420/44 DB Owners Club

Fellas all my AC receptacles quit working and I cannot find what the reason is. In my AC panel I have everything on. Does anyone know if there is a ground fault or another type a breaker located somewhere on the boat thank you
Are all your receptacles out, both port and starboard?

The are GFI breakers in both head medicine cabinets. Unlikely both would trip simultaneously though.

I assume all other AC is working (microwave, air conditioning, stove, etc.)?
 
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Are all your receptacles out, both port and starboard?

The are GFI breakers in both head medicine cabinets. Unlikely both would trip simultaneously though.

I assume all other AC is working (microwave, air conditioning, stove, etc.)?
it was the GFI in master head. Never realized they were all linked together
 
Yeah, thats a bit of a sore spot, the water in the bilge. Have been trying. Thinking its the rudder seals. I try to cancel 1 thing per season so I don't drive myself crazy.

Hey Dean,
It sounds like something is off with your float switch situation. I'd start with:
1. Make sure the float works as expected.
2. Make sure the pump works. The trick with these pumps is that sometimes they make noise, but actually not removing the water. This could be your case. I had one or two pumps that were giving me false confidence, but didn't really work 100%.

Dry bilge is super hard to get, but doable. Start with detecting fresh vs. sea water. Then you'll have general direction. Rudder seals are the easiest to see. If they leak, you'd have puddle right in the area, as there low pockets that collect water there.
Do a basic long term analysis by vacuuming the water with wet vac and start logging the events and results:
1. Any water entered when sitting at the dock?
2. Any water after slow cruise (short/long)?
3. Fast cruise (short/long)?

It's a process, so at least while enjoying the season you'll be able to collect meaningful data, so you can think on how to address it offseason.
 
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it was the GFI in master head. Never realized they were all linked together

You have 3 GFIs:
1. Master head.
2. VIP head.
3. Galley.

It's been a while since mine tripped, but as I recall they're not all tied together. Instead, by the lines (PORT/STBD). For example, if you trip VIP (PORT) side, you should still have the STBD side outlets operational.
 
The one in my master head was tripped and none of mine worked. Even the Receptacle on the bridge. My 44 is a 06 model. ‍♂️
 
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The handle on the door to the hallway head failed on the last trip out. The handle would not spring back. I figured that the door to the head gets the most use. With just the two of us, the rest of the doors only get a fraction of the use compared.

I removed it and replaced it with the one from the guest stateroom. I looked at it and the return spring broke...

There are replacements available from FP Marine. In looking at it, it was a simple extension spring. I was able to dig into my stash and found a spring that I could replace it with. Got it all back together. The mechanism is held together with small metal bits that are bent over...not really made for repairs but doable.

Here is a close up of the spring. It is the coil spring at the bottom of the picture. The next picture shows how the mechanism is held together.

Door Latch Spring.jpg
Door Latch Mechanism.jpg
 
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Another project came up. Most days the batteries on the Port bank stayed charged up enough to make it to the next morning without running the generator. I would run it in the morning for coffee and let the solar panels keep the batteries charged up during the day.

Sometimes in the morning, the batteries would be down to 11 1/2 volts. Not too bad but not enough to start the generator even with the extra battery on the Port bank. I scratched my head about this and realized the stereo was used for 5 hours the previous evening. I did some searching here and the stereo is a big current draw. Thanks for every ones input. I thought about it and there must be 4 amplifiers on the boat and 2 subwoofers. I'm getting some rechargeable blue tooth speakers for when we are on the hook and want low level background music. I don't need to blast the music and sound carries on the water so we should be fine.

The other thing I am going to do is run a permanent jumper cable from one of the thruster batteries to the Port bank with a battery switch. If I do not run the big ass stereo, I shouldn't need it.

Again, thanks for all the posts. I was going to put in a dedicated battery for the generator bit this seemed easier.

Cheers!
 
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The handle on the door to the hallway head failed on the last trip out. The handle would not spring back. I figured that the door to the head gets the most use. With just the two of us, the rest of the doors only get a fraction of the use compared.

I removed it and replaced it with the one from the guest stateroom. I looked at it and the return spring broke...

There are replacements available from FP Marine. In looking at it, it was a simple extension spring. I was able to dig into my stash and found a spring that I could replace it with. Got it all back together. The mechanism is held together with small metal bits that are bent over...not really made for repairs but doable.

Here is a close up of the spring. It is the coil spring at the bottom of the picture. The next picture shows how the mechanism is held together.

View attachment 131801 View attachment 131799
Well done! I tried repairing one of these and couldn't get it back together such that it stayed intact. Ended-up buying one.
 
Another project came up. Most days the batteries on the Port bank stayed charged up enough to make it to the next morning without running the generator. I would run it in the morning for coffee and let the solar panels keep the batteries charged up during the day.

Sometimes in the morning, the batteries would be down to 11 1/2 volts. Not too bad but not enough to start the generator even with the extra battery on the Port bank. I scratched my head about this and realized the stereo was used for 5 hours the previous evening. I did some searching here and the stereo is a big current draw. Thanks for every ones input. I thought about it and there must be 4 amplifiers on the boat and 2 subwoofers. I'm getting some rechargeable blue tooth speakers for when we are on the hook and want low level background music. I don't need to blast the music and sound carries on the water so we should be fine.

