Custom Electrical Panels & Wiring Harnesses: An Interview with Mark Rogers

Robin G. Coles interviews Mark Rogers about Custominzing Electrical Panels and Wiring Harnesses. Inside you'll discover these key points:

- Custom panels for a sailboat can have a selector switch for the navigation lights that is fed by a single breaker.
- To connect a PC to a chart plotter to a VHF radio, use something like the Blue Sea #2408 or similar terminal block with little ring terminals for each connection.
- To be able to switch between US and European shore power, install two different inlets on your boat and a selector switch to reconfigure the transformer.
- You know it's time to replace the wiring on your boat when you see cracked insulation; the conductors are turning green, black, or crumbling; or if the wiring has been exposed to salt water and/or the navigation lights aren't working properly. Check the wiring in the bilge pump. - Using automotive wire or, worse, housing wire, is illegal.
- Make sure wires are properly terminated with crimped connectors or a proper type of Eurostyle terminal blocks.
- Follow ABYC (American Boat and Yacht Council) guidelines. They are a standard-setting organization and many of their regulations closely follow national fire and electrical codes.
- To prevent corrosion, spray wires with a dielectric protectant once a year when you're commissioning the boat.
- Generic batteries last an average of three to four years. With premium batteries, like Rolls, plus well-regulated charging systems, the battery could last ten years or more.
- A clever way to repair the rubber sleeve protector on an outboard external wiring harness is to open up a piece of split-loomed tubing, wrap it around the existing wiring harness, and secure the two ends with hose clamps or cable tie wrap.
- Think about any add-ons or changes you might want to make in the future and design for those eventualities now.