Where’s the positive bus bar on my Catalina 42?

[OrignalBudman]

I’ve been searching high and low for the positive bus bar in my Catalina 42 MK ii. I found the negative bus bar right away, but the positive bus has eluded detection so far. Looking blankly at “schematic” pages in the manual that came with the boat are no help; they’re not actual schematics but more of a vague notion of where things are supposed to be.

I’ve also been using a cable tracker to trace a few circuits to the bus but haven’t found it yet.

Any Catalina 42 owners out there that may be able to help?

[Stu Jackson]

Hi,


Nice boat. For us C34 skippers, it's usually "our next boat!:


IIRC, and I've had my C34 for 24 years now, Catalina never did install positive bus bars. I don't know about the new 5 Series, though.


They relied on dual house banks of 4 or 8Ds for altogether too long. Positive distribution was through battery switches, with the alternator outputs going back through the switch.


Many knowledgeable skippers have revised that to better batteries and the AO going directly to the house bank.


Good luck, happy detective work, I know the feeling.


Have you been here? http://catalina42.org/assn.htm

[Off Trail]

My 2000 C42 has no single positive bus.

There is a single cable to the breaker panel which is distributed directly across the row of breakers.

Some circuits with multiple loads (like cabin lighting) have additional small positive bus bars downstream of the breaker. These are behind removable panels behind the starboard saloon seat.

[OrignalBudman]

Originally Posted by Stu Jackson

Hi,

Good luck, happy detective work, I know the feeling.

Have you been here? Catalina 42/425 International Association

Thank you! I guess it’s back to the hunt. And I will for sure check that link.

[OrignalBudman]

Originally Posted by Off Trail

My 2000 C42 has no single positive bus.

There is a single cable to the breaker panel which is distributed directly across the row of breakers.

Some circuits with multiple loads (like cabin lighting) have additional small positive bus bars downstream of the breaker. These are behind removable panels behind the starboard saloon seat.

i

Well that’s good news and bad news. Good in that it matches what this novice electrician is seeing. Bad in the sense that it complicates my task a bit. But now that I’m armed with this info I can get it done.

Thanks for your reply.

[Squanderbucks]

Positive buss bars are seldom used after the electrical system is installed. It is not for individual pieces of equipment to be attached to. Your circuit breaker or fuse panel(s) are for that. If power is need at remote sections of the boat additional sub-panels with both ground and hot (with breakers/fuses) installed in that area.

My boat does have a positive buss bar for the house batteries that allows the windlass and the generator starter to be taken off before the main hot cable goes to the master panel.

Then there are several sub-panels : one for lower station electronics and stereo, another under the aft deck for electric reels, wash down pump, fuel polisher. Another set of sub-panels for each engine handle all the electric losds needed to run the engines ( each engine it’s own) for things like exhaust overheat alarm, fuel shutoff solenoid, hour meter, synchronizer, instrument gauges. All too much to try snd run directly off the key switch. Key switch turns on a solenoid and powers up the little run panels and takes the load off the key switch and makes fusing each much easier than a bunch of inline fuses that are a hassle to deal with.

[OrignalBudman]

Squanderbucks. Love the name!

Thanks much for taking the time to reply.