Tom,

Sounds like a well organized system. One of the problems with electrical
wiring aboard old boats is that they seem to get chaotic as new devices
are added. I have a hybrid of good organization and a rats nest. Unless
I decided to install a new panel and re-run some wire I'll never have a
completely cleaned up system. Ten years ago the main panel was fed with
a single #10 wire. Now there is 2/0 cable feeding the panel and #6AWG
feeding autopilot, refrigeration and stuff like that. I like the
separate fuse panel idea - keeps the power distribution well organized.

Rich

Tom Beard wrote:
> Rich, et al
>
> I did things a little backwards when rewiring our boat. I did the wiring
> then bought a new panel. And the new panel has that 50 amp breaker-nice
> feature. However-in keeping with the KISS fundamental, I fudged. I have two
> of those rotating switches. The reason: Position #1 is house and engine
> start, just about everything all the time. Number 2 is reserved for
> emergency engine start ONLY should #1 bank ever fail. The second big red
> round switch is only "ON" and "OFF." It connects to #1 battery bank and adds
> the two batteries beneath the forward berth. Normally, it is "ON." But I can
> kill the power to this long cable running all the way forward in case of an
> emergency even though it, like all the other cable runs, is fused. The
> reason, you ask, I have batteries there? We have a bow thruster and it calls
> for batteries nearby. These batteries actually act as accumulators in the
> system since the main supply is beneath the after stateroom berth thirty
> something feet away. All batteries are connected with 2/0 cable-this took
> some of the kid's inheritance. These forward batteries also boost the power
> for the windlass.
>
> I did not mention in my last that I also route the ground cables about the
> boat also using the power post for distribution. I also have added some
> ground buss bars at convenient locations. I remember some old boats where
> all ground wires led to the engine. What a mess!
>
> Another reason for keeping the big red round switches is, not all my power
> is routed through the panel. If an item has its own switch, I removed it
> from the panel and put it on a fused circuit-again, to cut down in the
> number of breaks (switches and breakers) in the power supply to an item. I
> have three fuse panels in the after stateroom closet. I can simply add more
> as electrical requirements increase. One fuse panel is fed directly from the
> #1 battery buss bypassing all switches, even the big round red ones. This is
> for items I do not ever want to shut down like bilge pumps, emergency
> lights, alarms, etc, all with their own forms of switches. They can be
> disabled individually, intentionally, by pulling fuses. The next fuse panel
> is powered from the batteries through the BRR switch. It powers anything
> that has its own on/off power switch that I don't want to control at the
> panel. And the third fuse panel is for radio and electronics. The power for
> this comes through a breaker at the main panel so I can instantly control
> power to all the electronics (except the HF SSB) even though they have their
> own power switch. This is the only violation to my rule of keeping circuits
> clean of unnecessary switching/breaking.
>
> It may sound a little complicated but it is really simple.
>
> Tom
> MOONSHADOW

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Received on Mon Jan 22 19:06:11 2007