A few days back I was asked to do an inspection on a new boat that I will politely say "has issues". One of the items I discovered is fairly common, especially on boats coming into the US from other countries. In reviewing the CE standards that apply to AC electrical systems, actually ISO Standard 13297 I can see that there is really no mention of the need to install AC switches and outlet receptacles into approved boxes to protect the high-voltage terminals from coming into contact with anything that may sneak up behind the outlet. This is something that is really easy to do in a typical boat wiring situation. The two photos below show what I'm talking about here:

The Suspect

Free Air Once Removed. No Box!

In the case above the back side of the receptacle faces into a really crowded space behind the

 boat's instrument cluster. The steering chain and gear mechanism is also really really close to the terminals. Without an intervening, non-conductive box isolating the AC terminals, if this outlet were switched on and the steering chain ever broke and came in contct with it, anyone touching the stainless steel destroyer type steering wheel at the same time would light up like a christmas tree if they were standing there barefoot in a wet bathing suit.

OK, so you might be asking yourself, what are the odds of that all happening? Not high, granted. But I've seen this same type of installation where the backside of the live outlet faced into a cabinet in a galley where the likelyhood of tossing a metal pot in the cabinet is quite probable. Short that out on the back of a live AC outlet and then reach in to grab the pot to cook some soup. It'll wake you up for sure.

The bottom line here? Embrace the ABYC Standard (E-11) that says all of this stuff needs to be installed inside a UL approved box. I think they are under $1 at the Home Depo Electrical department. Cheap insurance in my book. Box it up people!

Nice panel, but its as far out as I can get it. (Not the Robalo) Another example of a no service loop install.

A panel with a service loop. Notice how you can swing the panel all the way down to access the wiring and terminals on the back. Nice, and the way things should be.

OK, today I'm whining. Just finished a project on my new Robalo R-180 and I'm sharing one of the major frustrations that occur on a lot of boats I'm afraid, so yes the folks at Robalo should listen in here, but others as well.

First, the project..... I ordered the boat with an optional raw water washdown system. So when I picked the boat up at the dealer it had been installed...sort of. Now granted it is only a $65 option on the "build your boat" page of the website, but understand I actually wanted the system to function as installed. Not too much to ask I think. Now the dealer kindly included the system for "free" as part of my deal with them. Well, I got exactly what I paid for, nothing. Nothing that worked very well that is. You see the genius that installed that system simply put a "t" fitting in the output line from the livewell pump to the livewell. There is a shut-off valve on the inlet to the livewell. So, the sales guy told me all I had to do was turn off the valve to the livewell to divert the pump pressure (sic) to the deck wash. Well, let me tell you folks, a Sureflo 500 gph livewell pump can't possibly generate enough pressure to run a deckwash system. No way, no how.

Now it turns out that ShurFlo in their design wisdom provides a nice additional plumbing tap on the side of the pump inlet. For what you ask? To provide a secondary connection point for the plumbing fixtures to feed an additional pump, one designed for washing down a boat deck. The pump I selected cost me $158. It really works well now. But to my title here, electrical service loops, or the lack thereof. You see to their credit Robalo uses top quality equipment for all of their systems. All first class materials. They just need some serious help on the systems design side of things. The key word here is serviceability.

You see I needed to actually add some wiring to supply power to my new deck wash pump. No big deal I thought, there was a nice Blue Sea master battery switch panel located neatly in the port side aft locker under the kick-up seat. Actually quite accessible. One really big problem however, all too common on a lot of boats. I removed the four screws holding this neat little panel in place with the thought of providing a master switch controlled master feed to my new pump (circuit breaker would be immediately downstream from this switched tap point. Guess what? The panel must have been installed before the deck had been dropped in place on the hull. The engineering dept. at Robalo had done an excellent job of designing this system so that not a dime would be wasted on extra wire, not even an inch of extra wire. On my boat there is absolutely no way I can slide this panel out to even look at the wiring connections on the back side of it, never mind attempt to attach a new lead anywhere. I'm not going to dwell on the beautiful DC grounding buss I can see through a service port located in the engine well. All neatly done using top quality equipment. Too bad its going to take a person with 5 ft. arms, preferably with an extra elbow installed to get to it when any service work needs to be performed, or perhaps a Leprechaun with some electrical system training. Is any of this a safety issue? No. Does it still meet ABYC Standards and the criteria for NMMA Certification? Yes. Unfortunately, neither the Standards or the NMMA Certification have a serviceability component for electrical systems. Recent additions have mandated inspection access for fuel system components, but not for electrical. Oh, well, I'll pick away at this all and get it perfect, but I have to compel builders to think beyond the shop floor. I know that this work was all done before deck, and the folks who did it did a nice neat job. Too bad you need mirrors and Leprechauns to see their careful work.

As for the dealer? I'll get to that in another post. We'll talk a bit about their accessory installation skills, or lack thereof in another post. I"m still not sure if they are actually the ones that provided the wash down install.

