Boat & Yacht Electrical Course (Level 1)

Start with the Basics - Boat & Yacht Electrics

Last Updated: Sunday, 28th May 2023

Many boat owners and skippers expect their onboard electrical system to be at least as reliable as that of a modern car, and are quite happy to just call an engineer should a fault occur.

The reality is that marine electrical systems do fail, and you can't just ‘pull over’ out at sea; once offshore - you are the engineer!

Electrical Safety Standards

The EU and UK both follow the standards for small craft wiring as set out by ISO.

In the US the standards for small craft wiring are set by the ABYC.

Skippers and crew often operate vessels that can are wired to either of these so the MECO courses are not tied to a single standard, we cover both ISO and ABYC key methods, highlighting the similarities and key differences in the approach to cable sizing in particular.

Newer small craft electrics are generally more reliable, but if cables are poorly secured, after just a few hours in a rough sea things can quickly start to fail. New yachts need a thorough electrical inspection, and a good shake down on shorter coastal trips before venturing offshore.

It's important to note that the electrical regulations on land are much more strict than they are on small craft, it is not uncommon to see even new builds that do not meet the required standards.

Baffled by your boats electrics?

You're not alone! When viewed as a whole, it's a complex system, multiple voltages, multiple sources of power, AC and DC..... Many of my learners tried researching free resources online only to find this just adds to the confusion.

Most of my learners have already tried:

• Youtube videos, only to find that these are often either released to keep you watching for longer for ad revenue, or designed to promote their product or service; or demote that of a competitor. They can be very convincing but they are often produced with no regard for the audience, quoting US regs to EU audience, and vice versa, whilst using electrical terms that simply mean different things in different areas.

• Facebook groups, only to be faced with conflicting advice, offered from people who do not have the training, knowledge or experience to be advising on such a safety critical system.

• Books, much better than the above, and a great addition to a course - but just reading about a subject only works for a certain type of learner, and even then - it is only a small part of the wider learning process.

Course Features

• Self paced - on demand
  

Each section of the course has clear, concise (10 minutes max) and step by step animations with voice over, you can pause and rewind, in fact you can watch each presentation as many times as you need. We realise your time is precious, so the presentations are honed to deliver highly detailed and complex electrical concepts, using a plain English, and easily relatable, everyday analogies.

• Full support
  

You will find a comments box in each section that allows you to ask questions, and read other students' questions and answers too, this has proven to be an effective learning (and teaching - I learn a lot from these questions too) - resource. If you prefer you can email your questions privately, directly to me, the course creator.

• Check your progress
  

At the end of each section there are informal quiz questions to ensure that learning is taking place and to re-enforce the knowledge. It takes time to learn properly and with MECO there are no time limits...

• Free Previews

You can access a selection of the lectures before you enrol, each level has a number of lectures that are free to preview, there's usually a few from the beginning, and one from later in the course so you can see how the course progresses.

• Multiple Regulations and Standards.
  

MECO Training provide a unique training opportunity to evaluate and compare the various marine electrical standards as set out by, UK, BS, BMF, EU, RCD, RCR, ISO, ABYC, and NMEA. Mostly these organisations are calling for the same, or very similar practices, but where any significant differences exist - we highlight the variations.

• Lifetime access
  

MECO courses provide fair use access to the material - even once the course is complete. This has a number of advantages, the best of which is that much of the subject material changes regularly, either due to new technology or changes in the many regulations as set out by the ABYC, ISO, RCD / RCR and NMEA to name a few!

• Course Completion Certification
  

Completion of the Level 1 course is achieved by watching all the presentations and completing all the informal quizzes to a suitable standard. Upon course completion an electronic downloadable certificate is provided, and if you are completing the course purely for personal use then this is all that's required. However, if you are sponsored, your employer is funding the course, the certification is to be used as an entry qualification to a higher course, or you would just prefer the more formal physical certificate - then you can complete the Formative Assessment. (see below)

• Formative Assessment Certificate

Upon successful completion you may wish take the written exam, at no extra cost, for full MECO BYE Level 1 Certification. This can be completed at home, under proctored exam conditions, to then be marked and audited following the UK Ofqual standards. This formative assessment option is popular with companies who have funded the training for their staff, to ensure that the course has in fact been completed and that effective learning has taken place.