Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Installing a switch panel for the dc wiring. This is the 8 rocker switch panel with 2 25 amp breakers built in. I want to put an inline fuse at the battery, trying to figure out what amperage I should use? I run the nav lights, 2 cabin lights,depth finder, and a vhf radio.
Oh.. and a funny story.. I was rewiring a 17 foot aluminum Starcraft boat once and I did not have a primary fuse at the battery... anyhoo it shorted the primary and the ground near the panel underneath the steering wheel and it was "poof" in seconds, all the primary wire and ground was smoking and all the insulation melted off. I was lucky I didn't have a fire, and now I think of how quickly that could happen.
I've been more careful with DC wiring ever since...
Sailing with a much older friend many years ago in moderately rough conditions at night, I discovered that he had neither terminal fuses nor battery hold downs. The nav lights went out in the ship lanes north of Toledo and smoke billowed out of the cabin. A bucket of lake water doused the burning insulation, but it was a long way across the lanes that night.
Been traveling of late - in Paul's neck of the woods (south FL). Meanwhile I recommend the following if you have an outboard with an electric start:
1. A separate #10 or #8 wire lead from the battery to the electrical panel, with a 30A or 35A fuse. You need at least 30A if you have conventional electric lighting (2A apiece x 10 lamps), plus 5-10A for the VHF and 5A for your audio system.
2. #6 or #4 wire for your starter circuit. Give that a 40A or 50A fuse.
Some people like circuit breakers BUT they fail. They can stick, freeze or short. If this happens, you won't know it until its too late and worst-case the boat will burn down to the waterline
Whoa! That boat looks to be in pretty bad shape. Surprised there's that much left after the fire. For no electric start, reduce item 2 to the max current supplied by the alternator plus 50%. For example, if you have a 6A alternator, use #12 or #14 wire and a 10A fuse. Use the standard ampacity tables depending on wire run length. For a 12A alternator go with a 15 or 20A fuse and appropriately sized wire..
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.