Upgraded Electrical Panel
28 January 2006
Peter O. Allen,Sr.
As mentioned elsewhere, Canto's original electrical distribution panels (two Perko six switch & fuse units) were growing blue-green crystals after 30 years of exposure to salt spray.
We installed this 13 breaker panel from Blue Seas, their model #8068. This unit was a little too wide to go where the old Perko units had been, so I cut out the area just below there. I mounted a 1/4" plywood panel on hinges at the bottom of the panel, and used two machine screws to hold the panel closed to prying fingers, as required by ABYC.
In addition to the 13 breaker switches, the panel has an ammeter and a voltmeter that will read the state of charge of as many as three batteries, although we have only two. The lock in the center of the top of the panel is the ignition switch, still in its original location.
I'm thinking about mounting a mid-sized chartplotter in the opening where the old Perko panels were. This would be on a hinged panel that could swing out into the companionway, for easy viewing from the helm.