Installed new 12v power pt in cabin...

[Go Aweigh2452]

I could not find a good path from the instrument panel to the cabin so I added a new bus under the steps inside the cabin. Now I can add about anything I want without compromising the bulkhead between the helm and the cabin. Besides, it was a pain to unscrew the instrument panel with the 13 screws...

I used 8 awg marine grade power from the MBSS. I need to upgrade the negative also to 8 awg marine grade but ran short so will finish that up sometime this weekend. The 12v pwer pt is fused for 10 amp and I upgraded the wire from 14 to 12 g due to the 12 ft run I had to the new bus. I only intend to run my laptop off the new 12v. (targus sells 12v adaptors for laptops).

 

[ghuskin]

Doug,

Nice work!

 

[wkearney99]

Not sure I'd have put it where a drink could likely spill INTO it. I'd have gone for the vertical panel instead. You may want to put a grommet around that hole-through showing on that 8ga positive wire. You don't want the boat's normal motion to start rubbing through it. Where's the fuse for it? Why not a breaker instead?

 

[Go Aweigh2452]

Not sure I'd have put it where a drink could likely spill INTO it. I'd have gone for the vertical panel instead. You may want to put a grommet around that hole-through showing on that 8ga positive wire. You don't want the boat's normal motion to start rubbing through it. Where's the fuse for it? Why not a breaker instead?

The drink concern is not a biggie. The holders either side are full of canadian change on one side and US inthe other. Besides the shelf is kind of high and with that overhang, makes it difficult to think about putting a drink up that high. In addition, the plug is capped with a rubber stopper and is about 1/4" above shelf level.

The grommet is a good suggestion however, I will be sealing it with 3M 5400 which will eliminate rubbing but also allow me to remove the 5400 if required..

A fuse is on the main power line on the MBSS but not marked in the photo below (older photo). It is the left most acc on top and to the right of the MBSS. I think you can see it in the photo below...

 

[wkearney99]

If there's "enough" room you could also just use an electrical grommet for BX wire. It's basically just a little red collar of plastic. Or wedge some other material in there. I'd be hesitant to go glopping 5200 on there because of the damage it always causes to gelcoat if you ever try to remove it. Yeah, you "can" use a chemical remover and some heat but who ever really remembers to do that every time? voice of experience talking...

But otherwise it sounds like you've got yourself just what you need. When you look for the adapters be sure to get one rated to supply what your laptop needs. Some laptops demand a lot of wattage (90w and up) and the really thin/light 12v adapters often only provide 65w. I've had good success with the iGo brand. They're not inexpensive but they've got a wide variety of tips AND a y-splitter. I can recharge both our laptops and two cell phones off a single adapter. Granted, I can't RUN them all at once but they seem to trickle charge OK. I've gone so far as to just get extra chargers and leave them on the boat full time. No sense having one more set of junk to lug out to the boat all the time.