-- Melbourne-Based, Servicing Victoria & Australia-Wide
Electrical Upgrade Planning
Practical phased plans to manage complex electrical upgrades with transparent costs and timelines. Whether you're adding lithium and solar, upgrading to a larger inverter, or planning a full refit, we map out what to do, in what order, and what it will cost — so upgrades happen safely, on budget, and with minimal time off the water.
It's the signed-off scope before anyone touches it — a written plan your installer quotes against, not a verbal idea of "renew the electrical system."
Bill of Materials & Suppliers
A detailed parts list with specified components and supplier recommendations, so you know exactly what to buy before work begins.
Phased Work to Minimise Downtime
Upgrades sequenced into logical phases so your boat spends less time out of the water and less time unavailable.
Clear Budget Estimates
Transparent, itemised cost estimates for each phase, so there are no surprises once work is underway.
Safe, Compliant Upgrades
Plans account for load, protection sizing and AS/NZS 3004 requirements — plus NSCV considerations for commercial fishing vessels — so upgrades don't create new risks.
Our Process
Initial Consultation & Quote Request
Our team will discuss your upgrade goals, budget and timeline, and provide a detailed quote.
We provide a fixed-price quote covering:
- On-site survey time
- Planning and documentation
- One round of revisions (if required)
On-site Survey
Our team assesses your existing electrical system and discusses your planned upgrades.
We document:
- Existing components, capacity and condition
- Available space, routing and access constraints
- Your priorities, budget and timeline
Planning & Internal Review
Our team develops a phased upgrade plan and bill of materials, which is then reviewed for accuracy and compliance.
We ensure:
- Correct component sizing and load calculations
- Compliance with AS/NZS 3004 and, for commercial vessels, NSCV requirements
- Logical phase sequencing to minimise downtime
Plan Walkthrough
We walk you through the plan, budget and phasing before any work begins.
- Review of each phase, cost and timeline
- Adjustments based on your feedback
- Confirmation of suppliers and part numbers
Final Documentation & Handover
Our team finalises the plan into a clear, actionable document to work from.
- Final bill of materials with supplier details
- Phased work plan with budget estimates
- Delivery of an interactive PDF document
Lithium, Solar & DC-DC Upgrades
The most-requested upgrade type: house-bank sizing for a lithium conversion, DC-DC charging between the starter and house banks, alternator upgrades, and solar. The plan sizes cable and protection for each addition against the boat's actual loads — not a generic kit spec — and covers how the new components integrate with what's already on board.
What the Bill of Materials Contains
Every plan includes a bill of materials — specified components, part numbers where they matter, and supplier options — so a marine electrician can quote directly against it, rather than against a verbal description of "do the batteries."
Phasing — Minimal Time Off the Water
Refit work doesn't have to happen in one dry-dock visit. The plan can stage the job across multiple visits — batteries and charging first, then distribution, then finishing — and is the basis of the Refit Ready bundle (Upgrade Planning plus Drafting, across two visits), so the wiring is documented at the same time it's changed rather than as an afterthought.
"Why Not Just Get a Free Quote?"
A quote prices whatever the installer assumes the job means — and "renew the electrical system" can mean anything from swapping two panels to a full load-calculated rebuild. Different installers quoting the same vague request are pricing genuinely different jobs, which is the actual reason refit budgets run over — not workmanship, scope.
An Upgrade & Refit Plan is what makes three installers' quotes comparable: the same written spec, the same materials list, the same acceptance criteria behind every number — and a record to check the finished work against once it's done.
What the Plan Locks In
- Every circuit and load the upgrade touches, sized against the boat's actual loads
- A bill of materials with specified components and part numbers
- Cable and protection sized per run — voltage-drop calculated, not assumed
- Acceptance criteria: what "done" looks like, agreed before work starts
- A written scope three installers can quote against, and you can check the finished job against
Turnaround
Typical turnaround from survey to delivered plan, by scope:
| Scope | Turnaround |
|---|---|
| Single system (e.g. house bank only) | 5 working days |
| Multi-system (e.g. lithium + DC-DC + solar) | 7 working days |
| Full-vessel refit plan | 10 working days |
Priority scheduling is available for urgent refit or haul-out deadlines.
Questions & Answers
Every upgrade plan includes:
- A bill of materials with specified components and supplier recommendations
- A phased work sequence designed to minimise time off the water
- Itemised budget estimates for each phase
This gives you a clear, actionable roadmap rather than a vague scope of work.
The plan and the fit-out are separate steps. Upgrade Planning delivers the phased sequence, the bill of materials and the budget; the installation is then carried out to that plan by a marine electrician.
- The specification and sequencing make the work quick to quote and schedule
- We stay available to answer questions about the plan during the fit-out
- Electrical System Drafting and Labelling can document the finished system afterwards
Get in touch with your project details and we'll point you to the right next step.
Yes. Many clients start with a general goal (more house battery capacity, a quieter genset, solar) rather than a fixed spec.
- We discuss your goals and constraints during consultation and survey
- We recommend options and trade-offs based on your boat and budget
- The final plan reflects the option you choose
You don't need a finished spec before contacting us — that's part of what the planning process is for.
Typical turnaround is 5 working days from the initial survey for a single-system upgrade (e.g. the house battery bank only), rising to 7 working days for a multi-system upgrade (e.g. lithium conversion plus DC-DC charging and solar) and 10 working days for a full-vessel refit plan.
- Consultation & quotation
- On-site survey
- Planning and internal review
- Plan walkthrough with you
- Final issue of documentation
Priority scheduling is available for urgent refit or haul-out deadlines.
If you don't already have accurate wiring diagrams, it's usually more efficient to combine both services:
- One on-site survey covers both documentation and planning needs
- The upgrade plan is built against an accurate baseline of your existing system
- A bundled rate applies when both are commissioned together
If you already have current diagrams, Upgrade Planning can be commissioned on its own.
Yes. Alongside leisure boats, we plan upgrades for commercial fishing vessels, including:
- Refrigeration and ice-making system upgrades
- Multi-engine, genset and shore power changes
- Deck machinery and hydraulic winch power supply
- NSCV-related load and protection considerations
Because working vessels are typically more electrically complex than a leisure boat of the same length, commercial planning jobs are quoted individually after an initial consultation.