Im an electrician and I want to compliment you on your great work on those cables. It's professional quality. Be very wary of getting a false positive while continuity testing cables. Many many loads transformers etc will ring the meter if theyre in the circuit! Assure a double positive by testing with the wires shorted and that opening them clears the short to be sure your test is good!
Mads, You will NEVER regret choosing a shed and buying a diesel genset. You're also the greatest ocd geek on TH-cam! Whenever it's installed neatly, then it's more economaintainable and will last much longer than a ratnest. If you lived in America, i'd hire you to help me with refits. Please also remember whenever wire bundles are installed in flexible tubing longer than 61cm, then at least 60% of the cross-sectional area must remain unused (for cooling air). Hope this helps. Jack, aka electricalpowerguy
Hi Jack :) I'm sorry it's been a while since I've replied to one of your comments! There are just so many comments, emails, and messages. The sad thought is that if I don't get a chance to reply during Sunday evening I most likely won't find the time. In just wanted to make sure you knew that it's not because I don't appreciate your comments :) Thanks! Being an OCD geek just comes naturally to me ;) I think I might be right on the 60% on the conduit I've used under the cabin sole. One the upside it's light loads and it's nice and cool down there :) All the best, Mads
It's great to learn you're getting my replies. PIease also know I'm keeping my eyes open for a female first mate ready for installation aboard Athena! Yes, i'm making sure she likes dogs!
It's very important to keep definitions in perspective. Alternator kilowatts and engine horsepower are synonomous. Adequate propeller speed and high output alternators, especially when also powering an inverter, will often overload/overheat the main engine. It's always better to use the engine alternator for keeping engine starting batteries charged, 1 or 2 solar panels/house batteries for navionics use/lighting, and a 240v-50hz-8kw diesel generator for refrigeration, microwave, watermaker, water heater, clothes washer, purifier, house battery charger, etc.
Powerelectronicsguy L - you are 100% correct. I was not clear about my comments about a large alternator. If funds were not available, the larger alternator would be a good temporary substitute for a diesel generator. Mads has said he wants to "explore northern latitudes" (the Mediterranean is so nice !) and solar panels alone may not be up to the task of keeping the batteries charged.
OCD/AC/DC Your videos are so therapeutic and if I could rip out my boat and start again I have your model to follow. I only found your site a day or so ago but is now my regular morning coffee accompaniment. Good luck.
I realize this video is 3+ years old so my comment isn’t timely. Nonetheless, I just found your channel and I’m binging it during my recovery from a minor surgery. I’m enjoying it very much! Kudos! I’m hoping a future episode details the process of the using an Adreno to create a data log off of the flashing LED (related, in this case, to your energy usage). Again, thanks for producing really great content. Everything you do is “pretty dang spiffy” and as a bonus, you explain your processes with a hint of Mr. Rogers’ calm and peaceful demeanor. (Meant in the best way!) Cheers!
Best wishes from a new American subscriber. I just binge watched your last 50-ish videos. The boat has gone from small and dingy to bright and big as far as interior appearance. Your fastidious nature and well-developed work ethic promote obvious positive gains from video to video, the quality of the work ranges from very good to excellent, and almost every moment is a learning opportunity for someone on the same path. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
I am not a DIY'er by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to say that you've got me pretty dang excited about the cable management in that locker! Pretty dang spiffy indeed....peace & fair winds
Sunday would not be complete without a beer in hand watching the progress aboard Athena. Just love the videos and the extra work it must take to produce them each week. Well done.
Hi Mads, another enjoyable video. Just watched it while eating my first dinner aboard my new boat, also my first night as a liveaboard so entirely appropriate that I watch a video from another liveaboard. All the best and keep up the excellent work!
Hi, I have watched all your videos on Athena and I would like to say you really do like your DIY, I have subscribed as I want to follow you to see how you get on and to see her back in the water, the reason I'm sending this is I have been watching another family in their Oyster which has been taken out of the water for treatment, now before the treatment their boat was only in the water for 14th months, their videos show the hull, what it looked like when it was taken out, the treatment which was copper and why they decided to go this road, to me the videos are very informative and other sailors like yourself have said so, their of their name on TH-cam is SailingBritican, I just thought as you are spending so much money on the boat this might give you more choices, hope this helps on your quest, Mike from south UK, by the way love your videos, DIY etc. Keep up the great work.
I must admit, I do love your "OCD" cable management system. In my estimation if I can invest 5 minutes now to save myself hours later, those 5 minutes are well spent.
@@geraldthomas9253 - If, instead of alphabetically, you sort the letters by shape (as you should), "OCD" is correct.. going from most round to least round shapes. ;-)
I love the story of the "Angry Pixies". Wonderful channel--very thorough explanations and demonstrations. Found this channel two days ago and up to this episode already!
Wow. Really nice work on the cables. Work of art. Given its just so easy to bunch and zip tie them in a bundle, you took the extra time to do it the right way.
