A27- New Electrical Panel Location?

[JT48348]

If you could relocate your electrical panels, where would you put them? I know several of you did really nice jobs on your new panel installs so I would really appreciate some ideas. I'd liek to have everything kinds close together. I've removed my hanging locker and will need to relocate the d/c panel. Also thinking about relocating the a/c panel, or maybe putting a/c and d/c panels on same wall by galley. Suggestions?

I'm going to also end up with an inverter/charger, and prob battery monitor, bilge pump switches, who knows. Probably need more space than whats aloted by the galley. So might be worth starting from scratch and planning everything out centrally located.

[sail149]

JT
The later boats series 3? Had the electrical panel behind the stb companion way door in the side of the hanging locker.
I've also seen the panel put above the 'glove box, next to the helm, but that box got lower later leaving more room.
Warren

[eseyoung]

My vote would be below the 'glove box" in the PH. Its easy access. sit on your bum and you can get to it...no bending flexing into a dark recess of the boat. Its close to the battery and ER bulkhead (which would be a great place to mount an inverter. If you are not replacing every wire on the boat its the correct direction so you likely wouldn't have to splice. The only down side i can think of is that your box would have to be no deeper than the glove box above to clear the engine access doors.

My second choice would be in the cubbyhole under the PH windows on the port side

[Jay Knoll]

Sorry Eric, but I think both of those choices are bad, too much of a chance of getting water/dew into the panel, and it isn't waterproof.

JT I'd look below, try to find a way to put it on your new bulkhead (facing into the cabin of course) with some kind of waterproof back and a chase into the engine room for running wires. I was able to combine two Blue Sea panels to get the number of circuits I wanted.

Jay

[JT48348]

I'm running all new wiring to everything, so in reality it can go anywhere.

I too was initialling thinking about Eric's idea of putting the panel somewhere near the cockpit in the pilothouse, but I was thinking it would be better down below, due to moisture. It might not matter with some sort of waterproof panel enclosure...

1) Would you agree the galley bulkhead is too small and cramped? I think so

2) I thought about a "double wall" immediately to the right as you descend the steps into the fwd cabin. The inner wall would be the shower and thus waterproof. The outer wall would be decorative and could house the panels, assuming its deep enough. But in reality don't know if that would work. You might hit the panel coming into the cabin, and don;t know if the depth is there.

3) I am thinking there might be a 6" space ( basically 1/2 the old handing locker right next to stairs), and the electrical panels could be stacked there assuming none are more than 6" wide. This would keep everything out of the way, and I can make it as deep as I need. Not sure how wide an inverter would be.

4)What about the v-berth? Or backside of the galley. There is no fold-up counter extension anymore. But it would be problem for soemone using the quarter berth.

[Jay Knoll]

Check out BlueSea Systems, they have some panels both AC & DC that are 5.25 wide. There is a search by width choice on their website.
I think that the old hanging locker location would be ideal. I put my invertor under the aft berth, on the foward bulkhead. Wasn't too far to run cables from my battery and it is cooler than in the engine compartment. I don't like the V Berth idea or the backside of the galley. You'll have "fun" getting wires around the icebox insulation DAMHIKT and I don't know how you would put a panels in the V berth area without building something to mount them on.

The old hanging locker has a lot going for it.

Jay

[don123]

My vote would be below the 'glove box" in the PH. Its easy access. sit on your bum and you can get to it...no bending flexing into a dark recess of the boat. Its close to the battery and ER bulkhead (which would be a great place to mount an inverter.

On my boat, that's a double bulkhead - Cut a hole in the 3/4 ply under glove box and you'll find a second 3/4 ply bulkhead about an inch behind (forward) of it

Don

[sail149]

It
I looked up my saved photos of A27 for sale and here are some locations ideas I have seen.
Some do not apply to your situation and some are only thumbnails ,sorry.
Some folks might see there own boat! Thanks.
Warren

[JT48348]

Warren: thats great stuff. Your repositry of Albin photos is priceless. Nicely done.

