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DC breaker panel and a AC breaker panel

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Keith D.
Navigator

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USA
233 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/12/2004 : 01:24:41

Well I spent another weekend working on the boat. This weekend I decided to fix the electrical mess I found that Catalina left us with. I guess it was just supposed to be a light switch panel and not a breaker panel. I just can’t see putting inline fuses with everything because they are not made for marine environment and they will eventually give you problems. Second if one pops you will need to have spare fuses on board and there is already too much junk. The answer is to put in breakers for everything and have them sized to protect the wire and the item, which is hooked to it. I had already added two breakers to the existing panel when I realized it was a lost cause and another panel would be needed. I found a panel with six switches and six breakers for under $38. Finding a place to put it was another challenge. It was to small to fill the hole from the Catalina switch panel so I had to make it it’s own home. There was no where else in the liner which was deep enough for the breakers so it needed its own container. What I used was a three gang solid (no knockouts) thin wall aluminum switch box. I drilled holes and added grommets where I needed to run the wires in and out of the box. The box is bolted to the side of the galley and most of the wires go up under the teak strip. I brought a #4 wire up from the battery which is needed to give me 40 amps of dc with 3% loss in voltage. The entire project came in under $55 which now gives me 10 breakers and fourteen switches to control the 12 dc on the boat. Now all of the wire on the boat is protected with appropriate size breakers and I can control everything from the panel.
While I had all of the tools on board for wiring I also decided to put in an AC breaker panel. I put the 30 Amp inlet in the coaming pocket as has been seen many times on this forum. Again a place to put the panel became a challenge. It needed the depth in the liner, which was only found where the stock Catalina switch panel existed. It was the same size as the Catalina panel so it was put in that position. Now where to put the Catalina panel. Having put the original breaker at the bottom of the panel most of it needed very little depth at the top 3/4th of the panel. I didn’t want to go to far from the original position so as you can see it found a home in the liner in front of the cockpit. I had to extend the wires about 12” and I put them into a wire loom to bring them up to the new position. The Blue Sea panel I got has the double 30 amp main and three 15 amp sub breakers. The plan is to have one breaker control the cabin outlets, one for the battery charger and one for the converter. It came with a meter which I didn’t really need but it’s there. The components for this project are a bit more expensive. The panel was a $119 the inlet was $35 and the wire and boxes came out to about $50. I got a 35’ shore cord for $30, which brought the tab up to $250. True 30 amps is a lot more than I needed for this boat but it is the standard found on all marinas. I have a slip rented down in San Diego Bay with shore power for Memorial weekend for 5 days and it may come in handy.

Keith
Southern California
250wb Hull #8

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frog0911
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1349 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2004 : 07:40:26

Keith, very nice set up. I envy your masterful ingenuity.

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mday
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197 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2004 : 18:25:35

Keith,

Very nice work! Are you actually using all those switches and breakers????

Just out of curiosity, how did you cut the hole for the panel relocation? I bought a rotary saw for doing some of this work, but haven't tried it out yet. Some of the work done on my boat looks like they made a row of holes with a drill and punched out the fiberglass (

).

Max

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Keith D.
Navigator

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USA
233 Posts

Response Posted - 05/13/2004 : 21:17:52

Max you are out in Lake Pleasant. I spent many of days out on that lake through my high school years. I used to live in Phoenix. I have been out in California for quiet a few years now.
For the cutouts first I made a paper pattern which had the outline of the panel, the holes in the corners and the part that was required to be cut out. You can lay the paper on the back of the panel to see you are going to cut out only what is required. The pattern was then transferred to where I wanted the panel when I was happy with it. I then took a ½” drill and drilled the corners at slow speed. From these starting points I used an open-ended hacksaw to cut out the basic shape. The finishing step was to use a course file to get a good fit. Then before anything else happened the vacuum was out to clean up all of the fiberglass.
The switches are all being used bow light, deck light, cabin lights, anchor lights, running lights, stove, DC sockets, bilge pump auto mode, vhf radio, CB radio, am/fm radio, bilge pump manual mode, gauges and autopilot. That should be 14. Most of these switches have the appropriate breaker for the item and the wire used. For the AC breakers cabin outlets, converter, battery charger.

Keith Umbreit
C250 WB 8
Riverside, CA.

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Oscar
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
2030 Posts

Response Posted - 05/17/2004 : 19:43:55

Gents, I have found that, by far, the best way to cut the stuff is with a ZIP bit, but in a Dremmel tool <font size="5">slow</font id="size5">....

The RotoZip is too fast (burn marks, smoke, coughing) the Dremmel at slow speed (2 or 3 out of 7) is perfect.

For those that want to add shore power, and are happy with the 12 V setup, here is the picture that goes with the article I wrote for the last issue of Mainsheet .....

Oscar....

Edited by - Oscar on 05/17/2004 19:45:55

arlingva
Navigator

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USA
116 Posts

Response Posted - 05/26/2004 : 22:08:52

Keith,

Great set up! Two questions. Where do you shop? Those prices are great! Beat WM by a mile. Where are your batteries and battery charger?

Thanks, Bill

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zebra50
Captain

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USA
408 Posts

Response Posted - 05/27/2004 : 15:15:40

Keith
great job. When did you live in Phoenix? What high School? I lived in Phoenix through high school (Central) and U of A. 62-69.

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Keith D.
Navigator

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USA
233 Posts

Response Posted - 06/02/2004 : 20:29:24

Bill
I got the AC breaker panel through starmarinedepot.com. They did not have the panel listed but Gregory at star marine got it for me. The DC panel I got through sailnet.com. The battery and the charger are behind the aft birth. I will move both of them to under the v birth when I get some time. I need more weight forward I now sit 7 ½” above the water line in the front and below the water line in the back.

Keith

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Keith D.
Navigator

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USA
233 Posts

Response Posted - 06/02/2004 : 20:52:14

Jay
I lived in Phoenix from 59-69. We lived in every part of Phoenix but I ended up at Sunnyslope High, class of 69. Uncle Sam got hold of me when I got out of high school and for the next 7 years I was in the Far East. When I got out of the service I went to Cal State Long Beach class of 80.
One of my younger brothers is a professor at U of A but you would have missed him he didn’t start teaching there until 79.

Keith

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