Very neat explanation of the planned organisation and great seeing what this translates to in terms of devices. Very practical, smart and tidy wiring indeed.
Hey Mads, thought you'd be interested in hearing that my 9 year old son has become interested in your videos and we watch together every Sunday night now. I don't think he always understands what you're talking about (technical stuff), but he looks forward to watching none-the-less.
Another great update on this excellent project. I have no doubt the professional electrician who comes to finish and certify the circuits will be in awe of your OCD'ness.😀👍
Hej Mads! I just want to say you have really helped us on our venture towards becoming sailors, we are still very noobs, but there is nothing I like more than binge watch your quirky episodes (don't get me wrong, I love that part of the videos) and they are very well executed, sound is amazing, and we understand the hustle you have to go through to create the angles and cutting and editing. Thanks for doing this, and for being so good at releasing content on a weekly basis. We have a small Albin Vega that we are currently shaping up a bit (not a full refit). We are simply getting her into a way better condition than what we bought her in. She is Hull number 19, so very early build. She has Swedish flag but we have her down in Barcelona where we currently live. Thanks for spreading the inspiration! looking forward for the summer to come, and your works onboard athena to continue. Btw we are Swedish, and I'm sort of half danish :-) / Linus
I have routed wiring before, on airplanes not sailboats but I would suggest putting some type of grommet where the cables pass through the closet walls. Over time the sharp edge of the cutouts will wear into the cables. Though not a sailor myself, I look forward each week to your videos. I enjoy them a great deal. Thanks for sharing. Another like.
Hi Mads -- check out paralleling inverters such as the victron multiplus. This would install between your AC selector switch and the distribution panel (probably before the breaker & meter, but maybe after the meter for accurate metering. The idea is that when you supply AC into the inverter, it shifts the output frequency of the inverter to match the input perfectly and then parallels the two sources. What this means is that if you have a smaller genset or are on a dock somewhere with lower amp power supply, or you just want to turn everything on at once, the inverter will boost the supplied AC (either genset or shore power). If you add a multi-control panel, you can turn a dial and input the exact maximum Amps you want to pull from the AC source and any extra power requirements will come out of your batteries. This system was a lifesaver on our boat when at a dock that only had 10A shore power when we normally use 50A. Obviously coudln't run everything but could run shorter term users like washing machine on top of water heater. Similarly, microwave could run without tripping the shore breaker all the time. Once the short load such as microwave stopped, the inverter took the extra amps left over and charged the batteries back up. For a bit of background, I am a Naval Architect/Marine Engineer and we sailed from US to New Zealand in 2009-2010 and then suffered a fire at the dock (battery charger failed), so I managed the refit, replacing all the AC electrical systems aboard. Made a lot of great improvements to the boat which is now in France sailing to scotland and ireland last year. At some point you will want to add a watermaker and an AC watermaker will be cheaper and produce more water faster than a DC system. With a big inverter, particularly a parallelling one so genset could be smaller, you can run the watermaker for a shorter time and get all the water you need towards the end of your battery charging cycle when the batteries won't take much power anyway. You can even build your own watermaker in which case an AC one is that much easier to get right. The victron multiplus inverters are a bit more expensive, but the added capability is well worth it and doubles as a pretty big battery charger too. Hope that helps and keep up the good work Gram
The move into the boatshed is a good one regarding the hull osmosis issue. I keep waiting for sanding to ensue yet again, but I will have to be patient!. While renovating my laundry room this week I found both of my missing rubber sanding blocks, and I thought of your varnishing conundrum.
I don't think moving the boat into the shed is going to be a lot better than leaving it outside but we'll see :) I've got some other ideas about how to dry out the hull. I'll get back to those in the next video :) I'm still looking for a good rubber sanding block :) The one I picked up turned out to be kind of awkward to hold.
NICE job. The wiring looks VERY professional!!! I have one small suggestion. When yo use the terminal boards and/or make make connections where you can see the screws, give them a quick spray of a corrosion inhibitor. I use one that has a slight brown color to it, so I know it's been coated. I did not do that during my first wiring and after a couple of years cruising, even in compartments that never saw any salt water, I was getting corrosion.
Love your cable management style and attention to detail. It cost the same to do a bad job as it does a great job, just a little more time and detail, and you will be infinity happier with a great job. After all that's what its all about isn't it... Also I think your RDC is similar to our GFCI breakers here in the US. We mostly use one breaker or outlet on a circuit. It more common in Europe to have one breaker to control all circuits down stream and it works well there. We do use that system on 3 phase systems, like ski slope ski lift power and we are starting to use more systems like your RDC as time goes on...cheers.
Absolutely no less than I was expecting on the cable management! Once again the OCD shines with an outstanding looking installation. As Powerelectronicsguy said earlier, its easier to troubleshoot down the road, and on top of that you can be very proud of a job well done!
