Install boat fuse block

As you do so, be sure to save the fuses themselves and note their sizes. On many boats, the electronics are all mounted in about the same place. However, you may well have to extend some of the power leads using heat-shrink butt connectors and quality marine wire. Crimp marine-quality ring connectors to the ends of the power leads for each device—positive and negative—then screw the leads to the corresponding positive and negative terminals on the fuse block. Ideally, you should protect each crimp with heat-shrink tubing, or use heat-shrink terminals.

To achieve the lowest-resistance connections, you should crimp, solder and heat-shrink. Some devices, like my Furuno GPS, come with fuses on both the positive and negative leads. I wanted to keep all my fuses under one roof, so I had to customize my fuse block.

I removed the positive bus bar and cut off one end to provide an isolated negative fuse holder, then used a wire jumper to connect the negative bus to this fuse holder. Now each of your fuses is held in place by a sturdy, tin-plated copper holder, instead of a chintzy spring-loaded thing with funny little nubs.

The leads connect to the fuse block with proper screw-down ring terminals, and all of the fuses for all of your electronics are in one easy-to-reach place. It is your duty as a self-respecting boatowner to chop them off and replace them with something seamanlike.

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Do you want an analogue backup if your electronics fail? Joined Sep 14, Messages 4, Do I wire it directly to my 2nd battery, or to my battery switch? I'm assuming I go right to my battery switch. Thanks in advance. Splat Lieutenant. Joined Jul 20, Messages 1, Re: Installing fuse block Depends what your trying to accomplish. If you want to be able to turn the pwer off to the fuse block, or select which battery its pulling juice from then yes you'll want to wire it to the COM post on the battery switch.

You can also wire it directly to the second battery, but you won't have the option to kill the power there, ans you would always draw power from that battery. I'm sorry I can't look at your link right now as I'm on my blackberry, but you want to make sure your switch is the kind that makes a connection before disconnecting the other battery.

That way if your FF and GPS are on and you switch to the other battery there is no sudden spike or fluctuation in the line power. This is especially important with charging systems, but would be careful with any sensative electronics. If your switch is not this uninterupted kind, I would judt turn off your FF.

And Gps then switch batteries, then turn them right back on. Jist to be safe. Unlike in a car, where circuits can be grounded at virtually any point, circuits on a boat should start and end at the fuse box to prevent stray electrical currents.

Use stranded copper wire tinned copper is best with an insulation that can withstand the marine environment. Properly support the wire and protect it from chafe. Use the ABYC wire sizing charts to determine the size of your wire; this is especially important for the cables than run between the battery switch and the fuse box.

Wire terminals should be crimped; they may be soldered AND crimped. For best results, use a ratcheting-type hand crimper; terminals on thick cables can be crimped using a hammer crimp tool or a nicopress swage-it tool. Fuses are meant to protect the boat's wiring. However, by creating separate circuits for each device, you can use fuses of a lower rating that will protect your devices as well.

For increased safety, organize your circuits to create a degree of redundancy in your electrical system just in case one circuit fails.