electrical connection

[phil0044]

If I want to connect my 26M to house electrical outlet can I just buy a 30 amp female to 15 amp male adapter plug and connect it to an extension cord?

[mikelinmon]

That's what I'd do but I'd never sell that to a customer I cared about. What if the plug slips into the bilge and it is slightly more than damp! What if youe ice chest pours out onto the plug. I remember once when an anchor slipped out of place during a race on someones V-25, pressed up against the battery terminals and started his spinnaker on fire. Sparks are not so funny at sea.
MIke Inmon

[Bransher]

If you have an external Shore Power connection similar to this picture, it will be no problem.

I believe mikelinmon was refering to the hazard of bringing the extension cord into the cabin.

Try to use the shortest extension cord that will reach the boat. Also be careful that the cord has no nicks or cuts in the insulation.

[Night Sailor]

Yes, Marinco makes just such an animal. Branshear above pictures it. Now that I'm no longer in the water, I intend to carry the one I have in both my RV and my boat when cruising in case of a stop where there is power but only 30 amp... common in larger parks accomodating very large rigs that draw 30-50 amps. Don't forget you can use your Mac as a camper when traveling to a distant launch.

[Currie]

For me that's the same danger as what Mike pointed out. What happens if the receptacle end falls into the puddle you're standing in? I like that shore power connector in the boat but I'd definitely use a standard shower-power, full-length cable. Get a used one on eBay.

On edit: I didn't read far enough up - I see were talking about connecting at home My bad - I assumed this was a dock setup.

[c130king]

ALERT -- 11-MONTH OLD THREAD BEING REVISED...

Does anyone use one of these?



Seems to me, based on my vision of my future sailing/cruising needs, that I will not want/need much AC power. But occasionally, when at a marina that has power, I can use a 50' Marinco Shore Power Cord and run it into the cabin through the gap where the sliding top hatch meets the companionway hatch and plug the cable into the above adapter.

Probably to run a fan or use a shop-vac for cleaning or a power tool that is not battery operated. Or maybe to run a battery charger.

Seems this is much cheaper and MUCH easier than installing a shore power cord receptacle then wiring that to an AC Power Distribution Panel and then wiring that to some sort of GFI 110V power outlet. I don't think I really want to go through all the expense and pain of a more formal Shore Power setup when I will probably rarely use it.

So what do you think? I mean why else would they have this?

Thanks,
Jim

[paj637]

Jim,
I made an adapter out of a 120v 30a male connector and a heavy duty triple tap plug from harbor freight, cost about $15. Also have a 50 foot heavy duty extension cord, the 18 amp rated one. Worked great for me last time I was slipped. Actually have a GFI outlet in my gear locker that I was going to set up on a pigtail for use at a marina. For our limited usage, those $$$$ marine adapters are over kill.
s/Phil

[Kelly Hanson East]

They arent overkill for a boat in a slip, constantly in motion. An electrical extension cord is not designed to be flexed constantly.

In Branshers pic above, they only thing I would add is to take the strain off that connection by looping (and ideally zip tie) the orange cord to the stanchion so that the cord isnt trying to pull itself out of the plug.

Jim - for occasional, supervised use your proposed setup would be fine.

Dont make the fallacious argument that "since Im only got 10 Watts load, I can use the home extension cord"

This breaks down when the appliance or cord breaks down and shorts, and turns into a 3000 W short circuit...

[paj637]

I totally agree tha proper electrical installation for a slipped boat is a must with Galvonic isolator and polarity indication also. One could argue that with the way are macs are built there is little need for galvonic isolation but it is relatively inexpensive. Jim and I keep our boats on the hard trailered most the time and marinas are usually the exception.

[c130king]

Phil/Stephen,

Muchas Gracias!

Cheers,
Jim

[restless]

As our boat launched stateside we have a marinco fitting on our port side.. however trying to get a socket in the UK is proving hard! Only ones I've seen are on ebay at over £30!!!
Anyone got any tips on finding one somewhat cheaper? I'd have thought $10-$15 would have been right.
Else I may just have to replace it
Got a decent 110v 3stage charger too.. should I add some ballast and a 110 - 240 transformer or sell it n get a new one... My this years mods budget is already shrinking swiftly

[Kelly Hanson East]

They are going to be expensive, sorry, The home type connectors are cheap since the volume is huge relative to the marine market, of course.

At my old marina, if you had an extension cord on your boat, "Fat Tony' would flip the breaker and cut your cord in half, to make the point.

[c130king]

At my old marina, if you had an extension cord on your boat, "Fat Tony' would flip the breaker and cut your cord in half, to make the point.

How did he define "extension cord"? If I have a heavy duty Marinco shore power cord but have it running inside my cabin and not plugged into an external (and visible) receptacle could that be interpreted as an issue?

Or does this mean standard utily extension cord like one would use outdoors for electric hedge trimmers or weed-eater?

Thanks,
Jim

[Boblee]

We use a standard weatherproof 240v caravan socket which is installed out of the way under the hinged end of the pilot seat, and yes if the cord drops in the water there could be a problem but as we now have earth leakage breakers pretty well everywhere this should not be a problem except with illegal installations.
Due to the fact that we use our boat as a caravan on land we have a 240v distribution board with a c/o switch from the inverter to mains power and both are also protected again against earth leakage we have very few 240v appliances but it is handy for charging batteries etc so that they are fully charged when we hit the road or water.

[Kelly Hanson East]

How did he define "extension cord"? If I have a heavy duty Marinco shore power cord but have it running inside my cabin and not plugged into an external (and visible) receptacle could that be interpreted as an issue?

He was just on the lookout for the home extension cord running from dock to boat, mostly. I thought he was a Nazi, and then one day he pointed out that when one boat catches fire, it will usually take out the whole dock of boats if they cant cut it loose.


I use a standard extension cord in the driveway to keep the batteries charged - I use an adapter at the marine plug on the boat. Of course, there isnt a lot of tidal motion in the driveway...

You do have to maintain your AC system annually - I take the plug off the side and check all the connections for corrosion and wear. Poor connections >> Heat >> Fire >>