I like your DIY videos very much - keep going I cross my fingers for you. There are 5 ways to get power on sailboat: - solar panels - works only when sun is shining, - wing generator - only when wind blowing - water generator - only when you are sailing - engine alternator - only when engine is on - external connection - only when stationary in the marine Which one you plan to instal on your boat? I assume if you plan to "cut the lines" in the future and do some extensive sailing you will need many ways to keep the battery loaded. How many batteries banks do you have on boat? Have you summerize your power consumption?
After seeing this video I ordered one of those labeling doo-hickeys. I've always used the stickyback tape kind and I hate doing it that way. Now it will be a pleasure to label cables!
Yet another great video. Inspires me to do better quality work on my own little boat refit. In fact, whenever I take some kind of shortcut I think "this isn't the way Mads would do it" ! :)
My boat has rats nests of cable in all sorts of hard to get at locations, I love the way you have things organised. I look forward to your videos each Monday morning here in Sydney. Best wishes mate.
Great vid sir. Love the explanation of the electrical set up. The locker is looking sharp and the labels look like that came out perfect. Love the idea of using the tube labels. I don't know how many times i have had to trace cabling and had to do the guessing game on poorly labeled panels.
Mads, congrats on 25k subs! I don't remember what you were at when I started to follow your adventure, but it was definitely in the 4 digit range. I love the clean install. It's very satisfying to look at and I can only imagine that it's infinitely more pleasing to have done yourself. I am still decently confused by the system that you plan to implement on your boat, but that's mostly from my gross ignorance for electrical systems in general. I've always found it very intimidating, but that along with the confidence that you inspire makes me want to learn more about it so that I can fix up my own boat's system. I guess I'll have to get my hands on that book that you keep talking about. Fair Winds.
Greetings from Hong Kong. I for one am a vote to get a diesel generator. After recently rewiring my own sailboat I went a different way. I got a Victron 12 | 3000 | 120 Multiplus inverter charger. The benefit is the "power assist" feature which allows the inverter to assist during high loads. I.e starting a compressor or air conditioner. The extra expense of getting this Victron should be offest by the lower cost of a smaller generator. I have not installed the diesel generator yet so my current setup is a petrol Honda 2000EU and this small generator with the start assist of the victron can cope with the start loads of my 16000 BTU Air conditioner.
Now he has 75.8k subscribers. I kind of miss these old videos, he use to explain what he was doing, now not so much. Perhaps explain why these videos had more views than subscribers
Based on your description an RCD is equivalent to a (US) Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). They can be incorporated in to a circuit breaker or simply the first receptacle on a circuit. In US electrician "speak", the MCB is the "main" breaker/disconnect. Very important when working on your distribution panel.
You forgot to fill a hole behind one of the cable clamps. It's going to haunt you big time. :-D Great video. The Dymo is a time saving tool! Greeting from Norway!
Will you do an episode about your Arduino power management system? I would be interested in knowing more. Also, I really appreciate your attention to detail and thorough descriptions. Thank you.
I like the esthetics of the euro clamps better also!! HEY MAD!! How 'bout a long term test review of your Froli sleep system! Let me know if you need any small or special parts shipped from the USA.
Hi mads as I mention before I have a Warrior 35 which I'm doing all the similar jobs your doing including the osmosis treatment, I'm very interested in the other way you have in mind to drying out the hull. My readings are dropping very slowly still keep the good work up love your videos.
loving the work. You should upload a weekend later so as u can have more time on the sunday to complete a couple more jobs. no one will mind im sure and means u have plenty of time to render during the week. Cheers for the videos, Stu (NZ)
Your Dymo heatshrink labels will hold up to many years outdoors and in the sun and weather without any issues. I have labels outside in the sun and weather where they receive sunlight nearly all through the day for nearly 15 years now and they are still perfectly fine. The only thing to be aware of, though, is that the colored heatshrink tubing and labels will ultimately revert to white after a few years of sunlight, but the black text will always remain perfectly legible since it is pigment based (rather than dye based). About the only thing that will damage the text or label is sustained high temperatures (hot enough to smudge the high temperature wax) and/or excessive friction against a rough surface resulting in abrasion, but then that would also damage the wiring after awhile so one tends to avoid such obstacles when they run their wiring.
Nice clean work! Those safety breakers appear to be equivalent to AFCI (arc fault) and GFCI (ground fault) breakers in the USA. Others may know better than me in this marine application.
Tom Winkelman AFCI is something entirely different. What he has is comparable to a GFCI plus an ordinary residential circuit breaker. Here in the U.S. we also have combined GFCI plus circuit breaker units that can be installed in our load centers (main panel) which combine the two roles into one unit. But an AFCI is something else entirely (and something that was, unfortunately, implemented in Code well before it was really ready for prime time as they can be a real nuisance in some environments as they are still essentially a beta product) as their job is to analyze the higher frequency signals, via digital signal processing, superimposed on the regular AC waveform and trip if they see something suggestive of arcing. Unfortunately, arcing is also a perfectly normal phenomena as all switches arc when switched under load and all universal motors will arc due to commutation, not to mention the normal induced spikes and RFI generated from switching inductive loads on and off. In some cases, operating a radio transmitter, even at very low powers, in their general vicinity is enough to trip some very popular AFCI breakers, sometimes knocking power out to much of the house just because a perfectly legitimate radio transmission was made by someone somewhere in the neighborhood (or even passing by)...which really sucks if the homeowner's refrigerator happened to be on that circuit!
