Cost of DC Electrical Design by ABYC Certified Engineer

[SV_Crucible]

Ahoy hoy

I ripped out my original wiring and everything associated with it in preparation to replace it all. I've been reading all the recommended books on marine electrical but none seem to show exactly how to design an ABYC standards compliant DC system so I want to pay a pro to draw me up a design i can follow when doing the installation.

I will only have maybe 12 circuits maximum but initially I may just go with masthead tri-colour/anchor light and steaming lights and two or three 12-volt sockets to charge my portable instruments for navigation. Oh and I'll probably hook up wind instruments and a depth sounder, too. And if finances permit, a tiller pilot.

Eventually , I'll add either a fridge or freezer and interior cabin lights and a hard-wired VHF and AIS transceiver.

Currently, I just have a single 84AH house battery which I'd like to upgrade to a 300+ AH bank but since I also need a new engine and sails that will likely have to wait.

Does anyone know roughly what it costs to get a system like that designed? Never done anything like this before.

Boat is 26' with a 15'6" mast so that should keep costs down. I do, however, want to stress I want this done right so I don't have to redo anything.

I'm imagining it would be fairly easy to run the required cables and install the necessary bus bars and breaker panel even if I wont be installing all the components right away. Am I right?

Forgot to mention I charge my DC system using a single 100W solar panel. It's been more than enough for my current needs but I'll increase my array to 300W or more once demand increases. I'll keep the engine battery separate from the house loads completely as suggested by Nigel Calder.