Replacing panel breaker buttons

Not sure how much sacrilege I'm performing here... I don't have much faith in these OG '93 breaker buttons on the dash. They've worked OK, but the terminals look corroded, and the plastic is failing (one broke when I pushed it recently).

Found these switches on amazon, tried one out. Had to expand the hole a tiny bit but no big deal, otherwise it was plug and play and feels very sturdy. I got the rubber boot as well although don't think I'll bother with it, too sticky feeling and attracts dirt/dust.

Any reason not to replace all 10 breaker buttons with these? They're pretty cheap, very solid feeling. I realize they're not breakers themselves, but I've already installed a new spade fuse bus under the dash and plan on wiring power from that (via a nice new 8 gauge wire from the battery) to these new switches so that shouldn't be an issue.

One installed with rubber boot:

Your dash looks professionally done. I too worry about those push button switches.
I expect one to break nearly every time I touch them.

Those are circuit breakers combined with the on/off switch. The toggle switch that you reference in the link is simply an on/off switch. Nautique Parts sells replacement breakers for an OEM replacement: When I refreshed the dash in my 1994 SNOB, I replaced all the breakers. Easy job.

LINK

2.5 amp – used on bilge pump and auto bilge pump
6-8 amp – used on blower
8 amp – used accessory 1 & 2
10 amp – used on navigation light, anchor light, and accessory
20 amp – used on ignition (main)

JQ

Yeah JQ, I thought about the factory 'replacement' breaker/ switches at first also.... for about 2.2 seconds.   Nope.. In short, bad design for the placement of the switches, IMO. If they were located in a closed panel in a closed location, such as a cuddy hold or cabin, I probably wouldn't mind them. But honestly, the whole style isn't my taste anyway ... they seem cheap and clunky to me. I know some don't care for the look of Carling switches either but as I always say, each to their own. Breaking the circuit at the switch is a good idea in theory I'll admit. I just don't like the execution in this case. To me the blade-based fuse block and switches I have now not only looks better (to me) but serves the same purpose and has decades of marine use with far less problems than the CC factory switches of this era.    And really, when was the last time anyone popped one of those breakers anyway? And if you did, doesn't that point to an issue somewhere in the line? So resetting it and going on about your business doesn't really make sense and certainly won't fix the underlying issue.
But I know for some it's a 'keep it original' thing. So once again, each to their own.

Gary S wrote: Nothing to do with originality and I really hate to say this but those toggles look like something a Bayliner would use. Someone has found those push button breakers in the past here a lot cheaper than oem prices, and once again they have lasted 26 years. Doubtful your Chinese replacements will have the same life span.

Appreciate the honesty, if I could find the breakers super cheap I'd consider it for sure!

The cost for the OEM style breakers is $9.95 each on www.NautiqueParts.com. Not too bad. They used to be $20+ each.

JQ

[Redacted]

Not a big deal but I like being able to push the main ignition switch and kill power to everything as the system was originally designed. At the end of the day you will need to check the position of each switch. I guess you could add a switch somewhere to disconnected the system from the battery but the original one is pretty simple.

Yep, one switch and everything's off.



Except for the automatic bilge.... that's wired (and fused) direct to the house battery.

If you guys are in there and doing some dash wire work I hightly recommend upgrading the hot and ground wire that feeds the cigaratte lighter.
I do not smoke but use my plug in for using my spot light at night.
My spot light is a 1,000,000 candle power unit I have used in 3 boats now. First time I plugged it in to my 95 Nautique the current draw melted the cigarette lighter.
I installed a new one with proper sized wires and it has worked just fine ever since.
I think the light is about a 6-8 amp draw.

desertskier wrote: So are you maintaining a fuse for each circuit or just relying on the one new ignition fuse?

A concern of mine as well.

TRBenj wrote: Looks like a fuse for each circuit but no main breaker (at least pictured) on the dash side... relying on the main engine breaker? The ignition breaker at the dash in the factory configuration isn’t appropriately named- it doesn’t just cut ignition power. It is protecting all 12v wiring coming from the battery (upstream of the key).

The way my dash is wired, the Ignition button (as you mentioned, inappropriately named) supplies power to all other dash components. Literally that's all it does, there's a hot input on the switch, which then daisy chains switched hot out to the other 9 dash switches. In the original configuration, those are all breakers of course.

With the new switches, the Ignition switch is still fused, but the other switches are not (exception: stereo, which is now independent).

The only downside to that is that if there's a short on one circuit, it will blow the fuse for the entire dash / Ignition switch. I.e., if the blower fan shorts out, it will blow the spade fuse under the dash and I won't be able to run the boat. I consider this a minor problem, just swap out the fuse and don't run the shorted component. Everything is still protected.

And the Ignition switch is wired same as original, i.e. constant hot comes off the engine breaker.

desertskier wrote: Since you installed a nice fuse box I don't understand why you wouldn't use it. You could wire a fuse for each circuit according to the expected load. Instead you have a 50A fuse in series with a 20A (assuming you went with the original size) and then all your loads (except the stereo) in parallel. So if your bilge pump shorts it will need to draw 20 amps instead of the original 2.5 amps before the fuse blows. From the picture you posted of your exhaust it looks like you either added or moved your battery. If you added a battery did you install an isolation switch? If so you could use that switch as the master disconnect.

Valid point! I was planning on wiring individual circuits to that panel, but I will do so more expeditiously, I hadn't considered that some of those circuits should be protected more conservatively. Easy enough to do and will clean up some of the wiring (it's a birds nest in there with all the daisy chained switches). Appreciate the insight.

Re the battery: I haven't put in a spare, that's the only battery and it's where it was when I bought the boat. Is that not the factory location? If not, where is the factory location?