No more spiffy! :) "fabulous" "swell" "wicked" "awesome" "amazing" "fine" "great" ... lol, it's your channel you can spiffy all you want! Cheers Mads, from PEI Canada, Bryan
Bob Fomenko Yes, it takes a lot of AA batteries to achieve 12V. I have three older models (about 10-12 years old now) back when they were running a promo of a free label maker if you bough X amount of label cartridges...I could have gotten 6 or 8 of them but then that would have been an absurd number of printers!
My understanding of gelcoat is that it was used to allow the fiberglass to separate more easily from the mold during manufacture, and to provide a glossy appearance. However since it is porous to moisture (gelcoat blistering) it may not be recommended to be reapplied but simply having adequate epoxy saturating the fiberglass mat along with an epoxy sealing paint is in fact superior to gelcoat. Any thoughts on this? BTW loving the series keep up the great work Mads!
I admire the meticulous way you approach every aspect of your refit. I'm curious as to your background. I'm guessing you're an electrical engineer or maybe a software engineer? At any rate, the process is fascinating! Thanks for the videos - the production quality is impressive!
Gelcoat Important note. Before choosing the Gelcoat color for your repair make sure that you cut and polish a section of the Gelcoat near the repair needed. Gelcoat will change color over time so it is important that you get back to the base color before choosing the new color that you will use on the repair. There are plenty of instruction on youtube. MORE SANDING. :-)
Another great video ,very neatly done, very time consuming. Mads I was wondering why you don't just turn up the heat and the dehumidifier inside of the boat ,crank them, won't that help to dry them outer hull?
Now would be a good time to install an automatic transfer switch between shore power and a generator. I just installed an 4000w pure sine inverter and two auto transfer switches to replace an obsolete power converter system in my motorhome. My inverter also is a 115w battery charger and battery monitor with remote readout which eliminates the need for a separate units for those functions. .
Did you upload this week's video in lower quality? At the moment it's only available in 360p for me (on mobile). Has anybody else the same issue?
Check back in a few hours :) It seems TH-cam are taking their sweet time rendering the file today
I've pinned your comment so that anyone else experiencing the same issue is more likely to see it :)
I have the opposite problem! can only watch the video in 1440p my connection can't support that at this time of day!
I'm only getting 360p default on my laptop, also.
Ooops! I can run it in HD by selecting it. I don't know why it defaulted to low quality....
I have been seeing your videos more or less for a year.
And then, I decided to go back!!!
What a difference it shows.
And thanks for the AC lesson.
Im an electrician and I want to compliment you on your great work on those cables. It's professional quality. Be very wary of getting a false positive while continuity testing cables. Many many loads transformers etc will ring the meter if theyre in the circuit! Assure a double positive by testing with the wires shorted and that opening them clears the short to be sure your test is good!
Mads, You will NEVER regret choosing a shed and buying a diesel genset. You're also the greatest ocd geek on TH-cam! Whenever it's installed neatly, then it's more economaintainable and will last much longer than a ratnest. If you lived in America, i'd hire you to help me with refits. Please also remember whenever wire bundles are installed in flexible tubing longer than 61cm, then at least 60% of the cross-sectional area must remain unused (for cooling air). Hope this helps. Jack, aka electricalpowerguy
Hi Jack :)
I'm sorry it's been a while since I've replied to one of your comments! There are just so many comments, emails, and messages. The sad thought is that if I don't get a chance to reply during Sunday evening I most likely won't find the time. In just wanted to make sure you knew that it's not because I don't appreciate your comments :)
Thanks! Being an OCD geek just comes naturally to me ;)
I think I might be right on the 60% on the conduit I've used under the cabin sole. One the upside it's light loads and it's nice and cool down there :)
All the best, Mads
It's great to learn you're getting my replies. PIease also know I'm keeping my eyes open for a female first mate ready for installation aboard Athena! Yes, i'm making sure she likes dogs!
Mads, if you do not install a diesel generator, at least replace the stock alternator with a high output model.
It's very important to keep definitions in perspective. Alternator kilowatts and engine horsepower are synonomous. Adequate propeller speed and high output alternators, especially when also powering an inverter, will often overload/overheat the main engine. It's always better to use the engine alternator for keeping engine starting batteries charged, 1 or 2 solar panels/house batteries for navionics use/lighting, and a 240v-50hz-8kw diesel generator for refrigeration, microwave, watermaker, water heater, clothes washer, purifier, house battery charger, etc.
Powerelectronicsguy L - you are 100% correct. I was not clear about my comments about a large alternator. If funds were not available, the larger alternator would be a good temporary substitute for a diesel generator.
