Keep your boat's electrical systems running and reliable

“Boatowner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbookis perfect for learning how your boat’s electrical system and much of its equipment works, and it will be an invaluable guide when adding equipment as well. This book needs to be in every boater’s library as a ready reference on how to make effective repairs and modifications that comply with ABYC standards.”—Ed Sherman, Senior Instructor and Curriculum Designer, American Boat and Yacht Council

“A definitive technical book that is easy to read. Buy this book and throw out the rest.”—Motorboat & Yachting

Whether you take to the sea under power or sail, bounce around the bay in your runabout, or cross oceans in your cruiser, you’ll find everything you need to maintain, repair, and upgrade your boat’s DC and AC electrical systems with this comprehensive and fully illustrated guide.

Tackle onboard electrical projects and learn how to:

• Meet ABYC standards for both DC and AC wiring
• Install solar- and wind-power systems
• Add electrical components
• Prevent corrosion of your electrical system . . . and more

Table of contents

Introduction
1. Basic DC Circuits
What Electricity Is • Ohm's Law • Using Ohm's Law • Loads • Sources • Practice Problems

2. DC Measurements
Analog Test Instruments • Digital Test Instruments • Digital vs. Analog Test Instruments • Homemade Testers • Troubleshooting

3. Batteries
What Is a Battery? • A Few Messy Details • Electrical Model of Batteries • Monitoring Battery Health • Discharge Characteristics • Charging Characteristics • Charging Recommendations • Estimating Your Daily Load • Choosing a Battery Type • Optimum Depth of Discharge • Sizing the Alternator • Series vs. Parallel • Battery Boxes • ABYC Standards for Batteries

4. Alternators
A Galley Alternator • A Rotary Current Machine • Rectification • Controlling the Alternator • Type-P and Type-N Alternators • Powering the Voltage Regulator • Regulator Bypass Controls • Link 2000-R Charge Controller • Charging Setups • Alternator Installation • Troubleshooting

5. Bonding
What Is Bonding? • Lightning Protection • Corrosion Protection • Stray-Current Protection • To Bond or Not to Bond • Sizing the Anode(s) • Testing Your Protection • Noncathodic Corrosion • The ABYC on Cathodic Protection

6. DC Standards and Practices
Wiring Diagrams • Marine Wire • ABYC DC Load Calculation • Allowable Conductor Amperage • Allowable Voltage Drop • Identification and Installation • Overcurrent Protection • Conductor Connections • Ignition Protection

7. AC Basics
Alternating Current • Power Factor • AC Safety • Grounding • Conductor Identification • Transformers • AC Measurements • Troubleshooting AC Circuits • Checking Polarity

8. Inverters and Generators
Why Have AC Power? • Figuring Your AC Budget • Inverters • Transfer Switching • Generators • Troubleshooting Generators

9. AC Standards and Practices
Shore Power • Generator and Inverter Sources • Main Panelboard • AC Load Calculations • Overcurrent Protection • Approved Wire and Cable • Ampacity Tables • Conductor Installation • The Green Wire • Approved Shore-Power Circuits

10. Conservation for Liveaboards
Costs per Kilowatt-Hour • Lighting Savings • Refrigeration Savings • Other Savings

11. Solar Power
Is Solar for You? • How Photovoltaics Work • Photovoltaic Panels • Interpreting Specifications • Panel Orientation • Estimating Output • Mechanical Installation • Electrical Installation • Rules for Solar Success

12.Wind Power
Is Wind Power for You? • Getting Power from the Wind • How Much Wind Is There? • Estimating Daily Output • Specifications • Electrical Installation • Mechanical Installation • Water Generators

13. Installing Electronics
Antennas • Antenna Cable and Connectors • Moisture Protection • VHF Radio • GPS and SSB • Radar • Receiver/Transmitter Installation • Harnessing Electrical Noise • Electrical Filters

14. Do-it-Yourself Projects
Passive Circuit Components • Active Circuit Components • Projects

Appendices
Other Wiring Standards • English/Metric Conversions • Temperature Conversions • Power Conversions • Resistance of Copper Wire • Losses in Coaxial Cables • Wiring Color Codes • Useful Electrical Formulas • Identifying Resistors • Identifying Capacitors • Trigonometric Tables
Glossary
Index

Biographical note

Charlie Wing received his Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT, where he later worked as a research scientist. He has written a dozen books on home building and five top-selling boating books.

Back cover copy

Keep your boat's electrical systems running and reliable
“Boatowner’s Illustrated Electrical Handbook is perfect for learning how your boat’s electrical system and much of its equipment works, and it will be an invaluable guide when adding equipment as well. This book needs to be in every boater’s library as a ready reference on how to make effective repairs and modifications that comply with ABYC standards.”—Ed Sherman, Senior Instructor and Curriculum Designer, American Boat and Yacht Council
“A definitive technical book that is easy to read. Buy this book and throw out the rest.”—Motorboat & Yachting
Whether you take to the sea under power or sail, bounce around the bay in your runabout, or cross oceans in your cruiser, you’ll find everything you need to maintain, repair, and upgrade your boat’s DC and AC electrical systems with this comprehensive and fully illustrated guide.
Tackle onboard electrical projects and learn how to:

Meet ABYC standards for both DC and AC wiring
Install solar- and wind-power systems
Add electrical components
Prevent corrosion of your electrical system . . . and more

Charlie Wing received his Ph.D. in oceanography from MIT. Since then, he has spent his career explaining how things work. He founded two do-it-yourself house-building schools, hosted a PBS series on energy conservation, and has written more than a dozen top-selling do-it-yourself books. Wing lived aboard his boat for six years, during which he wrote the first edition of this book.