I decided rather than having the hinge only open 90 degrees and complicate the cutout, I would modify the hinge so it closed flush. The hinge was removed from the panel and marked with tape to show the areas that needed to be notched so it could fold flat and not interfere with the components on the panel. The hinge was placed in a vice and a Dremel tool cutoff wheel used to cut the notches out. After cutting the notches, the rough edges were filed and corners rounded. This photo shows the work in process to notch the hinge.
I traced the modified hinge and created a template others can use for modification, and drill pilot holes to mount the hinge in the boat. This is in the PDF file attached.
Once I was able to get to the boat, the wiring for the shunt was completed. The shunt is bolted to the lip on the battery well. This location provides a convenient connection point and maintains the existing wiring locations from the negative terminal on the battery to the engine block with minimum changes. The current carrying conductors are attached to the large bolts while the sense lines are attached to the smaller screw terminals on the side of the shunt.
The old panel was unscrewed and pushed through the existing cutout so that the wiring would be clear of the cutout. This allowed the wood frame to be cut using a Fein Multimaster tool to provide a rough opening for the new panel. A cardboard template was made to mark where the wood needed to be cut. Note that there are areas cut from the previous equipment mounted, seen on the left side in the picture below. The wood will be covered with Starboard to provide a new mounting surface, thus covering up these old cutouts. The hinge was mounted to allow a trial fit of the panel. Note that the wood trim piece on the edge of the sliding chart table needed to have about 1/4" notched to allow the slider to clear the hinge.
Once the hinge was mounted to the wood, the new panel was attached for a trial fit. The AC breaker previously installed (shown on the left) will be moved along with the entire AC section. The old DC panel with the wiring still connected can be seen below the new panel.
Once the panel was trial fit, the remaining AC components were removed from the panel so that the wood could be cutout for mounting the moved/replaced AC components. The picture below shows the cuts made. Note that there is a lip along the top edged and bottom that provide a flat mounting surface for the new Starboard panel.
The Starboard panel was cut after a cardboard template was made that fit over the wood. The cardboard template allowed placement of the actual hardware to determine the fit before making any cuts. This was needed for Rhapsody since a shore power breaker, outlet, switch and circuit breaker for the battery charger are needed. The AC components were pre-wired on the bench so that the only connections required were inputs and outputs, thus simplifying installation on the boat. Labels were made with a Brother label maker. The panel is held in place with a screw in the top right corner, and the tabs on the back of the 115vac outlet box.The balance of the panel will be held in place by the screws at the top of the DC panel when it is mounted. The picture below shows the Starboard panel mounted without the DC panel in place.
The new DC panel was mounted on the hinge. The old panel was replaced by cutting and labeling one wire at a time. The wires were reterminated using heat shrink ring terminals screwed to the appropriate terminals on the new DC panel. Installation was simplified by labeling the new DC panel before installation so that all breakers and terminals were clearly identified, Where needed, a heat shrink butt splice was connected and used as a wire extender. All wires were labeled using a Brother label maker, or white shrink sleeve that was written on before being shrunk. Old connections were cleaned up. The wires were dressed and bundled using ty-wraps so the bundle did not interfere with the edges when the panel was rotated open and closed.
The picture below shows the panel running on battery power only with current displayed. Two circuit breakers are closed (VHF Radio and Navigation instruments). You can see the breaker label back lighting, and the LED indicators for the two breakers that are energized. Note that the load is 0.6 Amps discharging as indicated by the minus sign on the display.
The same configuration is now shown with the battery charger energized. Note the current now displays 6.4 Amps (positive) indicating that current is flowing into the battery.
Some other miscellaneous wiring was done befor the panel was installed, including an additional AC outlet on the lower forward angled panel of the starboard quarter berth. The hole was cut using the Fein Multimaster and a standard single box mounted with a GFCI outlet.
A standard Ivory colored plastic plate blends well.
Finally, ventilation louvers were installed on the port and starboard setees to help prevent moisture buildup. Since a dehumidifier is usually run at the dock, this help keep moisture from sweating on the hull.
