NC11 Electrical Mystery

[hegrelma]

Hi from the snowy US east coast!  Can't wait for boating season...

I am puzzled by the separate, five socket fuse/breaker section in the DC breaker panel on my 2017 NC11--just purchased last October.  Please see the attached photo.  According to the electrical schematic that came with the boat (which has inaccuracies and is very unclear on this little section of the panel), the populated breakers serve the autopilot, the "Hub", and the Chartplotter, but that is not the case.  Additionally, when the DC system is energized by turning on the house battery positive and negative at the panel under the helm, the top of the larger, adjacent bus bar is energized at the house battery voltage which is passed through the breakers to DC powered systems.  Makes sense.  

The five socket additional panel, however, is not energized at all.  Since the five socket section is separate from the larger section, I initially guessed the red wire attached to the top of the autopilot breaker was intended to bring 12V to the smaller panel, but it does not.  In trying to trace it, it disappears in to a large bundle of similar red wires tightly tied together so I cannot figure out where it goes.  Jumping 12V to the smaller panel had no effect on anything that I could tell.  I was able to trace the violet wire coming from the bottom of the AUX breaker to an unterminated wire that emerges from the wiring bundle in the HVAC hold on the starboard side of the main hold where the DC breaker panel is located.

I would be grateful for any ideas on what this panel is for and whether I should connect it to the adjacent bar.  I am also planning to use the AUX breaker section to run a new circuit to a 12V socket next to the settee in the saloon so we can plug in laptops and so forth when sitting at our table.

Thanks very much!

[Trevor]

Hello hegrelma,

Please check to see if the distribution panel comes alive when the engines are running. That would be my guess and would make sense.

Regards,

Trevor

[hegrelma]

Thank you Trevor - boat is out of the water for a few more weeks, but I will give that a try.

[robert1]

Locating your breaker box or circuit breaker can help protect RV’s electrical system from many issues. This breaker panel will be within most RVs’ interior and mounted onto a wall close to their floor. You might even find it inside one of your RV’s external storage bays.

[Don Reaves]

May 29, 2021 12:23:59 GMT robert1 said:

Locating your breaker box or circuit breaker can help protect RV’s electrical system from many issues. This breaker panel will be within most RVs’ interior and mounted onto a wall close to their floor. You might even find it inside one of your RV’s external storage bays.

Hi robert1,

I hope you realize that this issue (and essentially all on this forum) is related to boats, not RVs. Of course, there are many corresponding problems and solutions, but I don't think you're ever going to find a breaker panel in an external storage bay on a boat.

Don

[bostonboater]

May 29, 2021 19:01:07 GMT Don Reaves said:

May 29, 2021 12:23:59 GMT robert1 said:

Locating your breaker box or circuit breaker can help protect RV’s electrical system from many issues. This breaker panel will be within most RVs’ interior and mounted onto a wall close to their floor. You might even find it inside one of your RV’s external storage bays.

Hi robert1,

I hope you realize that this issue (and essentially all on this forum) is related to boats, not RVs. Of course, there are many corresponding problems and solutions, but I don't think you're ever going to find a breaker panel in an external storage bay on a boat.

Don

Don, I thought this was strange, too, so I checked on robert1's other posts and they're all like this. All of his posts/comments have a link that uses Viglink.com which is a monetization tool. My guess is he is actually an automated bot. 

If this turns out to be the case, how can we escalate this to the forum owners so that we can have him removed?

[bostonboater]

Any of you guys still have your NC11? 

When I got mine I was privately invited into a group exclusive to NC11 owners. Happy to privately share that info if you DM me. This is not a trick or an ad, it is a super useful group!

Also, did you ever figure out what that separate group of breakers was for and how it was powered? I'm looking to install a remote spotlight and am trying to figure out where to run the wires to get it power. (I'm considering one of the units with a remote control to turn it on/off and move it to avoid having to run wires to the helm as well, but she'll need power for sure!)

[dublinnc11]

Very interested in that group. PM sent.

[Hanzel]

Also we received an invitation, however a special app must be installed before we could be accepted………
I did not had a good feeling so we did not continue.
Other members did?

[Boatruptcy]

I downloaded the TeamRach app and was fortunate enough to be let into the group!  I highly recommend it. Great and informative group of people.  The app has some quirks, as it is set up for organizing (sport) teams events, but it works well for our purposes.  Bostonboater and I use it quite often!  

I'd also like to know more about that separate panel.  I've had to replace some of the breaker holders and it is quite cumbersome!