Mads has said he wants to "explore northern latitudes" (the Mediterranean is so nice !) and solar panels alone may not be up to the task of keeping the batteries charged.
Mads, you get triple extra bonus OCD points for shrinking the labels after the cables are in place so the labels are aligned. Very well done Sir Mads!
OCD/AC/DC Your videos are so therapeutic and if I could rip out my boat and start again I have your model to follow. I only found your site a day or so ago but is now my regular morning coffee accompaniment. Good luck.
I realize this video is 3+ years old so my comment isn’t timely. Nonetheless, I just found your channel and I’m binging it during my recovery from a minor surgery. I’m enjoying it very much! Kudos!
I’m hoping a future episode details the process of the using an Adreno to create a data log off of the flashing LED (related, in this case, to your energy usage).
Again, thanks for producing really great content. Everything you do is “pretty dang spiffy” and as a bonus, you explain your processes with a hint of Mr. Rogers’ calm and peaceful demeanor. (Meant in the best way!) Cheers!
I have been a Industrial electrician since 1974. In looking at your workmanship I say "Great job".
Congratulations from a french electrician for you cable management ! It looks like art !
Just finished my tax and vat returns, so glad that I can relax with this vlog and an glass of fine whiskey!
Best wishes from a new American subscriber. I just binge watched your last 50-ish videos. The boat has gone from small and dingy to bright and big as far as interior appearance. Your fastidious nature and well-developed work ethic promote obvious positive gains from video to video, the quality of the work ranges from very good to excellent, and almost every moment is a learning opportunity for someone on the same path. I can't wait to see where it goes from here.
I am not a DIY'er by any stretch of the imagination, but I have to say that you've got me pretty dang excited about the cable management in that locker! Pretty dang spiffy indeed....peace & fair winds
These videos always make my Sunday night. Thanks.
Sunday would not be complete without a beer in hand watching the progress aboard Athena. Just love the videos and the extra work it must take to produce them each week. Well done.
Great job making the complex understandable.
Thank you so much :)
Hi Mads, another enjoyable video. Just watched it while eating my first dinner aboard my new boat, also my first night as a liveaboard so entirely appropriate that I watch a video from another liveaboard. All the best and keep up the excellent work!
Hi, I have watched all your videos on Athena and I would like to say you really do like your DIY, I have subscribed as I want to follow you to see how you get on and to see her back in the water, the reason I'm sending this is I have been watching another family in their Oyster which has been taken out of the water for treatment, now before the treatment their boat was only in the water for 14th months, their videos show the hull, what it looked like when it was taken out, the treatment which was copper and why they decided to go this road, to me the videos are very informative and other sailors like yourself have said so, their of their name on TH-cam is SailingBritican, I just thought as you are spending so much money on the boat this might give you more choices, hope this helps on your quest, Mike from south UK, by the way love your videos, DIY etc. Keep up the great work.
I'm sure glad you changed the orientation of that last shrink label before shrinking it. Great video as always. Thanks.
I must admit, I do love your "OCD" cable management system. In my estimation if I can invest 5 minutes now to save myself hours later, those 5 minutes are well spent.
Thanks! OCD is a blessing and a curse ;) I'm glad you liked the result :)
I would say I'm a tad "OCD" myself, but that's not true. I'm actually "CDO" which is similar, but the letters are alphabetized, like they should be.
@@geraldthomas9253 - If, instead of alphabetically, you sort the letters by shape (as you should), "OCD" is correct.. going from most round to least round shapes. ;-)
You crack me up Madz. I think you have completely maxed out on your OCD bonus points with this last job.
I love the story of the "Angry Pixies". Wonderful channel--very thorough explanations and demonstrations. Found this channel two days ago and up to this episode already!
Wow. Really nice work on the cables. Work of art. Given its just so easy to bunch and zip tie them in a bundle, you took the extra time to do it the right way.
Very neat explanation of the planned organisation and great seeing what this translates to in terms of devices. Very practical, smart and tidy wiring indeed.
I am about to rewire my 30 foot Catalina. These videos are very helpful! Thanks
Hey Mads, thought you'd be interested in hearing that my 9 year old son has become interested in your videos and we watch together every Sunday night now. I don't think he always understands what you're talking about (technical stuff), but he looks forward to watching none-the-less.
Another great update on this excellent project. I have no doubt the professional electrician who comes to finish and certify the circuits will be in awe of your OCD'ness.😀👍
I have to say this to you. You would make a wonderful teacher. I really enjoy your videos. Roll on next week.
Sailing yacht DIY at its very best. Excellent content and expert editing.
Keep up the great work
Hej Mads! I just want to say you have really helped us on our venture towards becoming sailors, we are still very noobs, but there is nothing I like more than binge watch your quirky episodes (don't get me wrong, I love that part of the videos) and they are very well executed, sound is amazing, and we understand the hustle you have to go through to create the angles and cutting and editing. Thanks for doing this, and for being so good at releasing content on a weekly basis.
