Specifications

most every case to run everything and still have some energy left over to add back to the battery, that is,
to charge it.
But what if the engine isn’t running, the boat is not plugged to shore power, and/or it is too dark or cloudy
for the solar panels to generate? Then, the batteries are slowly depleted until they have “run down” and
there is no more electricity stored in them . . . a big problem, because then we can’t run all we want to on
the boat. The Aspen C90 is equipped with two battery systems: one for the house and one to start the
engine. It is also equipped with a VSR (voltage sensitive relay) that allows the engine battery to help with
house loads initially but as soon as the engine battery voltage drops below 12.4 volts the VSR come on
and protects the start battery for starting.
In any case a good skipper and crew have “electrical power management” in mind whenever they turn an
electrical gadget on or off!
It is with this in mind that we can cite a reality: If we need more electricity than the batteries alone must
provide, and if a propulsion engine isn’t running, we will need to get our electrical power from an
alternative source! That’s the most important reason why we plug the boat in to shore power: to keep from
running down the batteries. With battery chargers getting their power from shore power, we can keep the
batteries charged, or, at least, from getting too low.
To keep the batteries from running down, we have alternators run by the engine, solar generators and
battery chargers that get their power from shore power. For the large equipment that runs on 110 volts AC,
we have shore power or we can make AC out of the batteries’ with the small DC to AC inverter. There are
two inverters on board and it is easy to ask too much of them, an example would be an 1800 watt hair
dryer is always too much. If the inverter begins to squeal, it needs to be shut off - your load exceeded its
capacity.
Battery Banks
The batteries on this boat are not just one, big all-purpose battery. To have redundancy, there are actually
dedicated batteries assigned different tasks.
A “starting battery” is only used when starting the engine or underway. That way, we won’t run it down
playing the stereo, for instance, and then be unable to start an engine. This battery is charged by the
engine alternator when the engine is running, or can be charged by the battery charger when there is
shore power. It can be switched “on” and “off” by the battery switch inside the engine room door. However,
switching off any of the boat's batteries is not recommended under normal circumstances.
A second battery is called the “house” or “accessory” battery(actually two batteries, three total). Connected
to this are all the pumps, interior and exterior lights, horns, navigation and radio gear, inverter, etc. This
bank runs the boat’s “house”. It is charged by the alternator on the engine, and, when there is shore
power, by the charger if it is on. It, too, has an “off” - “on” battery switch in the engine room.
In case the starting battery is low, a “crossover” (emergency battery parallel) switch in the engine room
can be closed; this switch connects the engine and accessory battery together. Be sure to turn this switch
OFF after use! The manufacturer is not fond of using this switch. One must be very careful with it.
Since a battery works by making electricity through a chemical reaction, one component of which is water,
we need to be sure the batteries have water in them. Such battery servicing is normally done routinely
every few weeks by Gateway Yachts.
THE DC ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The nerve center of the DC electrical system is the DC circuit breaker panel (below the engine start/stop
buttons and keys) at the helm, and, on the front center of the helm, the DC control switches and more
breakers. On these panels the circuit breakers and switches control power to the boat’s various systems.
There is a main DC breaker; there is also the windlass master switch here, and a meter with a selector
switch to let us monitor any of the three batteries. On the circuit breaker panel to port of steering wheel
there is a switch which must be engaged to operate the overboard macerator pump used to empty the
holding tank. Please note the DC switch panels to the left of the dash have face plate covers that snap off
and there are individual fuses for each switched device there under the rubber dust cover.
In addition to the circuit breakers, there are a number of fuses on Gateway I, particularly on each piece of
electronic gear or bilge pumps. It is rare for one of these fuses to blow!
Gateway Yachts – Adventure Yachting Excellence…