The pre-purchase survey on my boat recommended the installation of both smoke and CO2 detectors in the cabin. I guess the smoke detector is 'required' and the CO2 detector is 'recommended'.  I purchased 2 units - a dedicated CO2 detector and a separate smoke detector.

I chose a blank wall area along side the head partition wall and just inside the hatchway, and decided to mount the detectors to a piece of ‘Starboard’ for a cleaner look that would hide the wiring.  This location would give me reasonable proximity to the circuit breaker panel at the helm and give a nice clean look to a blank section of wall space.

I routed a grove in the back of the Starboard panel to provide space for the power wiring.  then I mounted the detectors and panel to the wall inside the cabin.

I also needed to provide an electrical circuit breaker for the detector wiring as there was no ‘in-line’ fuse provided.  So, I installed a circuit breaker into the electrical panel at the helm.

Once the circuit breaker was installed, it became a matter of routing the wires under the cockpit deck, through the hull structure, etc.  It took a while, but I was able to bring the wiring up the wall near the enclosed head and up to the panel.

I connected the wiring together at the panel and did a final installation of the panel.  Then it was time to test the detectors.  The CO2 is wired to be on whenever the 12 volt supply is turned on.  The Smoke detector is battery operated.

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