For the boat to splash, I need a survey and approval from my insurance company. Neither of them are likely to approve of a bunch of loose wires around the boat, so getting the electrical system at least somewhat squared away is a priority. That’s why I recently installed a new main breaker and Marine Puck isolation transformers.
I renovated the salon electrical panel back in 2018 but never wrote about re-installing all of the breakers, switches, and gauges, so I’ll cover that here. More recently, I’ve also been re-commissioning the Englehard CAPAC impressed current anti-corrosion system, part of which is also in the salon electrical panel. I think it’s all coming together nicely.
The refurbed electrical panel turned out very nicely
I’m reusing the 12v and 120/240v distribution panels, generator breakers, and shore power selector switch
They’re all in good condition, and I see no reason to replace them. The bilge pump switches are also original, work fine, and look very cool.
These Simpson ammeters are NOS and dated 1962
This Roamer originally only came with a Simpson voltmeter. A 1967 Constellation I used to own also had ammeters, and I liked being able to monitor electrical load balancing. When the boat’s fully commissioned, if it turns out I’ve got too many things running on L1 or L2, the two legs that make up the 120/240 volt system on board, I’ll be able to move them to different breakers so things are more balanced.
The voltmeter and ammeters look great!
On the back-side
Bilge pump switches are original, but I polished the plates and had the knobs rechromed
The volt meter selector switch plate is original, but the switch is new
“Plant” means ‘light plant,’ which these days we call ‘generator’ or ‘genset’.
Magnum Inverter/charger panel is installed, but I needed to make holes for new gear
After cutting holes for new stuff, I sealed the edges with epoxy
Bilge pump cycle counter is handy for keeping tabs on potential leaks
The 1967 Constellation 52 that I used to own was a wooden boat, and I’ve carried with me a lot of the habits and preferences I picked up while we had that boat. Being able to tell if your bilge pump cycles more often than normal is helpful, since that can point to leaking rudder or prop shaft seals, etc.
The big panel in the picture above is the Panda genset controller. The controller cable that came with the unit isn’t long enough, so I’ll have to make an extension for it someday.
Next, I tackled the CAPAC panel
I wanted to confirm that the control board looks OK
I can’t find a manual for this system anywhere. The company that bought Englehard and continues to make CAPAC systems today has no records for this particular model. And unfortunately, I foolishly cut the wires without noting what they go to. When I started this refit I had no idea what a CAPAC system was or why it was installed on this boat, and I decided I was better off without it. But I’ll go into more detail on that in a future article.
The board is dusty, but I see nothing to indicate any components have gotten hot and let the smoke out
A little work with a small brush and vacuum cleaner cleaned it up nicely
With the circuit board clean, I next removed the gauge and knobs
I wanted to clean and polish the stainless but without removing any more of the lettering
That turned out a lot better than I’d hoped
If anybody knows what that yellow knob does, please let me know in the comments. It doesn’t push in, pull out, or rotate, near as I can tell.
The lettering is still legible
It looks great back where it belongs in the salon electrical panel
Next up in our 1969 Chris Craft Roamer 46 Refit: Making a Custom Instrument Panel
1969chriscraftroamer46 
Q, give Allied Corrosion industries a call at 770-425-1355. They might be able to tell you what wires go where. If they can’t, Nyco Systems Inc. at 866-711-6797 might. They rebuilt the ammeter on our Airstream to work with a modern converter/charger, without the need for a shunt.
Thanks for the suggestion, but a reader and fellow Roamer 46 owner had a PDF copy of the original CAPAC manual for this model! All has been revealed!
Cheers,
Q
Awesome, glad it worked out! Post that sucker for posterity, in case someone needs it.
Yup. That’s the plan.
I actually did find a manual for a different model of CAPAC, and I’d planned to wire it as indicated there. It turns out that the wiring is identical, so it would have worked. But still…it’s nice to have the original manual letting me know I’m doing it right.
Intrigued by the yellow “knob”. Maybe an indicator light? Does the cap pop off and maybe a probe/sensor is inserted?
Some googling found https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/17/a3/c0/cb3b6b4561b83a/US3129154.pdf I don’t see a motor in your setup but perhaps this provides other clues.
Good luck!
Thanks James!
After posting this article, a reader and fellow Roamer 46 owner sent me a PDF copy of the original CAPAC manual for this model! All has been revealed! That yellow thing…could just be a decoration. I’ll stare at it and the manual for a while and write about what I find in a week or so.
Cheers,
Q
Good to know you are reworking your cathodic protection system. It’s vital for metal hulls and even more so for aluminum which wastes so quickly. A steel hull floating power plant that was constantly moored to the shore to export power to the shore had an impressed current system with hull mounted platinum anodes around the hull perimeter and continued to waste slightly. Whenever you will be in a slip for more than a couple of days I recommend frequent testing for stray current, ie. bi-weekly.
Thanks Butch!
This model of CAPAC is intended to be left on constantly, and it has a reference cell that will monitor 24/7. The meter will show if the hull is under-protected, over-protected, or just right.
The Marine Puck isolation transformers I installed recently basically take my boat out of potential stray current circuits with anybody else. Shore power ground and neutral don’t come aboard at all, so (per the manufacturer) no reference to ground exists. That also means no sneaky 12vdc from another leaky boat can come aboard via the ground.
I was really disappointed initially that I had to buy those expensive transformers after the OEM one died. But in retrospect, it looks like they’re a great investment for many different reasons.
Cheers,
Q
The wires connecting to the two 50A ammeters look small.
Hi James!
Those wires come from donut current transformers that detect current in L1 and L2 and send a low current signal to the ammeters. They’re the wires Simpson provided with the donuts. You can read about them here: https://simpsonelectric.com/wp-content/uploads/File/datasheets/donuttransformer_datasheet.pdf
Cheers,
Q
Got it!