Question. If one wanted "shore power" on the cheap, couldn't one just buy a marine cable, plug it in at the dock, bring the other end on board, and the plug stuff directly into it (i.e. a heater, or a battery charger). In essence, a glorified extension cord? Would there be safety concerns? I'm not talking about trying to plug in seven things at once with some jury rigged power strip, but just plugging in one thing?
How often do you use your shore power?
- Thread starter tparrent
- Start date
johnr":3acagv0g said:
Wow, I agree entirely. After 40 years of sail boats (some were big buggers) I decided to switch to a power boat. Spent 6 months researching and finally settled on the C-Dory. What I really liked, apart from the trailer and taking her home for the winter, was the K.I.S.S. approach. Keep the systems to a minimum. No hot water, no microwave, no refrigeration, no toaster, no movies, no music, no computer, no ipods, blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, no anything that I could do at home. Just look after the outboard(s), keep a check on the batteries, a power cord will suffice. Enjoy simple boating.
Now I know a lot of Brats will disagree with me. But if I wanted a whole load of mod-cons, then I would not have bought a C-Dory.
Give me a couple of minutes to put my hard hat on, and fire away :smile
Martin.
colbysmith
Active member
Careful Martin, have you seen all the gadgets and some stuff folks have added to these K.I.S.S. boats? ;-) I think you hit the nail on the head. John, those marine cords are pretty expensive, and bulky... Just get a regular extension cord with a marine adapter plug. Colby
Just caught this thread on shore power. I am curious about the simple approach to power you reference Bob. If it's not too much trouble I'd appreciate it seeing it re-posted. I installed 30A shore power this Summer. I went the Marinco inlet, EEL 50', 30A cord, 3 AC outlets on GFIs (Galley, Berth and 'refrig', 6 position Paneltronics ac breaker box, additional DC breaker box, and Xantrex True Charge 2 Battery Charger route. I also added a Norcold AC/DC refrigerator. A fair amount of wire pulling!!-and a fair amount of $$. It would be interesting to see a comparison to a simpler approach!!
Regards,
Jack Howell
Regards,
Jack Howell
It does not matter to me if you live on pine floats and use a flashlight. A lot depends on where you boat. New Jersey and Florida it can get pretty muggy, enough that we would not want to stay on the boat because of the heat or the bugs; screens or not. If you live in the northwest or Alaska things are maybe different. If you just fish and don't leave your boat in the water that much that might also make a difference. I travel with my wife and a small dog our boat is very comfortable for us. We have breakers for 115 volt GFI outlets and the roof mounted AC, battery charger,hot water etc. We do boat camping at RV parks while in route to our destination the AC comes in handy when the flying teeth are around. We close up the boat no matter how hot it is and remain comfortable. We can lock the dog in the cabin and lock the door and she stays comfortable and the boat secure if we want to take a bike ride, or go somewhere. Nobody ever told me you had to be a minimalist to own a C-Dory. To each their own but having a boat equipped the way you like is what it's about for us. Shame on us for having computers, an internet hotspot, cell phones Ipads etc. For me I'm never ashamed of being comfortable. 
D.D.
D.D.
DuckDogTitus
New member
johnr":22225lr8 said:
being on the water, I'm thinking you'll still want GFI/Breakers, etc.
Will-C":2jralup8 said:
D.D.-
I'm with you on this one!
And you're right about how some folks differ in their use of a C-Dory:
For some, it might as well be a simplistic ice fishing shack…..
but for others, it might as well be safe and comfortable……
and without many of those features their wives wouldn't be along with them…
or they might not even be allowed to have the boat at all!
And, while I often advocate the simplicity of the KISS Principle & the Less Is More Realization, you're 100% correct when you say that-
"Nobody ever told me you had to be a minimalist to own a C-Dory."
For sure, the C-Dory is my most treasured toy, and to equip it the way it makes me feel good is my personal joy.
Now about that Hot Tub in the Cockpit Project…….Can I drive the boat from there with an electronic remote?
Joe. :teeth :thup
colbysmith
Active member
Hope some of you didn't take offense to how I phrased my reply. As many have pointed out, to each their own. While some like shore power, some don't really need it. Guess it's like twins vs. singles. What ever floats your boat! ;-) I think the thread started out with someone asking what they use their shore power for... perhaps trying to decide if they really need shore power or not. Like a lot of stuff, it's nice to have, but for many it may not be a necessity. And fortunately on these boats, it's fairly easy to add in later if one changes their mind after getting a boat without it. Colby
Will-C":3tv0vodp said:Shame on us for having computers, an internet hotspot, cell phones Ipads etc. For me I'm never ashamed of being comfortable.
D.D.
I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that anybody is trying to shame anybody here. The original question was, "How often do you use shore power." Secondary to that, the original poster implied that he wanted to know what folks used shore power for.
