Why We Use…

Circuit Breakers on Power Boats

Reindl Powerboats, Cincinnati, OH, is considered in many boating circles to be the Ferrari of the industry. The company’s 20 employees meticulously hand-build 12 custom racing and pleasure boats each year. And, like Ferrari, Reindl builds winners, having already won three World Championships in two classes. 

Their best known craft is the V-24 One Design Offshore Raceboat. The V-24 is the only vessel used in the American Power Boat Association’s One Design Offshore Racing Series, a program intended to create a more competitive balance in offshore racing and prevent teams from outspending their rivals in search of the checkered flag. The design of every boat is identical, from the 24 ft mono-hull to the stock 320 hp Volvo Penta engine; so winning depends entirely on the skill of the racers.

Developed in Stockholm, Sweden by Ocke Mannerfelt, the design of the enclosed canopy V-24 “bat boat” emphasizes safety, reliability and ease of use. Example features include the use of wings that create unmatched stability and enable the boats to run completely level even in rough seas, making them very forgiving for rookie drivers; race style seats with five-point safety harness mounted side-by-side to simplify communication; and the installation of circuit breakers rather than fuses to minimize operational problems.

Up until 1½ years ago, Reindl boats shared a commonality with other makes — the electrical systems were protected with fuses in a water-tight compartment below the vessel’s controls. The problem with this set-up, points out president Chris Reindl, is that, should a fuse fail during a race, the time to make the replacement costs even the most adept driver enough time to lose the race. It was then that Reindl opted to use circuit breakers in both his racing and pleasure boat lines.

“The breakers are simply faster to reset,” says Reindl, “and there’s no added weight penalty. And, depending on which breaker has popped, the driver can tell at a glance which system is experiencing difficulty.”

The circuit breaker Reindl selected for the V24 was the 483 High Performance Thermal Circuit Breaker from E-T-A Circuit Breakers, Mount Prospect, IL, because of its high tolerance to shock and vibration and its salt-water resistance. Says Reindl, “Quality of workmanship and dependability were what we were looking for most. Simply put, we build race boats — if you do not finish, you cannot win. We only put the best materials in our race boats and pleasure boats.”

The 483 circuit breaker actually exceeds the MIL-3320 specification for shock and vibration. Operating on 115 VAC or 28 VDC, the miniature single-pole, aircraft-style thermal breaker is produced in ratings up to 35A. It resists 75g shock and has an operating temperature range of -55 to 125ºC. The breaker is temperature compensated by a second thermal sensor oriented in the opposite direction. A two-chamber design contributes to fail-safe operation, by isolating the sensing and switching portions of the breaker. When the switch opens, any arcing between the contacts or hot gasses that could affect the sensing mechanism is contained in a separate chamber. 

Reindl designers relied on E-T-A applications engineers for help in breaker selection. Notes Reindl, “They knew exactly what we were looking for. We had been working on solving our salt water problems with a permanent solution and they were there with the answer.”

Reindl Powerboats,

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E-T-A,

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