Okay, I give up. What's this breaker for?

[Andy]

Dammmmmm. Lololol. Do I feel stupid?
Yes, one of the breakers SAYS “WINDLASS”, alright!

here is the first response from my dealer:
“I'm going to send this picture to my head mechanic and see if he knows. I would have guessed that the breaker controls the windlass but I guess not. Maybe the second station controls? I'll see what I can find out.”

and then:
“They're telling me it should be the breaker for the dash board. So your electronics and maybe key switch. “

Well, I know it is not the case, at least not with the main switch on 1+2.
The search continues...

Don't feel bad, and don't feel stupid! Boats have complex systems and with every new boat there is a learning curve! And that applies to everybody.... I could fill these pages with things I've done (funny, stupid, dangerous!) on previous boats, and I can only thank goodness most of it occurred before every person on earth was walking around with a cell-phone camera! ☺

 

[PKS1801]

In that location, and high amp, I would think house, but you have 2 Mains on the panel, unless someone doubled up and has a 100A protecting two 40A's. Maybe it is malfunctioning, pull the boots back, and you should have power to one lug when closed, and to both when on.

 

[Swatski]

I think I figured it out!
I started tracing the cables and for starters it turned the “black” is actually red, hooked right up to the positive terminal, the other end going into the rigging tube through the Armstrong bracket.
So, it must be the aux charging cable out of the Yamaha motor. Still don’t know exactly how and when I would use it but at least I know what it does, I think, charges the battery.
I’m going to leave it OFF until I can educate myself.


@Andy I’ve become very aware of trying not to find myself in a situation I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, figuring things out while out in the middle of the ocean - been there, not fun.

it is so much easier to do while driveway boating!!! Lol.
—

 

[shawnee83]

My breaker in that position is the breaker for the house bus. I have a 2120

 

[Andy]

I think I figured it out!
I started tracing the cables and for starters it turned the “black” is actually red, hooked right up to the positive terminal, the other end going into the rigging tube through the Armstrong bracket.
So, it must be the aux charging cable out of the Yamaha motor. Still don’t know exactly how and when I would use it but at least I know what it does, I think, charges the battery.
I’m going to leave it OFF until I can educate myself.
View attachment 28532

@Andy I’ve become very aware of trying not to find myself in a situation I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, figuring things out while out in the middle of the ocean - been there, not fun.

it is so much easier to do while driveway boating!!! Lol.
—

I think you're doing great, and are taking great efforts to learn about your new boat; and we get the benefit of learning right along with you! I will get to our boat and find out what it does. Our boat is at our home, 40 feet away on the lift, but I have not been able to get on the boat the past few days (don't ask!) . When I do, I will find out what the switch is/does on our boat, and post it here. (it may be different than yours, although I doubt it as it is located in the same spot above the batteries)... My guess is nobody else is sure about it either, as I not seen a reply that is clear, and/or makes sense to me... I've seen it there above the batteries since day-one, but never bothered to try to see what it does; ( "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" mentality)... I figured if it every 'tripped' I would KNOW at that point, and reset it!

 

[Andy]

My breaker in that position is the breaker for the house bus. I have a 2120

Shawnee here just popped in while I was writing my last response.... If what you said, "is", then it is what I mentioned in the first part of this post; I didn't know for sure, but I said that I thought it was 'feeding'/protecting the main Buss under the dash... Thank you; that makes sense. I will give it a try as soon as I can get on the boat....

 

[pelagic2530]

I think I figured it out!
I started tracing the cables and for starters it turned the “black” is actually red, hooked right up to the positive terminal, the other end going into the rigging tube through the Armstrong bracket.
So, it must be the aux charging cable out of the Yamaha motor. Still don’t know exactly how and when I would use it but at least I know what it does, I think, charges the battery.
I’m going to leave it OFF until I can educate myself.
View attachment 28532
View attachment 28533
@Andy I’ve become very aware of trying not to find myself in a situation I don’t know what the hell I’m doing, figuring things out while out in the middle of the ocean - been there, not fun.

it is so much easier to do while driveway boating!!! Lol.
—

It’s kind of tough to tell in the picture, but here’s another thing to check: the breaker terminals are labeled with “line” and “load”. Whichever cable is coming into the “line” side (I think it’s the left terminal) is providing the power. If it’s coming from the engine, I’d say you’re on point with the auxiliary charging cable, or it’s some other source of power generation (which would be odd). If it’s coming from the battery, the battery is feeding power to something running into the bracket- maybe a kicker motor or something like that?

Worth checking out. I can’t recall, did you buy this boat new or could this be some specialty stuff from a previous owner?

 

[PKS1801]

A couple of people mentioned bilge pumps. The small brown wires, with 10 amp fuses on top of the battery are what power the bilge pumps.
I believe that ABYS requires a main house breaker within a foot or so of the battery power source, which is why all of us probably have something similar. 100 amps is a lot for a single engine outboard, but you do have two 40's, and a 70 on the main cabin panel. That's why I thought the 100 might be protecting that panel.
Fuses and breakers should be close to the power source, to protect the wiring and to prevent fires, not to protect the device.