Last week we answered a question submitted by Joe the electrician. So, he had been asked by a potential customer to wire up a floating residence that was simply described to me as a barge that someone was going to build a house on and move into. Unclear to me was whether this was going to become a mobile craft or just sit parked on one place forever. Turns out it may make a difference in how he may approach the wiring questions Joe presented to me. After publishing the post where I basically advised treating the whole thing as a boat, a friend contacted me to remind me about an area found within the national electrical code that addresses "floating structures". I usually think of these as casinos and such but frankly tend to forget that there are areas of the US, such as Seattle where year round live aboards do live on small floating sturctures that never move. Not really boats at all with any of the associated dynamics that we need to think of on boats. So, by way of comparison, compare the photo below of yet another liveaboard found on the waterways of Amsterdam to the photo in my Joe answer below.

The boat shown above is my idea of a boat. It's got a pointy end (bow), its got a rudder.. It was originally designed to move through the water. So, as far as I'm concerned its a boat vs. a "floating structure". Now I'm not sure if this boat has moved from its berth in many years or not. It was pretty clear to me that someone was indeed living on board as we went by it.

So, back to Joe's original questions about the ype of wire to use, grounding systems and the like. I guess you need to answer the basic question first....is your potential customers craft a boat or a floating structure. If the determination is that its a floating structure, you can save a lot of money going with the NEC wiring recommendations.

We received a great query from a reader just the other day that needs sharing. Joe is a land based electrician that has been asked by a client to do some rewiring on a houseboat that the customer is actually building on to an existing steel barge platform. It could end up looking as elegant as the one shown in the photo below that I took of a typical Amsterdam houseboat found along the canals routed throughout the city.

Amsterdam house boat at its most elegant. Not bad little harbor cruisers tied up to it either!

So, to Joe's questions. He begins by asking about a main circuit breaker for the system coming into the boat, but also, his customer is installing a rather large on board generator. Joe, yes, a double pole main breaker is required and a GFI (ground fault interupter is a good idea. Today, use an ELCI. To learn more about those and get a brochure that describs the installation, go to our sponsor here, Blue Sea Systems (http://bluesea.com/)  to get all the details.

Joe asks about grounding. For that you really need to get a look through ABYC's E-11 standard that describes the requirements for on board AC and DC systems. Joe, you can purchase a copy of that by going to our website at: www.abycinc.org You really want to look over this standard before you dive into this project.

Joe asked about using household wire or boat cable for this job. House wire is single strand and forbidden for use on boats. Boat cable, which is multi-stranded is the only way to go here.

Joe, please spend the few dollars on purchasing E-11 and get the answers and detail you need to do this job correctly and safely! And, thanks for having the foresight to ask about this important issue.

A press release from our friends at Hella Lighting came in over the wires today that highlights a topic I've discussed here at EBT before. Probably a good idea to bring this up again as I think a lot of boaters are thinking about intelligent upgrades to their boats during the winter doldrums. I know I am. Actually, I really fell off a cliff during the Miami Boat Show this year and bought a new boat! More on that in another post.

RETROFITTING INCANDESCENT NAV LAMPS

WITH LED BULBS IS UNSAFE, ILLEGAL

With all the power-saving and longevity benefits of LED lights, it's easy to see why boat owners replace traditional light bulbs with LEDs.  But doing so with navigation lights can violate the fixture's certifications.  This has serious consequences, as US Inland Navigation Rules and International Navigation Rules carry the force of federal law.

"A certified navigation light fixture is a combination of a specific lens, a specific bulb and the necessary foundation and wiring.  The boat owner or operator must ensure that when bulb replacement is necessary, only the original type bulb is used," said Phil Cappel, chief of the US Coast Guard's Recreational Boating Product Assurance Branch.  "Any substitutions can result in the light no longer meeting the Navigation Rule requirements."

A wide variety of replacement bulbs are available, including LED bulb conversion kits.  Simply finding one that fits the fixture won't assure the boater of a properly certified navigation light, unless the lamp manufacturer has third party-certified it for their own lamp.  Cappel notes that compliance with the Navigation Rules is the boat operator's responsibility, not the bulb manufacturer's.

Industry specifications and certifications are in place for safety.  Though seemingly simple, the red, white and green navigation lights are thoroughly tested by a third party for light intensity, color, angles of visibility, corrosion and temperature.  "The lamp assemblies are designed and tested with a specific light source," said Brian Goodwin, technical director for the American Boat and Yacht Council (ABYC).

Precise tests determine if light reaches nautical mile requirements.  Light output must also be sharp at the edges and smooth across the arcs of visibility.  This prevents light from appearing to flash like a buoy rather than project consistently when the boat rotates and rocks. 

Goodwin notes that there are other causes of failure if the owner replaces a bulb with one other than the original type.  For example, LEDs installed in a housing intended for a hot bulb may dim unexpectedly.  "Unless approved and tested by the light fixture manufacturer, LED retrofit bulbs do not belong in navigation lights," he said.

"Flaunting the law risks lives, insurance and liability," said Jeremy Singleton, Hella marine global manager.  "The USCG and ABYC take navigation lighting very seriously.  They are considered life-saving devices to avoid collisions at sea and on inland waterways."

The simple solution for owners wishing to upgrade to LED navigation lights is to replace the entire light assembly with a certified product.  This ensures their navigation lights are safe, and legal.