2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Electrical and electronic topics for small boats
B.E.Coyote
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2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby B.E.Coyote » Sun Sep 22, 2019 11:17 am

[Moved to SMALL BOAT ELECTRICAL for discussion—jimh]

I am going through the electrical power distribution wiring on my recently purchased 2001 Dauntless 160

This 2001 160 DAUNTLESS was re-powered in c.2015 with a 2015 Yamaha 115. The re-power was done by a certified Yamaha dealer. The boat got new gauges and a plexiglass panel that holds the gauges and switches. There are no breakers next to the switches. There are no fuses or circuit breakers other than the two shown below in Figure 1.

Image
Fig. 1.

I added a sub-panel for the stereo, SONAR, VHF radio, and a cigar lighter socket.

Q1: What [circuits] do the DC main breaker and bilge breaker [protect]?

Q2: Should I add an additional fuse for the sump pump and navigation lights?

Thanks
2001 Dauntless 160
Virginia Beach

jimh
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby jimh » Sun Sep 22, 2019 11:33 am

A1: A circuit breaker labeled MAIN in DC power distribution on a small boat would most likely be inferred to protect all downstream circuits power by that circuit breaker,

A circuit breaker labeled BILGE or PUMP would most likely be inferred to be isolated to the power distribution circuit that operates a pump and nothing else.

In c.2001 Boston Whaler might not have provided detailed electrical wiring schematic diagrams as part of the routine owner’s information, and perhaps you don’t have a diagram.

Once a boat has left the factory and other owners or their hired labor have made modifications to the wiring, there is no way to know what has been done.

I recommend you carefully inspect the wiring and make a detailed drawing of what is there. To describe electrical wiring in a narrative is difficult and often misleading.

jimh
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby jimh » Sun Sep 22, 2019 11:38 am

A2: all branch circuits should be protected for over-current with appropriate size fuses or circuit breakers.

For some general advice on small boat DC power distribution see

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... iring.html

and

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... rSize.html

If the sump pump circuit is already protected by a circuit breaker dedicated to just that load, adding a second over-current protection device in series with the first is not necessary.

B.E.Coyote
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby B.E.Coyote » Sun Sep 22, 2019 12:36 pm

Thanks Jim,

I did check out my Boston Whaler support diagrams, but I could not find any wiring diagram.

My 2000 Dauntless 16 had those MAIN and BILGE circuit breakers, but it still had the individual breakers at the switches. Maybe Boston Whaler deleted them for the 2001 Dauntless 160.

Maybe someone with a 2001 or later Dauntless 160 they know to be original can let me know more about the electrical circuitry.

I'll also send a note to Boston Whaler.
2001 Dauntless 160
Virginia Beach

rsantiago
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby rsantiago » Sun Sep 22, 2019 9:48 pm

Hello B.E. Coyote.

Boston Whaler did not eliminate the individual fuses for the navigation lamp switch or the bilge pump switch on the 2001 Dauntless 16.

My 2001 Dauntless 16 has has three switches at the helm. They are labeled as follows: NAV-ANC, BILGE, and ACC.

The BILGE and NAV-ANC switch have 5-Ampere fuses (for each). The ACC switch has a 10-Ampere fuse for an optional live well pump.

The BILGE circuit breaker in Figure 1 protects the bilge float switch circuit—unless it has been altered. The breaker is rated 5-Amperes.

The MAIN Circuit breaker is rated 30-Amperes and protects the entire helm circuits including switches, compass light, and lighter.

I have the original schematic. If you need it feel free to email me.

Ralph

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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby jimh » Mon Sep 23, 2019 9:45 am

The BILGE circuit is often fed from two sources: an automatically operated circuit controlled by a float switch; a manually operated circuit from a switch.

If wired independently then each power source would need a fuse or circuit breaker. Wiring for a sump pump is shown in a diagram at

http://continuouswave.com/whaler/refere ... ePump.html

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GoldenDaze
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby GoldenDaze » Mon Sep 23, 2019 11:59 am

The "BILGE" breaker, as you would expect, powers only the bilge pump. The 30A "MAIN" breaker powers everything else EXCEPT the engine, which has a heavy-gauge cable direct from the battery with no circuit breaker. In my 2003, like your 2000 and Ralph's 2001, the "MAIN" breaker feeds the instrument panel which has a set of switches each with its own circuit breaker.

I rewired my boat with two significant changes. First, I switched to a dual-battery setup with a 4-position (off, 1, both, 2) battery switch between the positive terminals and the main breaker box that you pictured. Second, I pulled a separate (8 gauge, if I recall) feed from the 30A "MAIN" breaker to a new accessory busbar that feeds the VHF, GPS/sonar, and trim tabs, each of which have their own in-line fuse.
2003 160 Dauntless Golden Daze

B.E.Coyote
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby B.E.Coyote » Mon Sep 23, 2019 3:56 pm

Thanks all.

So the Yamaha dealer that did the repower likely deleted the breakers when he did the new gauges.

This is what I got from Boston Whaler today. It's just a snip of the .pdf but it is what I am missing.

Image

I now have 3 batteries in the console. 2 for my 24v trolling motor, 6 gauge runs from these to the bow and this circuit is protected by a 60 amp breaker.

The starting battery runs the rest of the boat. It has a cut off switch.

I put in a [Blue Sea System] 6-circuit distribution panel with fuses. I used 10-AWG wire with a 30-Ampere fuse right off the battery. The ACC switch on the dash triggers a relay that turns it on. I moved the original cigar lighter socket and the SONAR to this fuse box. I added a audio amplifier and a VHF Marine Band radio which are also powered from this same distribution panel.

The gauges are now powered from the ignition and there is a fuse there in the Yamaha harness.

I just need to protect the horn, navigation lamps, gauge lamps, and another fuse for the switched side of the bilge pump.

[Boston Whaler] didn't leave room to add breakers on the dash. I will probably use mini blade fuses.

Image
2001 Dauntless 160
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B.E.Coyote
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby B.E.Coyote » Thu Sep 26, 2019 6:03 pm

Finished-

It looks like the wiring in place was the original BW wiring that daisy chained to and fed each breaker. Who ever did the work last just plugged those female connectors to the switches and deleted having the breaker.

I bought half a dozen of these inline weatherproof fuse holders with 14 gauge wire and put them right before each switch.

Crimped on a female spade connector to go to the switch and a male spade connector to go to the original wiring.

Replacing a fuse will probably mean removing the 6 screws that hold on the instrument /switch panel but at least everything now has the appropriate fuse.

Image
2001 Dauntless 160
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GoldenDaze
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Re: 2001 160 Dauntless has no fuses or circuit breakers

Postby GoldenDaze » Mon Sep 30, 2019 11:08 am

Seems like a safe and reasonable thing to do!
2003 160 Dauntless Golden Daze