I thought I had this figured out....

[Ryno409]

I've got my boat wired with all accessories wired into a fused switch panel and grounded to a buss. I also have a 20A manual reset circuit breaker between the battery and panel. I was worried that the fuses in the panel were too big and wouldn't protect my devices, so I ordered a fuse panel and a new 6 gang switch this morning, set to arrive in a few days.

My question now is, did I overthink everything and order what I didn't need? I'm trying to figure out in my head if its even possible to have the switch panel and fuse panel both installed at the same time? Should I just install some smaller inline fuses right before my fused switch panel and get out on the darn water?

Thanks in advance. All praise to Tinboats!

 

[Ryno409]

https://www.amazon.com/BEP-CSP6-Water-Proof-Panel/dp/B000NI3GV4/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1334632852&sr=8-9

https://www.amazon.com/Blue-Sea-Systems-Circuit-Ground/dp/B000THQ0CQ/ref=pd_sim_sg_1

These are what I have coming to me.

 

[user 7806]

I have to ask if you thought the fuses were too big in your panel why didn't you just put in smaller fuses?

The Blue Sea fuse panel your ordered is the same one I have on my boat, I like it. The switch panel is cool though maybe a little pricy for my budget, but I do like it.

The thing I like about the fuse panel is that I can fuse things that don't need a switch like fish finders. I also liked the ground buse that was built into the Blue Sea Panel.

It might help if we could see what you have now, got any pictures of your current panel?

 

[Ryno409]

Thanks Gramps,

This is nearly identical to the one I have hooked up now.

https://www.amazon.com/Invincible-Marine-4-Switch-Breaker-Switches/dp/B005XWM6HA/ref=sr_1_14?ie=UTF8&qid=1334656307&sr=8-14

I have bow and stern lights wired to it now. Also in the boat will be a bilge pump, 12V accessory plug, a radio, and a small fishfinder. Do you think I would be best served just installing a few switches for the lights, and then connecting everything else directly to the battery with the fuse panel protecting it?

 

[Bob Landry]

I was worried that the fuses in the panel were too big and wouldn't protect my devices, so I ordered a fuse panel and a new 6 gang switch this morning, set to arrive in a few days.

The purpose of a fuse or circuit breaker is to protect the wire, not the device.

I also have to ask, why not replace the fuses with ones appropriate for the current that each device will draw?

 

[RivRunR]

I also have to ask, why not replace the fuses with ones appropriate for the current that each device will draw?

X 3, sounds like you just need to replace your fuses, not the panel...unless there's some other problem.
I agree with Gramps, for me it's easier to run a separate fuse panel and switch block, just for those un-switched devices.

 

[JMichael]

After reading the product description, I believe this will answer the question about "why not install different fuses".

The Invincible Marine BR51408 LED 4-Switch Panel features booted toggle switches, push button re-set breakers and LED indicator lights.

I like the idea of a separate fuse panel as well but being a former electronics tech, I still disagree with the electrician minded folks on this board. The electricians say to fuse the line to protect the wire. And one of the biggest reasons for this protection is to prevent fires. Since a proper installation will always have the device drawing less amps than the wire can provide, why not go with a lower amp fuse that suits the device, and be even better protected against fire. At the same time you will gain some protection against the device doing a melt down or fire dance of it's own. After all, if you add more load on the circuit, you can always install a larger fuse, and fuses are dirt cheap. Just my 2¢ on the subject.