The other thing I am going to do is run a permanent jumper cable from one of the thruster batteries to the Port bank with a battery switch. If I do not run the big ass stereo, I shouldn't need it.

Again, thanks for all the posts. I was going to put in a dedicated battery for the generator bit this seemed easier.

Cheers!
Is the jumper cable to to use to start the generator in case you run the port bank down too low? If yes, you can use the emergency crossover to parallel port and starboard banks to start the generator (in addition to the port engine).

I really wish this boat had been wired with dedicated starting batteries and a dedicated generator battery that were all separate from the house bank. Future project, perhaps...
 
Thanks baj, we tried the crossover the first time it happened, back in May. I did not get any luck getting the generator started. Perhaps my wife did not hit the correct switch or the crossover switch is not working right.

We changed all the battery setup in the SR 380 so there was dedicated start batteries for both engines and generator. Also had batteries for both house banks. It cost $4,500 and added 4 batteries. There were all kinds of ACR switches and relays to isolate the start batteries once they were all charged up. I think the semi permanent jumper is an easier DIY and a lot less costly.

I am puzzled why the crossover did not work.
 
Another project came up. Most days the batteries on the Port bank stayed charged up enough to make it to the next morning without running the generator. I would run it in the morning for coffee and let the solar panels keep the batteries charged up during the day.

Sometimes in the morning, the batteries would be down to 11 1/2 volts. Not too bad but not enough to start the generator even with the extra battery on the Port bank. I scratched my head about this and realized the stereo was used for 5 hours the previous evening. I did some searching here and the stereo is a big current draw. Thanks for every ones input. I thought about it and there must be 4 amplifiers on the boat and 2 subwoofers. I'm getting some rechargeable blue tooth speakers for when we are on the hook and want low level background music. I don't need to blast the music and sound carries on the water so we should be fine.

The other thing I am going to do is run a permanent jumper cable from one of the thruster batteries to the Port bank with a battery switch. If I do not run the big ass stereo, I shouldn't need it.

Again, thanks for all the posts. I was going to put in a dedicated battery for the generator bit this seemed easier.

Cheers!
A couple things regarding your post:
If your house batteries are dropping to 11.5v, this is some 80% of the capacity ... with deep cycle you shouldn't go below 50% or 12.1v. Dropping to 11.5v on a regular basis will drastically shorten battery life and is likely why it couldn't start the generator! I also have solar and replaced my house batteries with Rolls AGM (x3) this year - I don't drop below 12.4v overnight (about 20% drop).

Regarding the jumper cable, for my thruster I have 2 x 12v batteries in series for 24v ... you can't just jump a cable over to the 12v side without disconnecting the wiring so the thruster batteries are isolated (ie. stand alone 12v). You probably meant this .. .just pointing out the obvious. You could jump to the starboard bank as that is already at 12v.

As for a standalone generator battery, as Brian said in his post, sure wish SR would have configured the set up to have dedicated starter batteries. I have been tossing around the idea to move the generator from the port bank to the starboard bank as these batteries have virtually no draw on them to minimize the risk of getting the genny started but the cross-over switch is pretty convenient.
 
Thanks baj, we tried the crossover the first time it happened, back in May. I did not get any luck getting the generator started. Perhaps my wife did not hit the correct switch or the crossover switch is not working right.

We changed all the battery setup in the SR 380 so there was dedicated start batteries for both engines and generator. Also had batteries for both house banks. It cost $4,500 and added 4 batteries. There were all kinds of ACR switches and relays to isolate the start batteries once they were all charged up. I think the semi permanent jumper is an easier DIY and a lot less costly.

I am puzzled why the crossover did not work.
I'm not 100% on this but I think the crossover connects the starboard and port starter solenoids ... I believe the generator is a separate solenoid. If so, the crossover switch would have no effect.
 
I am not a prop expert by any means. So I thought that new nibral was what u wanted. Is my thinking correct or not?
 
I'm not 100% on this but I think the crossover connects the starboard and port starter solenoids ... I believe the generator is a separate solenoid. If so, the crossover switch would have no effect.

This might explain my lack of success...
 
Regarding the jumper cable, for my thruster I have 2 x 12v batteries in series for 24v ... you can't just jump a cable over to the 12v side without disconnecting the wiring so the thruster batteries are isolated (ie. stand alone 12v). You probably meant this .. .just pointing out the obvious. You could jump to the starboard bank as that is already at 12v.

My boat is the same set up for the thruster. I have been using one of the two 12V thruster batteries for jumping with my jumper cables. They are in series giving 24V at the cables going to the thruster but each battery is still 12V across its own terminals. I will connect my "permanent" jumpers at the terminals where the meter is connected.

Thruster Battery.jpg
 
My boat is the same set up for the thruster. I have been using one of the two 12V thruster batteries for jumping with my jumper cables. They are in series giving 24V at the cables going to the thruster but each battery is still 12V across its own terminals. I will connect my "permanent" jumpers at the terminals where the meter is connected.

View attachment 131883
I thought you would have to disconnect them before using ... learn something everyday!
 

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