This ALREADY needs a re-org. Maybe by priority- 1,2,3,4, with Safety & sailing at the top.
Get MMSI/call-sign:
Get my license re-issued.
Get VHF certificate?
Other courses: http://www.seavoice-training.co.uk/interactivecourses.asp
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|328|2289980|2289981&id=2436667 for double-pole breakers
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f14/double-pole-breakers-on-metal-boats-73621.html
http://www.morganscloud.com/2008/11/01/electrical-systems-on-aluminum-boats/
http://www.morganscloud.com/2008/10/01/corrosion-and-aluminum-boats/
https://www.morganscloud.com/2010/05/11/grounding-the-engine/
https://www.morganscloud.com/2012/07/01/one-tough-old-aluminum-boat/
http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-maintenance/31620-how-determine-if-my-boat-has-electrical-leak.html
http://www.boatzincs.com/corrosion-reference-electrode-specs.html
http://assets.fluke.com/appnotes/electricalpower/B0269b_u.pdf
Explanation of basic leak testing (not sure why I didn't think of this):
Zanshin-
If you want to test to see if you have a DC-based ground leak, the test for that is rather simple. The steps for seeing if you have a DC-ground leak are as follows:
First—the preliminary diagnosis test:
1) Turn off all equipment and disconnect any solar panels 2) Disconnect the positive side of the battery banks. 3) Leave the main battery isolation switch turned on for the bank in question 4) Set the meter to VDC mode, range appropriate for your battery bank 5) Connect the meter between the positive terminal and the disconnected cable
The meter should give no reading. If it reads XX volts for your XX VDC system, one of two things is happening.
1) You've left some equipment connected and turned on. This could be a bilge pump, a power feed to a stereo for the radio's memory and clock functions, or a hard-wired fume detector.
2) If you've disconnected all the “hard-wired” equipment and still get a reading, then you've most likely got a ground leak in your boat's DC system.
The Ground Leak Check:
1) Set the meter in Ohm mode and set it to the lowest range (x1). 2) Connect the leads of the Ohm-meter (or multimeter in Ohm mode) to the disconnected positive lead and the negative terminal of the battery.
The meter is now reading the resistance of any circuit to ground that exists in the boat's wiring. The reading on the Ohm meter display can help you identify the cause of the leak.
0-10 Ohms means it is most likely a piece of equipment left on 10-1k Ohms is a low-drain piece of equipment left on, or a serious ground leak 1k-10k Ohms is a minor leak 10k+ Ohms is an insignificant leak
How Big is The Leak?
The ammeter function of the multi-meter can tell you what the current leakage is. If your meter can read up to 10 Amps DC, then you can use it to measure amperage for leaks down to about 1.3 Ohms resistance on a 12 VDC system, or 2.6 Ohms for a 24 VDC system.
To see how big the leak is, put the probes on the positive battery post and the disconnected cable. The meter readings can be interpreted as shown:
<1mA — insignificant leakage 1–10mA — minor leakage 10mA–1A — major leak or some equipment left on
1A — Usually some equipment left on.I'm not sure how to test for a ground fault in the AC side of your boat. I hope this helps.
Also interesting on AC leakage:
From: http://www.panbo.com/forum/2010/03/measuring-ac-dc-leaks.html
Ben, Steve D'Antonio tested for AC leaks on our boat by putting an AC clamp meter on the shore power cord. A clamp meter normally is supposed to go around only the positive or hot wire; otherwise it sums the positive and negative current and reads zero. However, in this case you want to clamp both conductors (which is in any case the only way to do it unless you filet your shore power cord); if you are leaking current via any path other than the shore power cord (which you shouldn't be), the sum of the currents through both conductors won't be zero and you'll see a current register on your clamp meter display.
In our case we were fine with a few microamps of leakage, but another boat in the marina had 300 mA when measured this way.