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............................................--- New Overhead Console ---
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Prior to this (fall of 2010) we only had our AM/FM Tape deck in the overhead area above the kitchen area. Our VHF was located under the companion way and I had a 12 volt meter located in a less than desirable spot to monitor before, during and after running the gen-set.
Our VHF was old and we wanted a new one that also had the DSC safety feature and had bought the Cuda 350 depth finder that would send the required GPS location to it. I also wanted to mount the volt meter gauge and also a similar AMP meter where I could monitor the use of different items and more importantly the charge rates while using the gen-set so that I would know when we were reaching diminishing returns. The console above the sink was the logical location for these, so I made a new panel for ups there.
During this same time frame I had ripped out the original wiring in the boat for the most part and had installed a new more modern main fuse panel and a better MPPT charge controller for the additional 140 watt solar panels and a better switching system to control using the 2 12 volt batteries and how they were charged.
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Here is the new panel. Sorry, but I didn't take many pictures making it. I wanted the option of putting in a different stereo system or VHF down the road, so mounted them in aluminum panels I made that are oversize to hedge future options. I removed the foam in this area while running wiring and such, but replace it when finished except for two small pieces which I jammed in under the sink out of the way towards the V-Berth.
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Here is the new Standard Horizons Eclipse with DSC. With the DSC if you have the radio connected to something that will send your current GPS position to it and you have an emergency situation you push the panic button on it and it will start sending out a mayday with you current location. We also had bought a Cuda 350 depth finder at the same time that will send that info to the VHF when ever it is on. It requires two data wires between them which we have.
I mounted the mic around the corner of the console, where the upper left arrow is pointing. This helps to keep the cord (lower arrow) from hanging down in the sink area. Up above the mic and out of the way is a switch that controls the power to the VHF. It will be on all of the time that we are on the water so that all we have to do to use the VHF is turn it on. I wanted the switch so that I could turn the power off to the radio when the mast was down and it wasn't connected to the antenna. I'm going to make-up an extension cable that can be hooked to the mast base when it is down and forward on the trailer that will go back to the deck connection for the VHF, so we can use it for NOAA weather when on the road with the mast down.
The above VHF has a masthead antenna.
We still have the old VHF with its stern mounted antenna in place as a backup and we carry a Standard Horizon HX500S-Li handheld to use in the cockpit or in the dinghy.
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The top meter here is amps in tenths and the bottom is volts in tenths. The upper left arrow is the anchor light switch with an "on" LED below it and the bottom left arrow points to the running lights with the indicator LED above that switch also. On the right at the top is the switch that turns the gauges on or off and the bottom switch turns the power on or off to the AM/FM/Tape Deck since it consumes about 1/2 of an amp when turned off also. It is still hooked to the battery full time for its memory and I think that and the gauges requirements is why the amp meter is showing 1/10 amp on it in the picture when everything else on the boat is off.
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Here is the older AM/FM/Tape Deck that us old people still use, but we do now have two 160 gig I-pods and one smaller one with tons of music on them thanks to Ruth and Sirius Radio that I record. We play the I-pods on small speakers and also through the tape deck above using one of those adapters that transmits to an FM station of your choice.
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To the right of the radio are 4 fuse holders that have fuses in them for the anchor/running lights, VHF, meters and the stereo to their left. Power comes to the console on a 12 gauge tinned wire from the main fuse panel below in the cabin that uses spade fuses. Here at the console it separates through the above round glass type fuses to smaller wiring that goes to the individual devices.
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We like this addition to the cabin. With the wood in it and below and off to the port side storage and aft of this location high and low the cabin has a warmer feeling to it vs. the ....
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....sterile look of the cabin when we got the boat.