In a yacht refit, the electrical work should be planned first and finished last: survey what is there, design the new system around how the boat will be used, run cables while linings are out, then install equipment and commission it once the interior is back in. We handle that electrical side, working alongside the yard or other trades doing the rest.
A refit is the best chance you will get to put a boat's electrics right. Headlinings, soles and joinery panels come out, cable runs become visible and accessible, and old equipment can be removed rather than worked around. Miss that window and the same jobs later cost far more effort.
We do the electrical design, installation and commissioning. Joinery, paint, engines and rigging are for the yard or other specialists; we coordinate with them so that cable runs, equipment positions and access hatches are agreed before anything is closed up.
Every refit should begin with an electrical survey. On older boats we typically find a mix of original wiring and later additions, some done well and some not: domestic cable, missing fuses, overloaded circuits, corroded bus bars and unlabelled junctions. The survey tells you which parts of the system can stay and which need replacing, so the refit budget goes where it matters.
Design starts with how the boat will be used after the refit. Weekend coastal sailing with a marina berth needs something very different from extended cruising at anchor. From an energy budget we size the battery bank, choose charging from the alternator, shore power, solar or a generator, and decide whether an inverter is justified.
This is also the moment to decide on lithium. A LiFePO4 bank, such as the Fogstar batteries we supply and fit, changes how the alternator, charger and monitoring must be set up, so it is far easier to design in during a refit than to retrofit later. Victron equipment, which we also supply and install, is a common choice for chargers, inverters and system monitoring.
If the survey shows the wiring is beyond saving, a full or partial rewire fits naturally into a refit. We run tinned marine cable sized for current and voltage drop, fit new distribution and protection, and label every circuit at both ends. Spare conduit or draw wires for future additions cost little now and save a great deal later.
Navigation electronics are usually installed towards the end, once the chart table and helm are finished. We fit and network instruments and test the complete system under load: charging from each source, inverter operation, shore power, and every circuit on the panel.
At handover you receive a description of the work done and the system layout, so any future surveyor or electrician can understand the boat.
Timing depends entirely on the boat and the scope, so we will not give you a number without seeing her. The main factors are the size of the boat, whether it is a full rewire or targeted upgrades, how easily cable routes can be reached, and how our work fits around the other trades. After the survey we can set out the likely sequence and where the electrical work sits in the refit programme.
At the start. Cable routes and equipment positions need to be agreed before linings and joinery go back in.
No, only the electrical systems. We work alongside the yard or the other trades handling joinery, engines and rigging.
Yes. Charging, protection and monitoring can be designed around lithium from the outset instead of adapted afterwards.
It depends on the boat and scope. After surveying the existing system we can set out the sequence and how it fits your refit programme.
Bring us in early and we will plan the electrical work around the rest of the project.