Peter Kennedy is an ABYC certified marine electrician based in Annapolis MD and specializes in the design, installation and repair of marine electrical systems. Shop online for your project here and get the right answers to your technical questions. Be sure to read our informative articles and blog or checkout our Frequently Asked Questions page and technical reference. Check the about us page for questions about shipping, returns, taxes, wholesale accounts or Government Sales.
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The picture below is an illustration of the flexibility of the custom designs available in the Blue Sea Systems 360-Series custom panels. Click on the illustration for an explanation of how the system works and how you can design your own panel online.
Peter Kennedy, seen here looking very pleased with himself, is being presented with a sales award at the Victron Distributors Meeting in Amsterdam Netherlands in November 2017.Peter has been in business since 1991 designing, installing and servicing marine electrical systems. Now we offer support to both professional installers and do-it-yourself boat owners who wish to undertake this work themselves.
"Hi Peter -
Just a short note with some very positive feedback on the 12-volt system that you designed for our sailboat wayback in 2005.
We use the boat for 4-5 months each year from December through May, cruising in the Mexican Sea of Cortez (Sonora and Baja California). We spend roughly 5-6 weeks in remote anchorages and the rest of the time in marinas in San Carlos , Sonora and La Paz, BCS. Then we put the boat in dry storage, exposed to the desert heat in San Carlos from May through November - a stressful half year for any battery system.
You designed our system with four, 6 volt AGM house batteries, a 12volt Optima Redtop starting battery, a two switch Blue Sea switch, a 30 Amp Victron Charger, a Balmar 100 Amp alternator, Balmar voltage regulator, an Echo Charge device. I added solar about 9-10 years ago, first 2-80 watt Kyocera panels, then two years ago a pair of 160 watt Grape Solar panels and 30 Amp controller. I disconnect the large solar panels during the summer layup and connect a tiny 0.5 Amp panel to keep the batteries topped up.
The good news is that the AGM batteries lasted a full 11 sailing seasons. I never had to touch them during all that time. I admit to some suspicion that they were losing compacity last season. But they always provided more juice than we needed. This year (#12) when I commissioned boat they failed a load test and are requiring replacement. The Redtop is still showing good performance characteristics.
Not bad performance for AGMs !! I credit your design for that."
J.P. Arizona