New Panel/ Dr. Jim

[Mike36c]

Dr. Jim, I believe you replaced your electrical panel in your 36 with a new paneltronics panel. Was it a standard panel? or something factory. I'm looking to replace mine with a 110/220 along with a 50a 220 cockpit plug. Just curious how much $ and PITA it was. Of course all responses are welcome. How's the re-power coming?

 

[jim rosenthal]

I did not, actually. I decided to leave the original Hatteras electrical panel in there, since it worked fine. I did get a quote from a local company, Holt Marine Electric, and if I decide to do it over, they would likely get the work. It's pretty expensive to do this, and the while-you're-in-theres add up fast. Ask SeaEric.

Repower: I think Tom's crew is still down in Morehead finishing up "Hook Shot" , the 53 that they are painting etc down there. I don't know when they are going to start pulling out the 3116s; probably soon. I will post some pictures when the process begins.

 

[Mike36c]

I had hope of an easy fix, guess its back to the drawing board

 

[SeaEric]

Holt did a beautiful job on my panel re-do. I now have a custom engraved back lit panel. I traded in a 30 amp 125 and a 50 amp 125 incoming cords for a single 50 amp 250, with switchable port and stbd inlets. The original quote was $3500. to $5000. The bill was $14K. I'm happy it's done, but it blew my boat budget 2 winters ago. It sure beats having the boat burn to the waterline from an electrical fire, as that scenario was probably in my future had I not upgraded the shore power.

 

[Banshee36]

Mike,
I replaced my panel with a paneltronics panel in 2000. Yes it was a PITA and took me about a week to do the job. I think the panel was 1500.00 back then, I used 2 30amp mains, as the 50amps are hard to come by at the marina where I keep my boat. You will need to make a new box for the panel, and probably make some of the wires longer. I did add a Battery switch to the top of my panel. So far I had to replace one of the amp meters, and one broken circut breaker, thats another story.
You will need a pair of bent nose 6" needle nose pliers and one of the screwdrivers that holds screws, and brush up on your Extreme nautical language.
JW

 

[Mike36c]

Thanks all, it looks like I'll put off this project till next winter...... $14K? ouch

 

[jim rosenthal]

Yes, but you should see it....

Seriously, it doesn't have to cost 14K. It really depends on what you want to do. There were some reasons I kept the Hatteras electrical panel:
-it works fine
-I had other things that needed to be done sooner (we've all been there)
-the replacement panel is not as good in the sense that the original panel (I think) switches both the hot and neutral leads on the AC circuits. The replacement would switch only the hots- the neutrals would be tied together. Apparently this isn't as good. In other words, every AC line on the Hatteras panel switched both sides of the circuit- this seems better. Breakers are still available to replace the Airpax units on the original.
-what I may do, next winter or whenever, is rebuild the older panel with new breakers and update the labels etc. This would still cost me less than the whole new panel.

The advantage of the Holt panels is that they can custom make something that looks very much like the original including the logos, which is nice. What the factory did at Hatteras was very high-quality- they built their own panels in house- and I am kind of loath to give it up as it is in good shape.

I DID put a glass window in the wooden door that closes the panel off- so I can admire it all the time.

 

[34Hatt]

I did mine in my 34C used a blue seas panel have to say been happy with it. I was moving mine so wire length was not a issue. The only thing I did not like was NO strain relief for the wire the paneltronics was the same so I made my own there is a lot of weight and strain so if you do it make sure its all supported. Also made it so it hinges down pull 3 screws and I have full access to the back.

 

[DeeRow]

...made it so it hinges down....

I've been working behind my panel lately and it hinges down. The only problem with this is that I have to support the panel when working on it. Otherwise it will "rest" on the lower switches. I'm thinking about changing the hinge to one side so that the panel will be supported by the hinge. Actually, it might be easier to make a support strap. Just something to consider when redoing your panel.

Mark

 

[jim rosenthal]

The factory panel swings out, hinged on the left. Although it doesn't really swing out far enough (the wires in back and the opening limit it, etc). The "problem" is that it works fine, and I am reluctant to start improving something that is serviceable and does alright for now.

No comments about the impending repower, folks- you know who you are

If I were going to do a comprehensive refit of the electrical system, one of the things I really wish I had was a 240vac line coming aboard to run the AC units. That would, however, require rewiring the genset to make 240vac and changing a lot of things besides. I don't know how long the original wiring on one of these boats is good for- the hulls last so long that it is really a good question to ask. So far so good- I keep a close eye on it, and try to operate with a large margin of safety as regards the total amperage coming on board.

There are a lot of 36Cs on this forum. What we might discuss in the future is the possibility of a group buy of electrical panels made for the 36C- IF they all have them in the same place, the same size, and handle approximately the same loads. It might be worth making a deal with a fabricator such as Holt or Wards to try to do this. The price might go down a bit if several were involved at the same time. I did find out that the panels can be built with the hot and neutral legs all breaker-protected. It just costs more. (big surprise)

 

[Mike36c]

Jim, We were both thinking the same thing here. Both of my 30a cockpit receptacles are weak so I'm in the process of replacing those with a single 50a 220v plug (and new cord) sending one hot leg to the house and one to the A/C's. Then "while you're at it" took over. I have a water maker that would love to run off 220, and wouldn't it be great swap out the 16K btu 110v salon A/C unit for a big 24K btu 220v? Instead of replacing the entire panel I might buy a small 220v panel just to run a few items and leave the rest factory. It will be nice not to have burnt 30a plugs again.

 

[Trojan]

What happened to the, if it ain't broke don't fix it? Wire does not usually ware out. Improper support causes it to ware. Burnt plugs are a product of ware and abuse. Hot removing of a plug is the biggest offender. Once there is a burn mark on the plug it begins to grow until failure. Hinged panels are the worst for wire ware. It seams that most people do not leave enough wire at the hinge point and excessive flexing with pulling stresses the wire and the connections. Its convenient but I would never hinge a panel in a boat. It always ends up with 5 pounds in a 4 pound bag unsupported. Changing a connection on a hinged panel is also a pain. Just holding the panel still while you work on it is a job. Not fun when you must check something when its hot. Been in too many panels in my days, been there done that. The panels look nice. I'm not picking on any one. Just 40 years of being inside panels.


BILL

 

[Walter P]

Mike: Be careful about too many BTUs for your air conditioning... A little bit over the necessary amount is probably OK but to go from 16K to 24K btu can give you some serious problems with too much humidity. Part of the comfort level of air conditioning is humidity reduction the rest is temperature control.

Some years ago I had a friend in the AC business replace the AC systems in my office. He figured he would give me a deal on a larger capacity system for the same price as the smaller size original unit replacement. When the normal high humidity NJ summer season came on us, I had no problem getting the temp down to 70 F, but the humidity was so high inside the office that sheets of ordinary paper were limp.

My advice is to calculate the cubic ft of the area, factor in the relative lack of insulation, amount of glass etc and consult an AC engineer or call Hatteras.

As far as the 50 amp cord, thanks guys for pointing out the possible PITA with the cable rolling system (which I was considering), I believe I'll stay with the old system and just add an additional access outlet closer to the power post on my dock.

Walter P