One of the never ending battles I deal with working within the marine industry is trying to explain to employers, most of whom complain to me on a regular basis about how hard it is to find good help, that they need to be proactive. With that in mind, each year I serve as a judge at the Skills USA nationals in Kansas City, MO in the marine service technology competition. I want to try and do my part to help the future service technicians out there.

The shot below is from this year's event.

This annual event attracts the best and the brightest high school and post-secondary school talent in the marine service area from all over the US. Each of the contestants is already a winner in that they have competed in their respective state championships. This year we had 31 contestants, a recent high.

I only wish we could get more support from the marine industry here. As it is right now, we had some folks from Volvo Penta (thank you very much Volvo) our competition chairperson, who takes time out of his busy schedule as the OEM installation engineer for Suzuki Motors, the owner of a local Cobalt dealership, the owner of a large engine remanufacturing company, myself (ABYC) and two teachers from marine tech programs in the mid-west.

Although this level of participation may sound pretty good, it pales in comparison to the support other service sector industries receive. Think motorcycle mechanics, as an example. Their group outdoes us by a huge factor every year.

So not to rant, but I'm sort of at the put up or shut up stage here. Any marine industry employers out there? We could sure use some more help and support for next year to keep and grow this important venue. These young people are the future of the marine service industry. We need to prove to them that they haven't made a mistake in their career choice. So, rather than telling me about how hard it is to find good help for your marine business, what I really want to hear is how you have supported your local marine tech training program or Skills USA chapter.

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.

First my apologies! I've been traveling for the last several weeks, picking up and trailering my new boat up the East Coast. So, now you know why I haven't updated in a couple of weeks. I'll share more on the new ride as the month progresses.

Anyhow, I'm back in action here at the blog site and a few new things flew in over the transom this morning that are worth sharing and need pointing out. One of them is an an announcement from our friends at Perko that talks about something they do that can really make a difference in your maintenance checklist requirements. The photo here tells part of the story:

So the arrows are pointing to what are perhaps the most vulnerable electrical contacts on your boat. The connections inside your navigation lights live a horrible life! Outside all the time, getting sprayed with sea water regularly, they eventually end up with badly corroded contacts at the light bulbs. Perko's answer? Gold plate the terminals.

Gold is one of the most noble metals we know of and it resists corrosion naturally. Heck, they are still finding gold artifacts at the bottom of the Mediterranean Sea that are in really nice shape considering their exposure to sea water for centuries!

So, when shopping for new nav light fixtures, and sooner or later you will be, check these Perko lights out. Its the details that count in top quality boat wiring, and these terminals are just one more way to raise the bar as well as the service life and maintenance intervals for your navigation lights.

Fly Zone is off to a new home!

They say that the happiest day in a boater's life is the day they get their new boat. They also say the second happiest day is the day they sell it. Well I don't necessarily agree. You see last week I sold my beloved Fly Zone. Yes, I'm replacing my Amesbury skiff with a larger boat a week from today. Not too much larger mind you, but large enough so that my family and I can zip around Narragansett bay a bit more quickly and shoot out to the islands off the coast of RI and southern Massachusetts more easily. I also need a larger platform for some of the electrical equipment testing I do for posts here and some of the magazine work I also do. So, in the photo above, Fly Zone is on the trailer and ready to leave my life. She's going to a good home with  fellow fly fisher who I know will take good care of her and enjoy her. As he put it, a new chapter in each of our lives is about to begin. We'll get into the details of the new boat when I get back in action. My son an I are going to pick it up next week in Miami and are heading south to the Florida Keys for a little Tarpon fly-fishing adventure. After that we'll be trailering the new boat "Amped Up" back up the east coast to Rhody for a launch here just before Memorial Day weekend.