This article will deal with grounding and bonding as it applies to boats and marinas. references will be made to nfpa 70 (national electric code), nfpa 303 (fire protection standard for marinas and boatyards, 2000 edition), and american boat and yacht council standard e-11 (ac and dc electrical systems on boats).. You dont want to use your aluminum boat for a ground wire. there are some weird things that will happen if you do. especially if you have one of those riveted boats (starcraft) however i have grounded my bow light to the boat on my little 12' skiff and its never been the cause of a problem.. Grounds and grounding one of the least understood aspects of a boats electrical system, and the most troublesome, is the proper method of grounding. that we often get questions of whether ac or dc electrical equipment should be grounded to the boat's bonding system is illustrative of this point..
The rf ground is a separate grounding system that is used to drain unwanted electrical noise away from sensitive electronics. this is typically also the bonding system on a boat, where all through-hull fittings are hooked together and tied to earth.. One of the least understood aspects of boats' and rvs' electrical system, and the most troublesome, is the proper method of grounding. this article is intended to clarify the questions on electrical grounding on boats and rvs.. Grounding is making a connection between systems or equipment on a boat to bring that system or equipment to zero voltage potential, or earth ground. the grounding system may be connected to the engine negative terminal, or connected to a grounding buss that is connected to the engine negative terminal..