I am leaning towards the area in the second photo, except againt the aft bulkhead, basically making up about 1/2 the old hangin locker (6-8" wide).

Now I have some questions about the panel(s) makeup. I would be interested in everyone's opinion.

I plan to have a dedicated A/C current panel. On this panel I'm thinking of having breakers for: water heater, galley, cabin outlets, heater,and battery charger. Do you put an inverter on a breaker?

On a DC panel, I would have: Lights, water pressure, Head, instruments, what else?

[Jay Knoll]

JT

Look at the pics in my thread Better Days Refit. You'll find one with the panels and another with the inverter panel. I've used all but one of the circuits in that DC panel! Make sure you isolate the water heater from the inverter so you don't accidentally wipe out your battery heating hot water.

Jay

[JT48348]

Jay: thats a very clean install! May I ask a few questions just so I know what I'm seeing:

-why did you choose to separate the breakers for the fwd cabin and the aft - lights and outlets? Why not just have one for all lights and outlets (120v) and another for all lights and sockets (12v dc). Why not keep them on the same circuit. Or how about 12v sockets and lights together. I did the same thing on my 30ft sailboat, breaking them down by fore and aft cabin, but this time am considering differently. On a boat this small, I'm thinking it seems redundant. Its very unlikely you would ever need them split?

-what is the reverse polarity indicator, switch? for a generator or solar?
I'm thinking about something like this:

ac10.jpg

-your AC 30amp main is the master switch for the all AC right?
-did the amp and volt meters come with the panel and do you have a separate battery monitor and readout?
-How much depth did you find you needed for your panel for the wiring etc

[Jay Knoll]

Jay: thats a very clean install! May I ask a few questions just so I know what I'm seeing:

-why did you choose to separate the breakers for the fwd cabin and the aft - lights and outlets? Why not just have one for all lights and outlets (120v) and another for all lights and sockets (12v dc). Why not keep them on the same circuit. Or how about 12v sockets and lights together. I did the same thing on my 30ft sailboat, breaking them down by fore and aft cabin, but this time am considering differently. On a boat this small, I'm thinking it seems redundant. Its very unlikely you would ever need them split?

The circuits we already split (or maybe just doubled up at the panel) so we decided to run them that way and we don't have to worry about overloading the circuit. If I'm in the aft cabin reading with fans running and my wife is in the forward cabin with fans running, a bunch of lights on, the stereo running etc we don't give it a thought, plenty of power where we want it


-what is the reverse polarity indicator, switch? for a generator or solar? Reverse polarity tells you if there is a problem with shore power wiring here is a bit of background and yes, we have GFIs in the cockpit, aft cabin, head and galley

http://www.pcmarinesurveys.com/AC%20Pol ... 20GFCI.htm

I'm thinking about something like this:

ac10.jpg

-your AC 30amp main is the master switch for the all AC right?
yes

-did the amp and volt meters come with the panel and do you have a separate battery monitor and readout?

They came with the panel[ I didn't think I needed AC voltage read out/b]

-How much depth did you find you needed for your panel for the wiring etc

I'll check tomorrow but there was plenty of room with the depth of the exisitng hanging locker.

[Jay Knoll]

JT

I checked on the depth, the panel isn't that big a deal, it is the wire runs coming into the panel which influence how much depth you need. We set it up so we could pull the panel away from the locker to work on it, so that meant that there was "extra" length in the wire harness. Once the panel was wired we bundled up the harness, mounted the panel and then secured the harness inside the locker with cable ties. It was nice having the full depth of the hanging locker to work with, we didn't have to make any tight bends with the wire.

You could probably get away with a 4" deep space if you had the room to tuck the harness somewhere below the panel, but you'll have to deal with some tight bends in the harness and it may be tought to get in and secure it.

Jay

[JT48348]

Sounds good thanks Jay