as well. If it does,
order stainless springs... regular ones will last about a month in salt air, longer by 2 on a lake.
 
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Nov 5, 2019
53
Hunter 27 Jones Creek
G still working on AC panel. Have a blue seas system AC main circuit panel with volt meter ordered with 3 - 15 amp breakers. I also now want to replace the old feed wire to new stranded triplex wire to replace the feed from shore power to new ac panel. What guage triplex wire would you recommend from shore power feed to ac main breaker to feed 3 - 15 amp breakers? Hope to update the rest of wiring and outlets at later date. Thanks for your input and past posts!

On Dc panel I still have two more breakers to add that might of been what you saw with flat head screw. Still tracing everything even though I have renewed terminals much wire should probably be re-run. This is my 1st sailboat so want to get sailing soon but not sacrifice safety.
Thanks again!
 
May 27, 2004
1,964
Hunter 30_74-83 Ponce Inlet FL
CMF, Be very careful wiring up the new panel. The tiny 12v wires for the label backlighting can get caught and pinched by the new wire terminal connections.
As for recommendations on wire size, I'll defer to the pros, as that is critical to safe operation.
 
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