Thus, many posters responded with list of things that they used shore power for; heaters, dehumidifiers, fridges, vacuum sealers, air conditioners, computers, phones and whole host of other items. My boat has none of those things, yet I feel no shame. Nor do I feel that those who posted such lists caused me to feel shame, or meant to shame me in any way.
Likewise, others posted that they seldom used shore power and suggested ways how, and reasons why, one could get along without it. There's no need to feel shame about that either, If you have lots of stuff that requires shore power. Nor do I think that the posts were meant to cause shame.
Really, ALL of us were guilty of a little bragging here, and that's fine! I think of boats as a grown-up version of tree forts. And what kid worth his salt (grown up or not), wouldn't brag about their great tree fort and how they tricked it out. Some of us were bragging about all the great stuff we've done do our boats and some of us were bragging about how we get along with so little. I like that. That's why I'm a c-brat. I love to read about great stuff you've done to your boats and the great ways you've fixed stuff, and I want to copy some of it.
On another note, land RV camping using your c-dory...genius!
DuckDogTitus
New member
colbysmith":1b6l93ht said:
if i were going off just that alone, here's why I want shorepower:
1.battery tender and dehumidifier when at home.
2.laptop battery life while at the dock.
3. Maybe a coffee maker, but no current plans for AC, Microwave, etc,
Johnr
There was a smiley face at the end of my post. Trust me I feel no shame. I wanted to make the point that needs change in different parts of North America and with who you and what you boat with. If I came off as bragging I did not mean to. I don't take all this as serious as some. And what ever makes you happy makes me happy.
D.D.
There was a smiley face at the end of my post. Trust me I feel no shame. I wanted to make the point that needs change in different parts of North America and with who you and what you boat with. If I came off as bragging I did not mean to. I don't take all this as serious as some. And what ever makes you happy makes me happy.
D.D.
Here is the way I did cheap shore power. My cord is a 50 foot #10 wire 15 amp extension cord from Home Depot/Lowes, which has a neon light at the female end. I have a series of adopters for 20, 30 and 50 amps male to 15 amp female, so I can use any marina power.
The inlet is a "battery charger inlet" for the 15 amp cord. This is under the gunnel, just below the hole which the 12 volt wiring, engine harness and cables go to the battery and outbaord. It is easy to zip tie the power cord to the cables above it to provide security for the cord.
Inside the boat the Marine quality,vinyl covered, triplex stranded #12 wire goes to a plastic 4" x 4" junction box. On the right side of this box, is a box which has a screw type of fuse (15 amp), (under the metal cover) and a single pole switch below, which is on the "Hot" side of the circuit. This is before the fuse, so when the switch is "off" there is no power to the fuse and all of the circuit down the line.
There is a 15 amp GFI plug for the battery charger (I have replaced the Guest 10 amp with a Master volt 20 amp charger and put a GFI plug here,) daisy chained to the other 2 plugs.
There are two plugs--one behind the helm seat:
The other is under the aft dinette seat:
Each of these plugs are placed on a plywood block, and the back of the plug covered with a plastic outlet box:
The costs: Cord at Home Depot: $15. Battery charger inlet: $26, Marine grade, vinyl covered #12 triplex wire: 22 feet @ $1. 50 a foot = $33. 4" x 4" x2" Plastic box: $4.50 1 GFI plug: $13, 2 non GFI plugs: $8, plastic box for back of 15 amp plug, $1.00. Combination motor start Switch and fuse socket for 15 amps: $10. Spare fuses: $10. Plywood, paint, ring terminals (all of the connections are to screw terminals with swaged on ring connectors--NO Scotch lock or wire twist terminals.) covers etc in my spares box--about $2.00. Total cost: Approximately $122.50
What does this give you over the extension cord? A secure and permant plug, which is out of weather for the inlet. 3 GFI plugs, in 3 areas of the boat. An on and off switch. All wiring secured and not in a place where you can trip on it, or where it can get into the bilge.
The inlet is a "battery charger inlet" for the 15 amp cord. This is under the gunnel, just below the hole which the 12 volt wiring, engine harness and cables go to the battery and outbaord. It is easy to zip tie the power cord to the cables above it to provide security for the cord.
Inside the boat the Marine quality,vinyl covered, triplex stranded #12 wire goes to a plastic 4" x 4" junction box. On the right side of this box, is a box which has a screw type of fuse (15 amp), (under the metal cover) and a single pole switch below, which is on the "Hot" side of the circuit. This is before the fuse, so when the switch is "off" there is no power to the fuse and all of the circuit down the line.
There is a 15 amp GFI plug for the battery charger (I have replaced the Guest 10 amp with a Master volt 20 amp charger and put a GFI plug here,) daisy chained to the other 2 plugs.
