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Long Beach Marine Electric connects boat owners with licensed, insured marine electricians for marine electronics installation: chartplotters and multifunction displays, radar, VHF and AIS, autopilots, sonar and engine data, wired on a properly built NMEA 2000 network with clean power. Most electronics problems on boats aren't faulty units. They're power and network problems: undersized feeds, a backbone missing a terminator, or a device pulling its power from the wrong place.
What happens on the first visit
- A list of what you have and what you want: new displays, radar, AIS, autopilot or engine data on the plotter.
- Check of the existing network: backbone, drop cables, terminators, and how and where the network is powered.
- Power feed review. Electronics need dedicated, fused circuits with low voltage drop, or they reboot when the engine cranks.
- Mounting and cable-run survey for displays, the radar mast or arch, and antennas.
- A written install plan and a fixed price.
NMEA 2000 done right
NMEA 2000 lets plotters, instruments, autopilots and engines share data over one backbone cable. It's reliable when it's built to spec: one continuous backbone with a terminator at each end, devices connected by short drop cables, network power injected at a sensible point, and total cable length and load within limits. Most network faults come from a missing or extra terminator, a backbone extended with the wrong parts, or water in a connector.
A quick resistance check across the backbone (about 60 ohms with both terminators in place) and a look at the network device list on the plotter find most problems in minutes.
Power is the hidden half of every install
Displays and radar that reboot or freeze when the engine starts are almost always a power problem: voltage dropping below what the unit needs during cranking. ABYC E-11 calls for no more than 3% voltage drop on critical circuits, and navigation electronics are critical. That means a dedicated feed from the main distribution, sized for the run, with its own breaker, not a splice into the nearest accessory wire.
Antennas, radar and through-hulls
VHF range depends on antenna height and cable quality more than radio power. Long runs need low-loss coax and sealed connectors. Radar needs a mount clear of people's heads and other antennas. Transducers that go through the hull wait for a haul-out, but most other electronics work, including replacing a plotter with a new one in the same cutout, is done at the slip.
Insurance, warranty and who pays
Electronics installs are owner-paid. You can supply the equipment or have the electrician source it. Either way, you get a fixed written price for installation before work starts. Display swaps often take a few hours. A full electronics refit with radar, autopilot and a new backbone can take several days.
What's included
- Install plan and network layout
- NMEA 2000 backbone build or repair
- Dedicated, fused electronics power
- Display and instrument mounting
- Radar and antenna installation
- VHF/AIS setup and MMSI entry help
- Autopilot install and calibration support
- Network and power test
DIY vs cheap fix vs proper electronics install
| Factor | DIY | Cheap operator | Proper marine work |
|---|---|---|---|
| Power | Spliced into a light circuit | Shared breaker | Dedicated fused feed, ≤3% drop |
| Network | Extra or missing terminators | Backbone extended ad hoc | Built and measured to NMEA 2000 spec |
| Connectors | Unsealed | Unsealed | Sealed and strain-relieved |
| Antennas | Cheap coax | Long lossy runs | Low-loss cable, sealed connections |
| Result | Random dropouts | Reboots on cranking | Stable, documented network |