We have a small Albin Vega that we are currently shaping up a bit (not a full refit). We are simply getting her into a way better condition than what we bought her in. She is Hull number 19, so very early build. She has Swedish flag but we have her down in Barcelona where we currently live. Thanks for spreading the inspiration! looking forward for the summer to come, and your works onboard athena to continue. Btw we are Swedish, and I'm sort of half danish :-)
/ Linus
I have routed wiring before, on airplanes not sailboats but I would suggest putting some type of grommet where the cables pass through the closet walls. Over time the sharp edge of the cutouts will wear into the cables. Though not a sailor myself, I look forward each week to your videos. I enjoy them a great deal. Thanks for sharing. Another like.
Hi Mads -- check out paralleling inverters such as the victron multiplus. This would install between your AC selector switch and the distribution panel (probably before the breaker & meter, but maybe after the meter for accurate metering. The idea is that when you supply AC into the inverter, it shifts the output frequency of the inverter to match the input perfectly and then parallels the two sources. What this means is that if you have a smaller genset or are on a dock somewhere with lower amp power supply, or you just want to turn everything on at once, the inverter will boost the supplied AC (either genset or shore power). If you add a multi-control panel, you can turn a dial and input the exact maximum Amps you want to pull from the AC source and any extra power requirements will come out of your batteries. This system was a lifesaver on our boat when at a dock that only had 10A shore power when we normally use 50A. Obviously coudln't run everything but could run shorter term users like washing machine on top of water heater. Similarly, microwave could run without tripping the shore breaker all the time. Once the short load such as microwave stopped, the inverter took the extra amps left over and charged the batteries back up.
For a bit of background, I am a Naval Architect/Marine Engineer and we sailed from US to New Zealand in 2009-2010 and then suffered a fire at the dock (battery charger failed), so I managed the refit, replacing all the AC electrical systems aboard. Made a lot of great improvements to the boat which is now in France sailing to scotland and ireland last year.
At some point you will want to add a watermaker and an AC watermaker will be cheaper and produce more water faster than a DC system. With a big inverter, particularly a parallelling one so genset could be smaller, you can run the watermaker for a shorter time and get all the water you need towards the end of your battery charging cycle when the batteries won't take much power anyway. You can even build your own watermaker in which case an AC one is that much easier to get right. The victron multiplus inverters are a bit more expensive, but the added capability is well worth it and doubles as a pretty big battery charger too.
Hope that helps and keep up the good work
Gram
Very nice way to make everything look neat and be clean. Heat shrink tube labels are a great idea.
The move into the boatshed is a good one regarding the hull osmosis issue. I keep waiting for sanding to ensue yet again, but I will have to be patient!. While renovating my laundry room this week I found both of my missing rubber sanding blocks, and I thought of your varnishing conundrum.
I don't think moving the boat into the shed is going to be a lot better than leaving it outside but we'll see :) I've got some other ideas about how to dry out the hull. I'll get back to those in the next video :) I'm still looking for a good rubber sanding block :) The one I picked up turned out to be kind of awkward to hold.
As usual , great video. Love the wiring, neat an tidy, better then most professional.
I really like your decision to label your power cables. Good job!
Thank you! :)
wohooo, AC, luxury on your boat! Nicely done!
NICE job. The wiring looks VERY professional!!!
I have one small suggestion. When yo use the terminal boards and/or make make connections where you can see the screws, give them a quick spray of a corrosion inhibitor. I use one that has a slight brown color to it, so I know it's been coated. I did not do that during my first wiring and after a couple of years cruising, even in compartments that never saw any salt water, I was getting corrosion.
Beautiful job on your AC cable management - A+
Mads, your cable management layout is B-E-A-UTIFUL! Very spiffy! I like it! A LOT!!
Great work as usual Mads. Nicest wiring Job I have ever seen.
Love your cable management style and attention to detail. It cost the same to do a bad job as it does a great job, just a little more time and detail, and you will be infinity happier with a great job. After all that's what its all about isn't it...
Also I think your RDC is similar to our GFCI breakers here in the US. We mostly use one breaker or outlet on a circuit. It more common in Europe to have one breaker to control all circuits down stream and it works well there. We do use that system on 3 phase systems, like ski slope ski lift power and we are starting to use more systems like your RDC as time goes on...cheers.
Damn... 2 kroner per kilowatt! Here it's 0.3 Kroner today (Norge). Thanks for all the advice... Sunday ritual to watch these vids.
Yeah, you guys are lucky :) If I was living aboard in Norway I'd be heating the boat with electricity for sure! :)
You've come a long way Mads!
Absolutely no less than I was expecting on the cable management! Once again the OCD shines with an outstanding looking installation. As Powerelectronicsguy said earlier, its easier to troubleshoot down the road, and on top of that you can be very proud of a job well done!
Excellent Job with the cabling !!!! This will be very easy to trouble shoot issues if they happen.
