In an earlier thread, John M referenced an ABYC requirement that the pair of circuit breakers for the incoming shore power AC wiring be within a certain maximum distance of the inlet fitting. The actual thread was called:
"E35-II AC/DC Panel-Wiring Upgrade".
This spring I spoke with a well-regarded local surveyor about any need to make this upgrade for our boat, and she confirmed that such electrical issues have no "grandfather clause" in case of a future survey (such as a mandated insurance survey).
John quoted a current ABYC guideline that 3 meters was the max. distance nowadays, if I am correctly quoting him.
When our boat was constructed in 1988, such rules were likely different or perhaps not adherred to completely(?). In any case, by actualy wire measurement, when I pulled the old wire out two days ago, it was 15 feet long. The wire itself was the "proper" type, being Boat Cable, tinned, 3/10. OTOH, it was stretched too tight for a really proper installation, at both ends. I also found a small cut in the outer sheath while installing those stanchion reinforcement plates under the deck this spring. I decided that since electrical fires are the number one risk on boats in general, it was time to be proactive and modernize this system.
While I might wish that Ericson had done a more tidy job of installing it in the first place, I was nice to see that my boat had, right from the git-go, the proper spec. cable leading to a double pole breaker on the AC panel.
Getting ready for this upgrade, I built a FRP box with a removeable cover a couple weeks ago. I used 3/16 inch "G10/FR4" panels, and made it 4 X 4 X 9 inches. Corners were joined with fillets and I wrapped some light cloth around each outside edge. It looked at bit rough, so I sprayed it with white paint -- well, it's still a bit rough... but now blends in with the factory white gel coat in the lazerett area, sort of.
Imitating other late model production boats, I put the new box on the backside of the shore power inlet connector, which on our model is beside the cockpit laz. seat hatch. Now I open the hatch, look to the left, and there is the Blue Seas breaker in its little panel. The actual wire length from the plug inlet connection to the breakers is about 8 inches.
:nerd:
I even managed to install some extra plastic wire ties along the way to make the wire run more secure. It all looks quite workman-like now, if I do say so.
Admittedly this was rather a small project, but it was so satisfying to flip on that new breaker yesterday evening! Beside, after two days without shore power, the fridge had drawn down the house bank to 12.4 volts. Ninety degrees (f) here yesterday, and handy bottles of cold water were sure appreciated!
I will try to get some photos of the new box to add. Here is the inlet that came with the boat (and was re sealed as a part of this work) and the new Blue Seas panel.
Best,
Loren in PDX
(Ericson) Olson 34 Fresh Air
"E35-II AC/DC Panel-Wiring Upgrade".
This spring I spoke with a well-regarded local surveyor about any need to make this upgrade for our boat, and she confirmed that such electrical issues have no "grandfather clause" in case of a future survey (such as a mandated insurance survey).
John quoted a current ABYC guideline that 3 meters was the max. distance nowadays, if I am correctly quoting him.
When our boat was constructed in 1988, such rules were likely different or perhaps not adherred to completely(?). In any case, by actualy wire measurement, when I pulled the old wire out two days ago, it was 15 feet long. The wire itself was the "proper" type, being Boat Cable, tinned, 3/10. OTOH, it was stretched too tight for a really proper installation, at both ends. I also found a small cut in the outer sheath while installing those stanchion reinforcement plates under the deck this spring. I decided that since electrical fires are the number one risk on boats in general, it was time to be proactive and modernize this system.
While I might wish that Ericson had done a more tidy job of installing it in the first place, I was nice to see that my boat had, right from the git-go, the proper spec. cable leading to a double pole breaker on the AC panel.
Getting ready for this upgrade, I built a FRP box with a removeable cover a couple weeks ago. I used 3/16 inch "G10/FR4" panels, and made it 4 X 4 X 9 inches. Corners were joined with fillets and I wrapped some light cloth around each outside edge. It looked at bit rough, so I sprayed it with white paint -- well, it's still a bit rough... but now blends in with the factory white gel coat in the lazerett area, sort of.
Imitating other late model production boats, I put the new box on the backside of the shore power inlet connector, which on our model is beside the cockpit laz. seat hatch. Now I open the hatch, look to the left, and there is the Blue Seas breaker in its little panel. The actual wire length from the plug inlet connection to the breakers is about 8 inches.
:nerd:
I even managed to install some extra plastic wire ties along the way to make the wire run more secure. It all looks quite workman-like now, if I do say so.
Admittedly this was rather a small project, but it was so satisfying to flip on that new breaker yesterday evening! Beside, after two days without shore power, the fridge had drawn down the house bank to 12.4 volts. Ninety degrees (f) here yesterday, and handy bottles of cold water were sure appreciated!
I will try to get some photos of the new box to add. Here is the inlet that came with the boat (and was re sealed as a part of this work) and the new Blue Seas panel.
Best,
Loren in PDX
(Ericson) Olson 34 Fresh Air
Attachments
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Hubel inlet.jpg -
small BlueSeas panel.jpg
Last edited:
