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he standards that apply to wiring your boat in the US are the ABYC standards and the Code of Federal Regulations Title 33 CFR Sections 183.401 - 183.460 The ABYC standards are voluntary and the CFR standards are mandatory. The ABYC standards incorporate the CFR standards so a boat built to the ABYC Standards should automatically meet the CFR standards. This article is a brief introduction to the subject

Should I use duplex and triplex wire for my rewiring project or is it easier to use single conductor wire?

I get asked all the time about high voltage DC applications.  Most equipment we sell at PKYS tops out at 48 Volts DC rating, only a few items are rated higher, and quite a lot have lower ratings.  Finding equipment for high voltage applications is not that easy.  

Many of the items we sell have an IP Rating. Here is an explanation of what they mean.

Its a total No-No to connect AC Neutral to Ground on board a boat.  One boat did by accident, see what happened.......

I am always referring to these tables so I thought I would put them in my blog where they will be easier to find

This post gives a few pointers for sizing wire in AC Circuits

ANL and MEGA fuses are similar high amperage DC fuses but there are some big differences. Here is a comparison.....

I end up looking up this table so often I decided to post it on my blog

In extreme cases a fuse carrying an excessively high current can vaporize and the metal can be deposited on the base of the fuse block in a way that permits it to continue to carry current. Similarly with circuit breakers, if the level of fault current goes above a certain level the circuit breaker can become inoperable while still conducting current. Fuses and circuit breakers all have an interrupt rating which is a measure of the current that a circuit breaker can safely disconnect in the event of a fault. The interrupt rating may be different for AC and DC and may vary at different voltages..........

The ABYC standards say that a battery switch is required for all DC systems. One of the main reasons is that if a fault such as an electrical fire is discovered the system can be turned off quickly and easily. However certain circuits are exempt from the requirement to be protected by a switch. Do you know which ones?

ABYC Standard 11.10 OVERCURRENT PROTECTION is a key section of the standards. The principal is very clear, an overcurrent device, such as a fuse or circuit breaker, needs to be placed within seven inches of where the conductor is connected to the source of power. The overcurrent device is protecting THE WIRE from carrying more current than it is able. What follows is an outline of this part of the standard but please see the disclaimer at the end.

Federal Regulations on electrical systems for boats are covered by 33 CFR 183.401-460. The regulations, although mandatory, are somewhat limited in scope. They are available for free online:  33 C.F.R. PART 183—BOATS AND ASSOCIATED EQUIPMENT  In addition the ABYC has published a booklet explaining and simplifying the rules. What follows here is a brief discussion of the material covered by the regulations, please see the disclaimer at the end.

This is an outline review of the ABYC standards relating to Electrical Systems. It just highlights the subject area of each standard. Further Blog Posts will delve into the details of the standards. The ABYC standards are a voluntary set of standards written and maintained by the American Boat and Yacht Council. They cover the design, manufacture and outfitting of small craft built in the US and compliment the compulsory standards written by the US Coast Guard. Each ABYC standard is updated every five years.  The USCG standards are covered in a separate Blog post.

ABYC standard E11 covers AC and DC wiring on boats. In this post we are going to look at one small part of the standard relating to installation. In particular this standard refers to how electrical conductors should be routed and supported. In the standard its referred to as 11.14.6 Installation-General