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Every now and then one of our readers sends in a photo of some really first class effort to destroy the integrity of one’s boat. Today’s example came in from one of the tech folks at Pacer Wire and Cable, one of the site sponsors here at EdsBoatTips.com The photo apparently came to him as a question about compliance with ABYC Standards. Check this one out:
Every now and then one of our readers sends in a photo of some really first class effort to destroy the integrity of one’s boat. Today’s example came in from one of the tech folks at Pacer Wire and Cable, one of the site sponsors here at EdsBoatTips.com The photo apparently came to him as a question about compliance with ABYC Standards. Check this one out:
Its amazing the amount of effort people will put into screwing things up on their boats! This one took some effort to drill the holes for the elcheapo toggle switches and careful positioning on the bulkhead. I especially like some of the legacy wiring just hanging there toward the rear of the compartment.
Well to be honest, I can’t think of an actual statement within the ABYC electrical Standards anywhere that says you can’t use a plastic container like the one above as a mounting platform for a series of switches and I can’t tell from the picture whether or not there are any fuses inside the box.
We do talk within ABYC E-11 about switches and gear meeting amperage rating requirements for the service they are going to be asked to perform. I’ll bet that I could find a problem on that count if I could actually look at the boat.
The bottom line here people is that no matter what, the arrangement above does not meet any best industry practices. Companies like Blue Sea Systems, Paneltronics, BEP and others make wonderful switch panels with your choice of circruit breaker or the less expensive fuse arrangements to fit the exact need above. Its scenes like what you see in the photo above that are often the cause of electrical fires on board boats.
The old saying that goes along with this installation is penny wise and pound foolish.
