Electrical and Navigation Systems

We needed the equipment to get us where we wanted to go — and enough power to make life comfortable when we got there (including, of course, the all-important ice maker!).

Getting Deux Poissons ready for longer adventures meant taking a good look at some of her essential systems and deciding what needed updating.

That meant upgrades to our:

Electrical system
Navigation system
Solar and battery system

Some of the changes were about safety and reliability. Others were about making life aboard easier. And a few were simply about making sure we could still have ice in our drinks, wherever we happened to be.

The Electrical Work

We started thinking about and planning the electrical work which, like so many other things on Deux Poissons, hadn’t received much attention for quite some time.

We realised it might be fairly urgent when Patrick pointed out:

“This is old household wire, probably from the 1960s, and it’s not suitable for a boat.” May 2016

The plan was to run two systems — 230V AC, supplied by shore power or the generator, and 12V DC.

So, over breakfast one weekend, we set about designing the AC circuits. Two separate circuits, 14 double sockets and, as you can see above, an extremely professional electrical diagram to explain it all.

Seems simple enough!

Now all we needed was an electrician — and possibly someone who could decipher the drawing.

The Plan

August 2019

Have put together a better plan for the AC electrical circuits - well it’s the same plan except this time it is slightly more legible (slightly) and might be enough to convince an experienced electrician that this is not an impossible task.

So we will have two circuits and then separate outputs for certain “appliances/units”

Circuit 1 comprises double sockets, some of which will have USB options, in main saloon area and in front bedroom area.

Circuit 2 is towards the back of the boat and into galley.

Separate outputs for the day fridge, fridge/freezer which will be in a locker under the seating area in galley and the oven. We will also have separate units for the hot water unit, water maker and a battery charger.

The electrical panels arrived by post today, ready to make up the circuits detailed above. These include a DC distribution panel with 22 switches plus the master switch. AC power source selector - shore power or generator. Primary circuit breaker. This will replace what is already on the boat.
These will be handed, along with an AC distribution panel, to the first marine electrician we can convince to do the work.

We also ordered and received our new Kus gauges. As we have two new fuel tanks and two new water tanks, we needed new gauges. We are also fitting a holding tank which will need monitoring and we are going from physical mechanical links from the engine to electrical gauges. So our Kus delivery comprised 2 fuel gauges, 2 water gauges and the holding tank gauge. Also an engine oil pressure gauge as well as gauges for the gear box oil pressure, engine temperature and the ammeter. We will keep the original rev counter.

Having found electricians brave enough to take on the job, we started the electrical refit on Deux this weekend. We took their advice and agreed: “rip it all out and start fresh”. There really was very little worth salvaging - between the melted wires and the cracked exposed cables. I am also not sure I believe them when they say they “have seen worse”.

Now we have new AC and DC distribution panels, new switches, new wiring and willing electricians, it made sense to put this all together in a new wood electric board. So Patrick printed out templates of all the panels and switches and created a template which will be used to make the electric board. It took a couple of modifications and changes, but I think it is going to look great once it is completed and fitted.

The electricians returned this weekend — which was a good start! — and worked solidly all weekend.
So far, so good.
Two new banks of batteries have now been fitted: one dedicated to starting the engine and the other for domestic use. A new Sterling Pro 60A battery charger has also been installed, with new cabling running to the battery selector/isolation switch and on to the DC distribution panel.

The 230V AC system coming into the boat received a lot of attention, particularly when it came to safety. The old cabling was replaced and a new RCD fitted. Incoming power now runs to a selector switch, allowing us to choose between shore power and generator, before passing through the main switch and on to the AC distribution panel.

A separate RCD has also been installed ready for the generator, which will follow at a later date.

We also have a new bilge-pump switch fitted — the first of three.

Over the next few weeks, the new AC and DC circuits will gradually make their way around Deux Poissons, providing power for lights, sockets and all the other essentials of life aboard. Including, obviously, the ice maker. Priorities.

Our inverter arrived, with one particularly vital task — keeping the ice maker running while we were underway, without having to run the generator.

It is a 3000W pure sine wave inverter, and the original plan was simply to wire it into the distribution panel and plug in the ice maker whenever it was needed.

Patrick then had a quick rethink — and a discussion with the electrician — and the plan became rather more ambitious.

Instead of powering just the ice maker, they decided to wire the inverter so that it could supply the whole AC system. Patrick replaced the rotary selector switch, while the inverter was connected directly to the batteries through its own isolation switch and fuse.

So, rather impressively, what started as a way of making ice while cruising can now power our AC system, including charging laptops and phones.

All thanks to my need for ice.

January 2021

Now that we had new and additional gauges — and willing electricians — Patrick turned his attention to replacing the existing main instrument panel.

The new panel needed to accommodate rather a lot: gauges for both port and starboard fuel tanks, both water tanks and the waste tank, along with the rev counter, gearbox and engine oil pressure, ammeter and engine temperature gauges.

Then there were the switches for the anchor and navigation lights, blower, AIS silent mode and windscreen wipers, as well as the start and ignition switches.

In other words, quite a lot to squeeze into the existing space.

After a couple of frustrating hours of measuring, rearranging and trying to make everything fit, Patrick managed it.

Somehow, it all fitted.

February 2021

The new instrument panel arrived!

Patrick sanded and varnished the original wooden frame, bringing it back to life before fitting the new panel into place. Then it was over to the electricians to connect all those gauges and switches.

Almost everything went according to plan. The rev counter needed a new cable, so that would have to wait for another day.

