Marine Electrical Services
It's always the fridge that dies first. Or the autopilot. Or that mysterious short that drains your house bank overnight and leaves you staring at a voltmeter reading 11.2V at sunrise, wondering which wire is touching something it shouldn't. And when you open the electrical panel, it's a rat's nest of previous owners' good intentions — splices wrapped in duct tape, wires color-coded by someone who was apparently colorblind, and a fuse block that looks like it came from a 1974 Ford pickup.
We've been there. Twice. Once in Mexico when our inverter/charger decided to turn our batteries into a heating element. Once in Greece when a corroded bus bar turned the nav station into a fireworks display. Both times, we needed an electrician who understood that a marine electrical system isn't just a car wiring harness with salt spray. It's a living thing that grows, changes, and occasionally tries to kill you.
What Makes a Marine Electrician Different
A car electrician knows 12V DC and maybe some CAN bus. A marine electrician knows:
- Multiple voltage systems running simultaneously. Your boat probably has 12V DC house, 12V DC engine, 120V or 220V AC shore power, and maybe 24V for the windlass. They all share the same chassis (the hull) which is also the ground. Mess that up and you electrolyze your through-hulls.
- Salt air destroys everything. A connection that lasts 20 years in Arizona corrodes in 2 years on a boat. Marine electricians use tinned wire, adhesive heat shrink, and dielectric grease like it's religion.
- Lithium isn't just "drop-in." A real marine electrician knows BMS integration, alternator regulators, charge profiles, and why your old lead-acid charger will eventually cook a LiFePO4 bank.
- Solar on a boat isn't like solar on a house. Shading, vibration, salt, and the fact that your panels are 15 feet above a moving platform. A marine electrician specs MPPT controllers, proper wire sizing for 30-foot runs, and mounting that won't rip off in a squall.
The Systems We See Most
Lead-Acid to Lithium Conversions
The most common job right now. Everyone wants LiFePO4. The energy density is triple. The discharge depth is 80% instead of 50%. The weight savings are real. But the install isn't just "swap the batteries and go." You need a BMS that talks to your alternator regulator. You need a charger with a lithium profile. You need temperature sensors because lithium doesn't like being charged below freezing. We've seen $2,000 battery banks destroyed in six months because the owner skipped the regulator upgrade.
Solar Arch Installations
The second most common job. cruisers want 400W, 600W, sometimes 800W of solar. A good marine electrician doesn't just bolt panels to a rail. They calculate shading from the mast, boom, and rigging. They spec wire size for the 40-foot run from arch to controller. They install a proper breaker between panel and MPPT, and another between MPPT and battery. We've seen arches with 600W of panels producing 180W because the wire was undersized and the voltage drop was eating the amps.
Inverter/Charger Replacement
When your old Heart Interface or Xantrex dies, you have options. Victron is the cruiser favorite — their MultiPlus units are bulletproof, Bluetooth-enabled, and supported by a global network. But install isn't plug-and-play. You need to size for surge loads (coffee maker + water heater = 3000W). You need to think about transfer switches, shore power input, and whether your generator can feed it. A marine electrician will do a load survey before recommending a unit.
Navigation Electronics & NMEA 2000
Modern boats speak NMEA 2000 — a CAN bus protocol that lets your chart plotter talk to your AIS, autopilot, wind instrument, and engine monitor. A marine electrician understands terminators, backbone vs. drop cables, and why you can't just T-piece everything together. We've seen $10,000 electronics suites that don't talk to each other because someone skipped a terminator or used the wrong cable.
Common Problems & What They Actually Cost
| Problem | Symptoms | Typical Fix Cost | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Corroded bus bar / terminal | Intermittent power, voltage drop, heat | $150–400 | 2–3 hrs |
| Alternator not charging | Battery voltage not rising under engine | $200–600 | 2–4 hrs |
| Inverter/charger failure | No AC output, no charging, error codes | $800–2,500 | 4–6 hrs |
| Solar panel underperforming | Low amps despite full sun | $100–400 | 1–3 hrs |
| Short circuit / blown fuse | Dead circuit, burnt smell, warm wire | $100–300 | 1–2 hrs |
| Lithium BMS fault | Battery shuts down, no output | $200–800 | 2–4 hrs |
| Shore power inlet corrosion | AC power intermittent, burnt pins | $150–350 | 1–2 hrs |
How to Diagnose Before You Call
Electrical problems are either power, path, or load. Before you pay someone $80/hour to find a loose connection, run this:
- Power: Battery voltage at rest? At load? Under charge? A fully charged lead-acid should read 12.6V at rest. Lithium should read 13.3–13.6V. If it's lower, the problem might be the battery, not the circuit.
- Path: Follow the wire. Is the breaker tripped? Is the fuse blown? Is the connection green with corrosion? Is the wire warm? Warm wire = resistance = bad connection.
- Load: Disconnect the load and measure current draw. If the breaker trips with nothing connected, you have a short. If it trips only when the load is connected, the load is the problem.
- Ground: On a boat, ground is the hull. A ground fault can electrolyze metal. If you see green corrosion on stainless or bronze near electrical components, you have a ground leak.
If you've checked all that and still don't know, call the electrician. But now you can describe the symptoms accurately, which saves an hour of diagnostic time.
What to Ask a Marine Electrician Before You Hire Them
- "What's the last lithium conversion you did?" If they say "car audio," keep looking.
- "Do you use tinned marine wire?" If they look confused, run. Untinned wire on a boat is a time bomb.
- "Can you show me a NMEA 2000 network you've built?" Marine electronics integration is a specialty. Not every electrician does it.
- "What's your rate, and do you charge for travel time?" Caribbean rates $50–80/hour. Med rates $80–120. Pacific varies wildly.
- "Do you have a relationship with a Victron or Mastervolt dealer?" If they do, parts and warranty support are immediate.
Ports with Strong Electrical Support
- Martinique — European 220V expertise, lithium specialists
- St. Maarten — US and Euro standards, excellent parts
- Grenada — Two cruiser-electricians who understand off-grid systems
- Panama — Shelter Bay has a Victron-certified installer
- New Zealand — Opua, high technical standards