 

[Swatski]

It’s kind of tough to tell in the picture, but here’s another thing to check: the breaker terminals are labeled with “line” and “load”. Whichever cable is coming into the “line” side (I think it’s the left terminal) is providing the power. If it’s coming from the engine, I’d say you’re on point with the auxiliary charging cable, or it’s some other source of power generation (which would be odd). If it’s coming from the battery, the battery is feeding power to something running into the bracket- maybe a kicker motor or something like that?

Worth checking out. I can’t recall, did you buy this boat new or could this be some specialty stuff from a previous owner?

Thank you sir. That's a good point. I did not consider it. I always assumed those bus type breakers would be reversible.

The boat is brand new, and I'll admit to being a bit obsessed with taking advantage of it - it is so much easier to work on things that have not been beat up, yet.

My only gripe with Parker, so far, and it is a relatively minor one, is the lack of model specific all-encompassing owner and/or service manual. Yes, I've been spoiled by my recent other boats, Yamaha jet boats, as we have had a couple of those, always just get their service manual which covers EVERYTHING, bow to stern, mechanical, electric, and everything else. Not blaming anyone, it's just a luxury I do not have with this Parker. We maxed out on all factory mods, and then some, so many are dealer installed options.

 

[pelagic2530]

Thank you sir. That's a good point. I did not consider it. I always assumed those bus type breakers would be reversible.

The boat is brand new, and I'll admit to being a bit obsessed with taking advantage of it - it is so much easier to work on things that have not been beat up, yet.

My only gripe with Parker, so far, and it is a relatively minor one, is the lack of model specific all-encompassing owner and/or service manual. Yes, I've been spoiled by my recent other boats, Yamaha jet boats, as we have had a couple of those, always just get their service manual which covers EVERYTHING, bow to stern, mechanical, electric, and everything else. Not blaming anyone, it's just a luxury I do not have with this Parker. We maxed out on all factory mods, and then some, so many are dealer installed options.

Parker is pretty infamous for not providing a ton of information on their boats, and in my personal opinion their wiring and especially their wire identification is piss poor. Good on you for digging in and getting to know the boat now, it’ll make modifications and troubleshooting much easier down the road.

 

[PKS1801]

I know this thread started on a Sunday night, but it's almost noon on Tuesday. I know you paid good money for a new boat, and if my dealer couldn't tell me what a 100 amp breaker controlled in 30 minutes, I would be calling him every 10 minutes until I got an answer. Other than the windlass, I've never had a breaker larger than 40A for the main, and yours is the first 100A I have seen on a boat.

 

[Swatski]

I know this thread started on a Sunday night, but it's almost noon on Tuesday. I know you paid good money for a new boat, and if my dealer couldn't tell me what a 100 amp breaker controlled in 30 minutes, I would be calling him every 10 minutes until I got an answer. Other than the windlass, I've never had a breaker larger than 40A for the main, and yours is the first 100A I have seen on a boat.

My dealer's response was prompt and, unsatisfyingly, uninformative - post in #20, earlier in this thread.

That said, I have nothing but the best things to say and have had so far absolutely great experience with this particular dealer.
It could be just me, and my own experiences talking. We all have different thresholds. I, personally, have zero problem with them not knowing everything about my boat.

What I know for a fact is that this 100amp breaker is superfluous as far as any running gear and all systems in my boat, mechanical and electric. From that, and the size, I infer It is likely an aux charging cable. What gives me pause is @pelagic2530 comment above, as I do not know if this buss breaker is directional, or bi-directional, it is also not my expertise.

Next step, I'll have my wife ask Parker directly, she has corresponded with them very effectively throughout the manufacturing process.

 

[Swatski]

This must be it, I'll confirm once we hear back from the factory.
If I only had access to parts fiche for my new Parker! I've been very spoiled with Yamaha boats, you can find every part, nut and bolt in every model, in seconds.

 

[Swatski]

So, I guess my next question is: should this breaker be left ON or OFF, and when?

Assuming this applies to my general situation:


--

 

[Swatski]

As I understand it, the isolator lead simply prevents current from flowing from the house battery back to the motor just like a VSR does; since the F300 4.2 Yamaha alternator has independent outputs, like a VSR controls where the current goes.

I’m more used to having a DVSR or VSR but either can fail, either open or closed. That means we get a great, simple, and robust system straight form the factory, and no need to complicate it with an extra combiner, if I understand it all correctly.

In most schematics I see aux charge lead as 'optional', so kudos to Parker, again, for including this!

--

 

[Andy]

As I understand it, the isolator lead simply prevents current from flowing from the house battery back to the motor just like a VSR does; since the F300 4.2 Yamaha alternator has independent outputs, like a VSR controls where the current goes.

