New Breaker Panel and help wiring

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

jfmid

.
Jan 31, 2010
152
Oday 27 LE Manahawkin, NJ
Hello All,

I have been reading lots of the threads about electrical wiring and making a boat safer. I will admit that I do not totally understand all of the esoteric issues in the threads by Stu Jackson and Maine Sail but have enough of an understanding to realize that my boat is way underprotected and at risk. I want to mix practicality with safety however I do not want to spend the rest of the summer on my back rewiring my boat.
Having said that I feel comfortable replacing my distribution panel on my sailboat with a new panel. The old panel is a wiring rats nest with wire nuts for some connections, spade connectors that pull right off of the switches, and all of the Neg. wires electrically taped into a large bundle. Clearly this is unacceptable.

I am interested in replacing the panel with a Bluesea A-Series Circuit breaker Panel #8023 so that I can add in the steaming/deck light circuit.

Where do I start??? I am assuming that a diagram of the electrical system is in order so I will be mapping that this evening and attempting to post tonight.

Is this a project that can be done in stages? I would really like to enjoy the boat for the remainder of the summer and not get into something that leaves the entire boat inoperable. It is a 1988 O'day 272Le and has been getting by with this spaghetti mess for years. I suppose it's a lucky thing that it hasn't burned down yet but by the same token its been working and the old adage of if it ain't broke dont fix it is ringing in my ears. I guess I'm a bit concerned about how far to go with this.
 

Attachments

Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

.
Feb 26, 2004
23,362
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
It all depends on how fast you work! :)

Really, the ONLY way to do it is step-by-step, one circuit at a time, once you figure out how you want to wire it.

You'll have to remove the old panel first anyway, so you HAVE TO identify and LABEL each existing wire and go from there.

Wire nuts! Egads.

Most owners manuals have DC wiring diagrams. And if your boat manual doesn't, then just about every Catalina manual does, and since the wiring is all the same for DC systems, the manual wiring diagrams are a place to start. Then draw your own so you have, first, a PLAN of what you're going to do, and second, a record of what you've done.
 
N

navigator97

.
May 24, 2004
470
Hunter 33.5 Portsmouth, RI
Look at your "otherwise" sailing schedule. If you would normally plan on doing less sailing in the early fall or fall, then postpone the project until then then. otherwise I agree with Stu. Dick, S/V Puffin
 
sdfox

sdfox

.
Sep 3, 2009
16
Catalina 27 Duluth
I purchased 4 paneltronics panels, Dc monitor, Dc 5brkr Dc 6 fused toggle and the 3 breaker ac. On the DC side I used 1 brkr for vhf, 1 for instruments, and 1 to feed the toggle switch panel. On the toggle switch panel 1 cabin lights (always on) 2 nav lights, 3 steaming light, 4 deck light, 5 windex light, and 6 anchor light. We built a front hinged box and mounted it in the pilot berth. wiring comes up behind the liner and into the forward face of the box. 12b bat switch is mounted on the forward face. The only wiring I used in my cat 27 was the cabin light wiring. I ripped out enough zip cord, cut and spliced extension cord wire nuts, split bolts etc to fill my cockpit floor 4 inches deep. The PO replaced the bow pulpit and drilled through the nav light wiring and with the vhf antenna grounding the mast, the jib tack shackle would short out the nav lights and cause sparking between the forstay and the foot of the bow pulpit when it was flopping around on deck. I just ran a new wire up above the trim rail to the bow and abandoned the internal nav light wiring. Moved the bats to a tray glassed in under the pilot berth with fuses mounted on the underseat bulkhead. Easy access and short wires to the distribution panel. 2 small fused hot wires up to the box for the battery charger.
Here's a pic of the trial fit before running the wires.

scotty

 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.

Top Bottom