But after all the measuring, rearranging and squeezing everything into the available space, we finally had a new instrument panel — sitting rather nicely inside its original 1959 frame.

September 2022

We finally reached the point where we could say:

“Well, that’s all the electrics done now.”

It had been a huge job. We definitely underestimated just how much needed doing — and how long it would take. Covid-19 and lockdown certainly didn’t help — but, with some amazing help along the way, we got there.

The aft and galley now have plenty of sockets, including a dedicated supply for the fridge/freezer in the aft locker, as well as new lighting and sockets for the fans.

The generator has been installed and wired into the system, and we also have solar panels ready to be installed and connected to their own dedicated batteries in the aft section. (For generator updates see here).
Most importantly, everything has now been tested and signed off.

And yes, after all those melted wires, cracked cables, new batteries, distribution panels, RCDs, switches, sockets, an inverter and a generator... the ice maker finally has power.

In fact, it can now make ice from shore power, the generator or the inverter. Some might call that excessive. We call it good planning.

Our existing navigation system comprises a compass and a Raymarine ST6000 autopilot. And the use of a mobile phone !!
Needless to say, this needed to be upgraded. We needed a system that will allow us to use electronic charts, for both UK coast and inland waterways of Europe as well as the coast of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean. We also needed a more effective way to use the autopilot and a safer way to navigate the busy European waterways.

So, after more time than I thought necessary, Patrick finished his on-line searching, placed a LOT of orders and then he sat back, waiting for all the “goodies” to arrive;
NMEA 2000 backbone, 15.6 inch touch screen monitor (12 volt), AIS transponder, AIS converter, Garmin display unit, DSC radio, RasberryPi plus HAT (Hardware Added on Top). Shout out to SeaBits (Steve Mitchell) for his comprehensive website and on line advice!
The Rasberry pi runs open CPN and signalK software. It allows us to enter a route and let the autopilot take over.
[We convinced my son, who had access to a 3D printer, to make us a RasberryPi box - you would think that a box would be part of the deal !!]

The AIS system allows us to see vessels around and more important, other vessels can see us in busy European waterways. It also means that our position will be updated on sites such as Vessel Finder and friends and family can “find us”.

I had Patrick explain how this all works together (mainly so he could justify the amount of money these few boxes cost!) See below…

Now came the job to fit all of these bits together so they work as one. We have space in the electric cupboard, so first a large white board to hold all the units. Fitting all the bits was tricky and then they needed to be connected up to make sure it all worked. It was a long job that took patience and expertise beyond Patrick’s remit, but nothing our wonderful electrician couldn’t handle. We were thrilled to see the autopilot work, even though we were still tied up and not going any where.

We have this great marine stereo (Fusion MS-RA210) and we need to find a spot for it. We are leaving the existing speakers as they work really well - so that’s part of the problem solved. I am looking forward to having something else to listen to, besides all moaning and groaning from both me and Patrick !

Included in the huge instrument order placed last year were two antenna, which will eventually join the others on our new mast. These antenna will provide us with internet connection. Patrick settled down this week to get this all connected up and ensure that it worked. It did mean removing the panel from the electrical cupboard on the boat and set it all up in the kitchen at home, but I was getting used to this now! It is an impressive set up and I was pleased to see it in action.

The autopilot which was fitted on Deux when we bought her became less and less reliable and we finally agreed that it was time to replace it (disguised as a Christmas present). We really wanted some thing we could depend on and be able to step away from the helm for a few minutes. We had also replaced and fitted all new navigation equipment, so it made sense to replace this last piece. Oh well - in for a penny, in for a pound!! It also kept Patrick busy for a whole weekend … so there’s that.

We are looking at 480W in total with our flexible solar panels; 3 x 100w panels and 2 x 75w panels, all fitted to the top roof. The 3 x 100w panels will charge our lithium batteries through a victron solar charger, which will keep our (day) fridge and fridge freezer running. The 2 x 75w panels will charge the domestic batteries. We will also have a battery to battery charger, from domestic to lithium.

While we have plenty of space for all the panels, we also have a large hatch that opens up and will cover three 100w panels when fully open, so the two 75w panels alongside the hatch, which are not compromised when the hatch opens, are a real necessity (to keep the lithium batteries going for our fridge).

(The solar panel plan - click the diagram to open fully)

June 2022

The 3 larger panels arrived safely in the post on a convenient sunny day and Patrick got to test (play) for a few hours.

August 2022

We took a weekend off from all the boat work and went over to the Isle of Wight. We anchored for the weekend and it was glorious and hot. Patrick connected one solar panel up to the batteries and this kept the fridge running the whole weekend. This was a successful “test run” and I had chilled wine all weekend! The fridge has a small freezer section and I had ice from there too.

With the promise of sunshine and summer days, we spent the weekend fitting the 3 larger solar panels and connecting up that part of the system.

The panels are SunStore Solar Power Solutions (Model No SGM-LEE-100W) and are flexible boat solar panels. We chose these as an option because we can walk on them (should we need to), they fit the space available and they meet the curve of the deck so don’t compromise the look of the boat. They are also 23V panels, so in shady conditions we still get a high voltage into the solar charger. As we are spending a lot of time on canals and rivers, we are likely to be in shade from trees quite a lot.

Patrick used M3 VHB double sided tape. You really only have one shot at sticking the panel down with no chance to re-lift and adjust - it really is impressive stuff. We ran them in series so we could use smaller cables, which attach to the roof of our main saloon. Running in series accumulates the voltage to about 66V in total, but the current remains at 5amps. Patrick will fit a false ceiling to cover the cables (eventually).