110 Cookson Lane | Whitefield, ME 04353 | 207-232-7600 | tim@lackeysailing.com
Skeedeen was anachronistically equipped with a pair of pretty flimsy fused switch panels for the boat's various electrical functions; the owner decided it was time for a panel upgrade. The old panels provided ten switch locations.
The old panels' cutouts spanned a larger opening than any commercially-available modern panel offered, so from the getgo it was clear that I would need to build a backing board to cover the old cutouts entirely. I'd hoped a new, tall vertical panel would cover the entire area, but this was not to be.
After reviewing various panel options and discussing the issues with the owner, we settled on a new 8-position circuit breaker panel. With some minor reconfiguration of circuits, and some other changes--including relocating a windshield wiper switch from the panel to a more convenient location near the helm, and removing entirely the switch and controls for an unused electric horn--we reduced the individual circuit requirement to seven, leaving one spare for some unknown future installation. I ordered the requisite materials.
Afterwards, I removed the old panels, after first noting the position of each individual circuit on the adjacent terminal blocks. I removed a momentary switch for the old horn from the helm area, which location I planned to use for a new pull-type switch to power the wiper. I also removed the entire horn power unit from inside the electrical panel space, as it was redundant.
I spent the remainder of the day preparing the boat for the upcoming brightwork maintenance. This meant masking off all the various areas: helm and dash; windshield and glass; toerail; forward hatch; engine box trim. I decided to leave the anchor platform untouched for now, since the still-installed winter cover frame rested upon it. It'd be easier and better to sand and refinish this separately in the spring.
Finally, I removed the final bits of remaining hardware from the wood bits I'd taken off the boat earlier.
Total Time on This Job Today: 6.5 hours