There are two plugs--one behind the helm seat:
The other is under the aft dinette seat:
Each of these plugs are placed on a plywood block, and the back of the plug covered with a plastic outlet box:
The costs: Cord at Home Depot: $15. Battery charger inlet: $26, Marine grade, vinyl covered #12 triplex wire: 22 feet @ $1. 50 a foot = $33. 4" x 4" x2" Plastic box: $4.50 1 GFI plug: $13, 2 non GFI plugs: $8, plastic box for back of 15 amp plug, $1.00. Combination motor start Switch and fuse socket for 15 amps: $10. Spare fuses: $10. Plywood, paint, ring terminals (all of the connections are to screw terminals with swaged on ring connectors--NO Scotch lock or wire twist terminals.) covers etc in my spares box--about $2.00. Total cost: Approximately $122.50
What does this give you over the extension cord? A secure and permant plug, which is out of weather for the inlet. 3 GFI plugs, in 3 areas of the boat. An on and off switch. All wiring secured and not in a place where you can trip on it, or where it can get into the bilge.
Will-C":3volqmag said:Johnr
There was a smiley face at the end of my post. Trust me I feel no shame. I wanted to make the point that needs change in different parts of North America and with who you and what you boat with. If I came off as bragging I did not mean to. I don't take all this as serious as some. And what ever makes you happy makes me happy.
D.D.
NOW I feel shame for not seeing the smiley face.
olsurfdog":1w615f07 said:
In two years of C-Dory ownership I have only used dock side shore power twice. Once was just to charge up my cell phone battery, the second time was to power up a laptop. I used an ordinary heavy guage extension cord, from the dock, down through the anchor hawspipe, and into the cabin. Reading these posts I see that a GFI breaker is a must. With a view to keeping things simple, has anyone any experience with extension cords that have the built-in GFI breaker? I have seen 50ft and 100ft ones online. I'm not trying to be cheap, it's just that I use shore power once in a blue moon.
Martin.
Martin,
I can't see any reason why a GFI extension cord wouldn't be fine as you propose to use it. The outlet I have in the cabinet under the stove is really a short extension cord with a GFI and circuit breaker and two protected outlets at one end. I cut the male plug off the other end and hooked it up to the inboard end of the battery charger plug Dr.Bob described above. Not my original idea. Some other C-Brat described it another thread, but it is basically what was described above. I have my charger (under the stove) and a multi plug strip (next to the helm) plugged into the GFI protected outlet.
I can't see any reason why a GFI extension cord wouldn't be fine as you propose to use it. The outlet I have in the cabinet under the stove is really a short extension cord with a GFI and circuit breaker and two protected outlets at one end. I cut the male plug off the other end and hooked it up to the inboard end of the battery charger plug Dr.Bob described above. Not my original idea. Some other C-Brat described it another thread, but it is basically what was described above. I have my charger (under the stove) and a multi plug strip (next to the helm) plugged into the GFI protected outlet.
colbysmith
Active member
Don't know if such a critter exists in the marine world, but for RVs', there is a special GFCI that you can plug into the campground box, then plug your RV cord into that. They use to run about $90 or more. Colby
colbysmith":1qywv4x0 said:
The "critter" that you describe is readily available online. That is another method I am seriously considering, as I already have a 50' extension cord on the boat. Plugging the smaller GFCI cord into the longer extension cord. Do you think wrapping the 'join' in duct tape or electrical tape would be ok? It keeps the two together and stops the 'plug in join' from accidently separating. I don't want the tape getting too hot and melting.
Martin.
colbysmith
Active member
For those not sure what we're talking about, here is one of these GFCI units at Amazon. http://www.amazon.com/TRC-44740-30-Amp- ... ds=RV+GFCI.
Martin, I'm not sure I'm following you about taping and all. I would think your extension cord prongs should fit snugly into the recepticle, and if not, just bend them a bit so they are. I always take a turn of the cord around the power box to help secure it. I believe one can buy an adapter to take the RV style 30 amp to the Marine 30 amp. If not, it's easy enuf to just make your own. There are adapters to take the standard 15 amp power cord to the RV 30 amp receptacle. All this can attach to the power box, then just run a regular extension cord from it to your boat. Colby
Martin, I'm not sure I'm following you about taping and all. I would think your extension cord prongs should fit snugly into the recepticle, and if not, just bend them a bit so they are. I always take a turn of the cord around the power box to help secure it. I believe one can buy an adapter to take the RV style 30 amp to the Marine 30 amp. If not, it's easy enuf to just make your own. There are adapters to take the standard 15 amp power cord to the RV 30 amp receptacle. All this can attach to the power box, then just run a regular extension cord from it to your boat. Colby