I’m more used to having a DVSR or VSR but either can fail, either open or closed. That means we get a great, simple, and robust system straight form the factory, and no need to complicate it with an extra combiner, if I understand it all correctly.

In most schematics I see aux charge lead as 'optional', so kudos to Parker, again, for including this!

--

Thank you Swatski! Your perseverance and research has paid off for a lot of us! After you mentioned the battery-isolator I did a quick search to learn more about what it is; until now I had not heard of such, and we certainly did not have them on our previous 4 boats (1970-1980 era boats)....

 

[pelagic2530]

So, I guess my next question is: should this breaker be left ON or OFF, and when?

Assuming this applies to my general situation:
View attachment 28543
--

I would leave it ON (closed). It appears as though that’s what’s charging your (looks like stbd?) battery off the aux charging connection. Without seeing how the rest of your system is set up, that’s my best guess.

Keep in mind that if you have the normal 1-2-both-off Perko style battery switch, depending on the position of the switch you run the risk of putting all your charging amperage into just that one battery. As in, the aux charge cable will always charge the battery it’s hooked into; the normal cable will charge whichever battery or batteries you have selected at the switch. A BEP cluster switch eliminates this effect by linking the batteries through a VSR.

While you’re digging around, it might be worth popping your switch off the bulkhead to see which of your batteries is “1” and which is “2” (by convention, port should be 2 and stbd 1), in case you have a failure or need to perform diagnostics. Alternatively, you could simply pull the positive cable off one of the batteries, and see which setting has no power.

 

[Andy]

I would leave it ON (closed). It appears as though that’s what’s charging your (looks like stbd?) battery off the aux charging connection. Without seeing how the rest of your system is set up, that’s my best guess.

Keep in mind that if you have the normal 1-2-both-off Perko style battery switch, depending on the position of the switch you run the risk of putting all your charging amperage into just that one battery. As in, the aux charge cable will always charge the battery it’s hooked into; the normal cable will charge whichever battery or batteries you have selected at the switch. A BEP cluster switch eliminates this effect by linking the batteries through a VSR.

While you’re digging around, it might be worth popping your switch off the bulkhead to see which of your batteries is “1” and which is “2” (by convention, port should be 2 and stbd 1), in case you have a failure or need to perform diagnostics. Alternatively, you could simply pull the positive cable off one of the batteries, and see which setting has no power.

I did a rudimentary experiment with my batteries and switches. (I posted a video of it, but I'm embarrassed of my rambling and stuttering to post it! Mel Tillis and I share similar genes! ☺).
We have 'that' Guest battery switch, (similar to the Perko) that came with every boat I have owned for the past 40+ years.
With the engine running, and with the Guest Switch set on Battery #1, I checked the charge voltage on each battery. I won't remember the exact numbers, but BOTH batteries were receiving over 14 volts charge from the engine alternator... With the Guest Switch on Battery #2, same thing; BOTH batteries were receiving charge from the engine alternator. (I was checking the voltage with a top-line Fluke Volt/Amp/Ohm meter). This did NOT occur on any of our previous boats. On those, if you wanted to charge both batteries while the engine was running, you had to have the Battery Switch on 'Both'. The newest of those boats was built in 1986. The point I'm trying to make is that with newer boats/newer technology, you do not have to have the Battery Switch on 'Both' for both batteries to receive charge from the engine. It seem on our Parker, each battery is receiving the charge it needs, as needed.
My guess is new technology with DVSR, VSR and/or the 'Battery-Isolator' has something to do with this...

 

[Swatski]

I would leave it ON (closed). It appears as though that’s what’s charging your (looks like stbd?) battery off the aux charging connection. Without seeing how the rest of your system is set up, that’s my best guess.

Keep in mind that if you have the normal 1-2-both-off Perko style battery switch, depending on the position of the switch you run the risk of putting all your charging amperage into just that one battery. As in, the aux charge cable will always charge the battery it’s hooked into; the normal cable will charge whichever battery or batteries you have selected at the switch. A BEP cluster switch eliminates this effect by linking the batteries through a VSR.

While you’re digging around, it might be worth popping your switch off the bulkhead to see which of your batteries is “1” and which is “2” (by convention, port should be 2 and stbd 1), in case you have a failure or need to perform diagnostics. Alternatively, you could simply pull the positive cable off one of the batteries, and see which setting has no power.

Thanks, man. This has been a great discussion. I know I've been a bit inconsistent with the information flow here..., it is hard though: as devoted as I am to my new Parker, there a those other pesky things that get in the way, like - kids, day job, etc. lol.

Appreciate the advise! I'll try to follow up this weekend to sort it out .

--

 

[PKS1801]

I suspect that your alternator is charging one battery, and the aux charging cable is hooked to the other. That's why they are both charging w/o being on BOTH. That way you don't have to remember to alternate odd/even days, or some other method, to keep both charged.