Cruising Boat Electrical Basics Workshop

Cruising Boat Electrical Basics Workshop

Instructors: Gio & Julie Cappelli, Michael Beemer

This two-day seminar covers all things electrical on your cruising vessel. Through a blend of lecture and hands-on practice you will learn basic electrical system design, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. We’ll cover safety, specialized tool use, industry best practices, and more.

Self-sufficiency at sea is truly the key to successful cruising. The more you can fix on your boat yourself, the longer you’re likely to stay out cruising. If you are a cruiser who wants to gain proficiency in troubleshooting, maintaining, and upgrading your marine electrical systems in accordance with ABYC standards, then this is the workshop for you. Sail and powerboat cruisers alike will gain essential knowledge and skills that will pay dividends for years to come.

Through a blend of lecture and hands-on practice you will learn basic electrical system design, installation, troubleshooting, and maintenance. We’ll cover safety, specialized tool use, industry best practices, and more. You will learn how to identify boat electrical components, practice making seaworthy wire terminations, correctly install DC equipment, and how to use a multimeter to save yourself hours of frustration trying to track down “boat gremlins”. Your learning and skill development will culminate with the design, building, and testing of a basic electrical system of your own at the renowned Marine Technology Center lab.

This is an introductory workshop that will prioritize safety, hands-on, applied learning. We welcome learners of all skill levels, especially if you have never picked up a tool or played with a battery before!

You will learn how to:

• Apply basic electrical fundamentals including Ohm’s Law and the Power Equations
• Recognize the differences between series and parallel circuits
• Draw circuit diagrams using basic electrical symbols
• Calculate wire size based on ampacity and voltage drop
• Select appropriate overcurrent protection size, type, and installation location
• Properly route wiring and install strain relief and chafe protection
• Apply recommended color coding for DC and AC wiring on boats

You will get to practice:

• Properly installing the components of a basic DC electrical circuit

• Drawing and working from basic circuit diagrams
• Performing basic DC electrical circuit safety checks
• Applying ABYC standards to evaluate and build circuits
• Choosing and using a variety of specialized electrical tools
• Conducting essential electrical troubleshooting with a multimeter
• Identifying and testing different types of fuses
• Building battery cables
• Testing battery voltages and recognizing their importance
• Building and testing battery banks in parallel and series