Good skills and very neat installation, the wiring looks superb.
Thank you so much :)
Love your DIY videos Mads! Just wish you had more time...two videos a week would be double the fun!
Congratulations on 25K subscribers! Well deserved!
I like your DIY videos very much - keep going I cross my fingers for you.
There are 5 ways to get power on sailboat:
- solar panels - works only when sun is shining,
- wing generator - only when wind blowing
- water generator - only when you are sailing
- engine alternator - only when engine is on
- external connection - only when stationary in the marine
Which one you plan to instal on your boat? I assume if you plan to "cut the lines" in the future and do some extensive sailing you will need many ways to keep the battery loaded. How many batteries banks do you have on boat? Have you summerize your power consumption?
After seeing this video I ordered one of those labeling doo-hickeys. I've always used the stickyback tape kind and I hate doing it that way. Now it will be a pleasure to label cables!
Very Very Nice cable management! I wished I could get my computer and network cabinet to look even a 1/4 that good.
Yet another great video. Inspires me to do better quality work on my own little boat refit. In fact, whenever I take some kind of shortcut I think "this isn't the way Mads would do it" ! :)
Thanks for explaining those two circuit breakers. And very nice job on the wiring. But we miss Jorkul ...
My boat has rats nests of cable in all sorts of hard to get at locations, I love the way you have things organised. I look forward to your videos each Monday morning here in Sydney. Best wishes mate.
Extra OCD bonus points....love it.
I really look forward to Sunday evening when I can find out about the latest advances in the project.
Keep up the good work.
Great vid sir. Love the explanation of the electrical set up. The locker is looking sharp and the labels look like that came out perfect. Love the idea of using the tube labels. I don't know how many times i have had to trace cabling and had to do the guessing game on poorly labeled panels.
Very neat wiring mads, and as usual very good informative video. Cheers Mads.
Mads, congrats on 25k subs! I don't remember what you were at when I started to follow your adventure, but it was definitely in the 4 digit range. I love the clean install. It's very satisfying to look at and I can only imagine that it's infinitely more pleasing to have done yourself. I am still decently confused by the system that you plan to implement on your boat, but that's mostly from my gross ignorance for electrical systems in general. I've always found it very intimidating, but that along with the confidence that you inspire makes me want to learn more about it so that I can fix up my own boat's system. I guess I'll have to get my hands on that book that you keep talking about.
Fair Winds.
Loving the OCD it makes the install look real neat 👍🏼
Another brilliant video and the attention to detail is superb! Great work. Thanks for taking the time.
this guy is awesome. .he inspires quality work. .
Greetings from Hong Kong. I for one am a vote to get a diesel generator.
After recently rewiring my own sailboat I went a different way. I got a Victron 12 | 3000 | 120 Multiplus inverter charger. The benefit is the "power assist" feature which allows the inverter to assist during high loads. I.e starting a compressor or air conditioner.
The extra expense of getting this Victron should be offest by the lower cost of a smaller generator. I have not installed the diesel generator yet so my current setup is a petrol Honda 2000EU and this small generator with the start assist of the victron can cope with the start loads of my 16000 BTU Air conditioner.
Well done, looking forward to moisture level readings!
Exactly 25,000 subs as I watch this episode Mads. Congrats! Well deserved!
Now he has 75.8k subscribers. I kind of miss these old videos, he use to explain what he was doing, now not so much.
Perhaps explain why these videos had more views than subscribers
Based on your description an RCD is equivalent to a (US) Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI). They can be incorporated in to a circuit breaker or simply the first receptacle on a circuit.
In US electrician "speak", the MCB is the "main" breaker/disconnect. Very important when working on your distribution panel.
Awesome work, I like your attention to detail
You forgot to fill a hole behind one of the cable clamps. It's going to haunt you big time. :-D Great video. The Dymo is a time saving tool! Greeting from Norway!
Will you do an episode about your Arduino power management system? I would be interested in knowing more.
Also, I really appreciate your attention to detail and thorough descriptions. Thank you.
Man, a new Macbook pro and a cool set of glasses.
I'm only a little bit jealous
Excellent video as always.
Keep up the awesome!
Also, I may have to hire you to come do my wiring. That is some beautiful cable management!
Looks good as always Mads.
You have made the dull.... interesting. Thank you
Nicely organized 👍
very nice job on the AC. Looks like something in an airplane.
OCD? No. Perfectionist? yes. Once again, nice work.
always nice to see a good wiring job on a boat... so much better than that spaghetti mess you removed.
Nice work, Mads.
I like the esthetics of the euro clamps better also!! HEY MAD!! How 'bout a long term test review of your Froli sleep system! Let me know if you need any small or special parts shipped from the USA.
your electrician is going to love you, for your cable management OCD :)
Hi mads as I mention before I have a Warrior 35 which I'm doing all the similar jobs your doing including the osmosis treatment, I'm very interested in the other way you have in mind to drying out the hull. My readings are dropping very slowly still keep the good work up love your videos.
