Switch panel and fuse setup
Printed From: The Fishing Website
Category: General Forums
Forum Name: The Boat Shed
Forum Description: Discuss all things boating.
URL: https://www.fishing.net.nz/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=126864
Printed Date: 29 Jun 2026 at 2:14am
Topic: Switch panel and fuse setup
Posted By: haydensam70
Subject: Switch panel and fuse setup
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2018 at 4:40pm
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Have just installed some nav lights and I’m wanting to run them and the other accessories through a switch panel. I’d also like a fuse panel to have all my accessories fuses in one place and labeled for easy access. Just wondering if anyone has done something similar, how do you go about it and what switch boards/fuse panels are the best to use? |
Replies:
Posted By: Tagit
Date Posted: 14 Jan 2018 at 4:59pm
| You can buy a small circuit breaker panel that is effectively the switches and fuses in one panel. BEP and Blue Seas make a range of these and there are less expensive ones available as well. How many circuits are you switching and what would be the biggest load (Amps)? |
Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2018 at 12:30pm
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A complete wiring set up will include: - 1) Main positive and negative supply leads (pos lead protected by a circuit breaker or heavy duty fuse). 2) A positive bus - a terminal block connecting the main positive lead from the battery, and all of the individual device leads connect to. 3) A negative bus 4) Fuses or circuit breakers 5) Switches Circuit breaker panels are good way to go - as Tagit says they combine circuit protection and switching. Also .... if you daisy chain wire the CB panel with suitable gauge cable you eliminate a positive bus too. You will still need a negative bus. Alternately you can buy fuse blocks from Narva or from Blue Seas that have the positive and negative buses built in. I use Narva's 54450 fuse box http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse/fuse-boxes" rel="nofollow - http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse/fuse-boxes With BEP's 6 way switch panel. https://www.burnsco.co.nz/shop/boating/electrical-lighting/meters-distribution/6-way-switch-panel" rel="nofollow - https://www.burnsco.co.nz/shop/boating/electrical-lighting/meters-distribution/6-way-switch-panel Although the BEP panel comes with in-line fuse holders, I remove these (messy). I've noticed that Narva have started supplying a rocker switch panel that comes with either an in-built fuse block or in-built push button circuit breakers. I haven't tried them. http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse/sealed-led-switch-panels" rel="nofollow - http://www.narva.com.au/products/browse/sealed-led-switch-panels |
Posted By: muchalls
Date Posted: 15 Jan 2018 at 7:59pm
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Good info. Son in laws boat (Fyran 440) had dodgy electrics after a second hand motor was installed. A quick bit of cable tracing found all +ve wires & -ve soldered to a length of what looked like domestic 2 core cable  Sorted by marine grade cable and a switch panel run through +Ve and -Ve busbars. When I installed an anchor winch I used proper crimps and adhesive heatshrink on the terminal connections |
Posted By: MikeAqua
Date Posted: 16 Jan 2018 at 9:02am
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It's worth getting your own crimping gear. Reasonable quality ratchet crimping pliers (e.g. Narva's ones) will handle 10 AWG or lighter cables. If you use the crimp terminals with adhesive-heat-shrink and then apply a layer of adhesive-heat-shrink tube over the top, you have a mechanically secured, double glued and double sealed terminal. |