Caution alert on Catalina Direct engine panel

[KWKloeber]

I am in the process of rewiring a brand new panel because the CD panels have cheap, non-marine, non-heat shrink, StaKon auto terminals.  Here's a few things I discovered that you might want to check if you have installed a CD panel:

1) Three of the wires pulled out of the terminals (see pic.) Yikes. 
They are cheap terminals and poorly crimped.

2) None of the terminals were properly crimped with the correct tool as none had the wire strain relief crimped.

3) Two or three of the nuts on the gauge terminals were finger tight.

4) The feed from the key switch to the preheat [edit] START PB switch was 14 ga, not 10 ga as it should be.

5) Every ring terminal was the wrong size - generally a #10 ring on a #8 terminal post.

There's just no reason for this on a brandy new wired panel.  What trashy work. 

[Noah]

Did you or the purchaser complain to CD and if so, what was their response? BTW- seems like they just copied the way Catalina/Seaward used to make them

[glennd3]

some more pictures

[KWKloeber]

Noah

I'll leave that to the customer should he want to.  He supplied it to me.
I took one look at at and said / I'm not building a new harness on that POS wiring & terminal mess. /
That was before I found the issues dismantling it. Yikes.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : Back about 1991? I got a new panel from Seaward.  It was a pain and it took a couple of hours, but I soldered each and every wire connection.  When I installed each wire I made sure there was a star washer on each terminal.  Then I sprayed the back of the panel with Boshield.  I've never had a problem!!!

I wrote that procedure up as recommended in the Mainsheet Tech notes!!

A thought

[KWKloeber]

Guys : Back about 1991? I got a new panel from Seaward.  It was a pain and it took a couple of hours, but I soldered each and every wire connection.  When I installed each wire I made sure there was a star washer on each terminal.  Then I sprayed the back of the panel with Boshield.  I've never had a problem!!!

I wrote that procedure up as recommended in the Mainsheet Tech notes!!

A thought

Wouldn't you think 30 years newer, knowing what we've learned about electrical issues, panels that you pay several hundred dollars for, could be manufactured properly???

UPDATE:

Not only weren't the crimps done properly, the panel isn't fused per ABYC.  The breaker on the panel doesn't protect all the required wiring!! 

And for several hundred bucks CD can't even include the connection/wire to power the fuel pump.  Is there a Catalina out there with the old Universals (that these panels/harnesses are replacements for) that doesn't have a fuel pump circuit in the harness/panel??   NO.  What ARE they thinking?

[mdidomenico]

i was trying to decide whether to rebuild my panel or buy the CD panel.  cost wise it was close to a wash when you total up all the components, but the build quality doesn't seem to be there.  so thanks for this info.  and when you couple that with the horrible massive CD logo on the face, i'll pass.

[waughoo]

CD does make one with the factory Catalina logo rather than their logo.  I have been considering buying one of their panels due to mine being toast (asthetically speaking).  It sounds like I might need to take a closer look if I buy a built panel.