Unlike the engine battery the domestic batteries can
more or less go anywhere that is convenient. This
boat has three batteries; engine start, domestics and
fridge. I know it is unusual to have a battery dedicated
to the fridge but if it is used regularly it will quickly
drain the domestic batteries and we have found from
experience that having a separate fridge battery
works well.
location was in the large locker beneath the helm
seat. To keep things simple and to lower the cost it
was decided from the outset to use fuses rather than
circuit breakers. Blade type vehicle fuses seem to
be the most popular these days and as they can be
bought for pennies were the ideal choice. However,
we later discovered mini blade circuit-breakers that
simply replace the blade fuses by plugging into the
fuse holders so we later swapped all the fuses for
these mini-breakers! (below)As part of the cockpit fit-out we built corner steps
in each forward corner of the cockpit behind the
wheelhouse. (top) The starboard one was an ideal
size and position for mounting the domestic batteries.
(above) The fridge battery is located beneath the
domestic battery and is accessed by removing the
shelf that the domestic battery is sitting on. (The port
side step has been sealed and a drain added to use
as the Propane gas bottle locker).
Once the batteries had been located the next item
to be decided on was the fuse (or circuit breaker)
locker and this is ideally placed somewhere near the
helm and instrument panel. In this instance the ideal
Fuse holders are not expensive and come in various
styles so we opted for six position holders with blade
connectors that accept standard crimp terminal
fittings. To ensure everything was fused properly
fused we ended up with six holders giving us a total
of 36 fuses. Even so we still had to double up some
items onto single fuses. This is fine as long as the
equipment to be doubled is of the same fuse rating
and better still if it is items that are not normally used
at the same time.
It is recommended to use tinned cable for marine
use as this is more corrosion resistant than standard
cable. However, I have always used standard car