Great episode Mads! I've been thinking about redoing the electrical and this helps alot!
loving the work. You should upload a weekend later so as u can have more time on the sunday to complete a couple more jobs. no one will mind im sure and means u have plenty of time to render during the week. Cheers for the videos, Stu (NZ)
Very detailed!!! You can tell how excited you are about those heat shrink labels👍🏻 new glasses? have you started your new job? Have a good week!
I'd be waiting all day for this, the weather is shit so I can't work in my boat xD So i need some more inspiration xD
Beautiful work!
Your Dymo heatshrink labels will hold up to many years outdoors and in the sun and weather without any issues. I have labels outside in the sun and weather where they receive sunlight nearly all through the day for nearly 15 years now and they are still perfectly fine. The only thing to be aware of, though, is that the colored heatshrink tubing and labels will ultimately revert to white after a few years of sunlight, but the black text will always remain perfectly legible since it is pigment based (rather than dye based). About the only thing that will damage the text or label is sustained high temperatures (hot enough to smudge the high temperature wax) and/or excessive friction against a rough surface resulting in abrasion, but then that would also damage the wiring after awhile so one tends to avoid such obstacles when they run their wiring.
really enjoy your content.
sending respect from St.Thomas USVI.
Nice clean work! Those safety breakers appear to be equivalent to AFCI (arc fault) and GFCI (ground fault) breakers in the USA. Others may know better than me in this marine application.
Tom Winkelman AFCI is something entirely different. What he has is comparable to a GFCI plus an ordinary residential circuit breaker. Here in the U.S. we also have combined GFCI plus circuit breaker units that can be installed in our load centers (main panel) which combine the two roles into one unit.
But an AFCI is something else entirely (and something that was, unfortunately, implemented in Code well before it was really ready for prime time as they can be a real nuisance in some environments as they are still essentially a beta product) as their job is to analyze the higher frequency signals, via digital signal processing, superimposed on the regular AC waveform and trip if they see something suggestive of arcing. Unfortunately, arcing is also a perfectly normal phenomena as all switches arc when switched under load and all universal motors will arc due to commutation, not to mention the normal induced spikes and RFI generated from switching inductive loads on and off. In some cases, operating a radio transmitter, even at very low powers, in their general vicinity is enough to trip some very popular AFCI breakers, sometimes knocking power out to much of the house just because a perfectly legitimate radio transmission was made by someone somewhere in the neighborhood (or even passing by)...which really sucks if the homeowner's refrigerator happened to be on that circuit!
OCD bonus points. Hysterical! Thank you for the laugh.
No more spiffy! :) "fabulous" "swell" "wicked" "awesome" "amazing" "fine" "great" ... lol, it's your channel you can spiffy all you want! Cheers Mads, from PEI Canada, Bryan
also, your new glasses are nice.
That was one big assed heat gun ! I have the smaller rhino label maker. Takes a lot of batteries!
Bob Fomenko Yes, it takes a lot of AA batteries to achieve 12V. I have three older models (about 10-12 years old now) back when they were running a promo of a free label maker if you bough X amount of label cartridges...I could have gotten 6 or 8 of them but then that would have been an absurd number of printers!
Hey look, having OCD can be a positive 😜 Can't imagine undertaking a refit like this, but it is fun too watch!
My understanding of gelcoat is that it was used to allow the fiberglass to separate more easily from the mold during manufacture, and to provide a glossy appearance. However since it is porous to moisture (gelcoat blistering) it may not be recommended to be reapplied but simply having adequate epoxy saturating the fiberglass mat along with an epoxy sealing paint is in fact superior to gelcoat. Any thoughts on this? BTW loving the series keep up the great work Mads!
I admire the meticulous way you approach every aspect of your refit. I'm curious as to your background. I'm guessing you're an electrical engineer or maybe a software engineer? At any rate, the process is fascinating! Thanks for the videos - the production quality is impressive!
Gelcoat Important note. Before choosing the Gelcoat color for your repair make sure that you cut and polish a section of the Gelcoat near the repair needed. Gelcoat will change color over time so it is important that you get back to the base color before choosing the new color that you will use on the repair. There are plenty of instruction on youtube. MORE SANDING. :-)
Another great video ,very neatly done, very time consuming. Mads I was wondering why you don't just turn up the heat and the dehumidifier inside of the boat ,crank them, won't that help to dry them outer hull?
im glad there is someone out there as ocd about cable management as i!:)
That's looking wonderful. When can you come do our electrical system?
Now would be a good time to install an automatic transfer switch between shore power and a generator. I just installed an 4000w pure sine inverter and two auto transfer switches to replace an obsolete power converter system in my motorhome. My inverter also is a 115w battery charger and battery monitor with remote readout which eliminates the need for a separate units for those functions. .
Great. Give yourself a couple of more OCD points. Quite a good video. Thanks.
Very nice ,,,, professional job !! BRAVO !