Marine Systems Students have settled into 253 Franklin Street in Bristol, RI and staked claim to their work benches for the year. Toolboxes have been moved in, and everyone has been instructed on proper shop safety. Hull assignments rotate and everyone has had a chance to work with different teammates.
A typical day at Systems begins with throwing some leftovers into the reefer for lunch and looking over work done from the day before. I unlock my toolbox and organize tools and notes before class begins. Course material is covered in lecture followed by lab work. Topic highlights covered in systems to date include: Fiberglass repair and Composites, Gel Coat repair, Steering Systems, and Electrical I.
This month we are wiring our boats’ electrical circuits and power supply systems. There are bundles of wires to be labeled and installed to supply all the electrical needs of the vessels standard systems. Proper wire gauge and color code are followed per ABYC standards. AC/DC Systems are both discussed and installed. Standard systems being installed include: navigational lights, bilge pumps with float switches, engine room blowers, 110V inverter, battery charger, house battery, starting battery, Parallel solenoid, fuse panels, main fuse breakers, macerator, Pressure water pump, and Hot Water heater.
Panels are the components that house mostly all of the fuse breakers for our electrical system onboard. The “panel” is the nerve center of the vessels electrical system. Panels are the next step in the build as the systems program roles along.
[Ed. note: there are a number of hulls at the shop... it's pretty cool to see them all lined up.]
Study Guides for the ABYC Electrical Certification Exam have come in and students studying are tabbing tables and charts for quick reference.
Tools used for install: Cordless drill, Phillips #2 driver bit, level, pencil, square, wire stripers, ratcheting crimpers, box crimpers, razor knife, heat gun/ butane torch or lighter , electrical tape, heat shrink, assorted box end wrenches: ½”,5/8”, 9/16”, ¾”