A New 22' Cruiser named Rabbit's Hutch is Born

Thanks, Caryn & Peter. I just ordered one. With no refrigerator, no back up VHF, no 8 to 9 day fishing trips planned, no electrical nuts on board, and a boat that will almost alway be on a mooring overnight, I can't justify spending $1000 for installed shore power, but this should be handy for the occasional night in a slip.

BTW I think it's funny how some guys complain about all the STUFF their female counterparts want to take on the boat when the guys have no qualms about installing beaucoups of gadgets, the more bells and whistles the better! Not to mention the bazilliion hours some folks spend adding the doodads to do each and every little thing! Not that there's anything wrong with it . . . If it makes you happy, dear . . .

Norma
 
Hmmm, I'm confused about this cord. I understand that one end, of course, goes into the dock's shore power outlet, but where do you plug it into on the boat?

Sorry for the ignorance...

Gary R.
 
Gary, think of it as one long, thick extension cord. The other end is just a 3-pronged 15 amp plug so you can plug a power strip into it and use the power strip to power various electric appliances, computer, electric heater, boom box, hair dryer etc.
 
Thanks Peter,

Although it wont refresh the boat's battery system, clearly it is a better option then spending $1k on an installed shore power system for now.

Once again, the C-Brats family helps me out.

I love this place.

GR
 
Found this in "sneaks" photo album AKA Jenny B.

shore_power_kit.sized.jpg

Cheap shore power. GFI $39.99 Ace Hardware Marinco inlet, Overtons, $18

Shore_power_installation.sized.jpg


Battery charger can plug through GFI at marinas, direct at home GFI DOES NOT PROVIDE OVERCURRENT PROTECTION

Shore_power_connection.sized.jpg

Starboard side cabin, just below cable run
 
We used a heavy duty marine cord with multiple outlets for years on Halcyon. It was excellent 'shore power' -- ran the electric heater, computer, and anything else that needs 110v. just fine. For running accessories it did everything built-in shore power can do, without the high installation expense. Now, if you spend most of your evenings in marinas you might want the convenience of shore power built-in.

We don't have a refrig -- too much power drain for us who prefer to anchor for extended periods -- we find ice chest works fine. We could carry a generator, but the advantage of a refrig over an ice chest (for our kind of travel) is negative since the generator takes space, adds weight, and is one more item to maintain -- and the long-lasting ice chests today work fine -- we need to refuel every few days on a long trip and the fuel docks almost always carry ice.

We have now installed built-in shore power on Halcyon primarily because our twin Honda 40's can not fully charge the batteries when underway. Shore power from a marina once a week or so gives the batteries an easy full charge. Of course, this could also be done with a 'trickle charger' run off the marine cord (that's what we have done for years in our pop-up camper).

So, we think the primary advantage of built-in shore power (for us) and our use of the boat for long distance cruising is convenience. Each individual has unique uses for their boat and unique personal requirements so built-in shore power may be a necessity for some and only a convenience for others.
 
I just finished up on the Boater's World web site. An easy purchase indeed.

Thanks again.

Also, I've contacted the dealer this morning. I have requested the "taller" camper canvas package and ensured that it will be from King Marine. KM provided my last canvas package and did a wonderful job. :thup

Peter, I was going through your photo album this morning, great pictures by the way, and noticed your upgrades that cover the gas tanks. I'm pondering that one as well. They look great.

Well, 0900hrs here. I really need to get to work.

Have a great day all.

Gary R.
 
Sea Wolf: You being the electrical nut and all, I have a dumb question to ask. I just purchased a flat panel tv for my camper. When I got it in the camper I found it had a 120 volt converter, converting to 12 volt to run the tv. Is there a good reason why I couldn't run it on the campers 12 volt system. The camper has a 120 volt converter already. 12 volt is way easier to come by out in the boonies.
 
Lloyds - there's no reason why you shouldn't be able to run it directly on the 12V from the system. However, the voltages from a car battery or car system can sometimes by closer to 14V (especially under charge) so it would be best to do a little checking before you make the hookup.

1st, check to see what the actual output is of the power supply for the TV when it's under load. E.g hook a voltmeter across it to see what it puts out while it's plugged into the TV and the TV is on. Depending on the connector and wiring, you might have to make a new connector make this measurement but hopefully you can open either the TV or the power supply to do the measurement. If the power supply is putting out more voltage than 12V (like say 13.5), I'd not be too worried about hooking it to a 12V automotive system. However, to be safe, I'd put in a little extra protection though. Figure out the current draw and add in an inline fuse of the appropriate amperage. It might also be advisable to put in a small 12V regulator and filter to take out spikes (maybe from the alternator) and perhaps some overvoltage protection too (like a high current, high speed zener diode at about 15V - or 12V surge protector). I've seen a number of 12V regulator/surge protectors online for this purpose but most seem wildly overpriced. I didn't spend a lot of time looking but I'm guessing something that will for sure do the job can be found or made for $30-40.
 
More fuel to the fire - Canvas Riggers does a MUCH better job on C-Dory camperbacks than King Marine. They cost a bit more, but are really worth it.


Rabbit's Hutch":s9k58di3 said:
Also, I've contacted the dealer this morning. I have requested the "taller" camper canvas package and ensured that it will be from King Marine. KM provided my last canvas package and did a wonderful job. :thup

Gary R.
Click to expand...
 
Roger,

I have a 17" widescreen LCD TV for my boat, same dilemma you have. I ran it on 110VAC (inverter) for awhile then worked on getting a DC adapter. Look at power input voltage specs on DC input plug to your TV (where the 110V adapter plugs into). Mine req'd 16-17 VDC at 4 amps (60-70 watts) I believe. Went to Fry's, picked up a Targus Auto/Air Adapter kit ($79), it comes with several (7 I think) DC adapters. It adjusts the voltage from your 12V supply to the proper voltage for appliances that accept a particular plug type and diameter. One was perfect, plugged it in, works great, takes about 1.5 amps less than through inversion/conversion processes.

Hope yours is as easy as mine was, good luck.

Steve
 
:lol: Hi Gary, Congratulations on the new 22. We'll be getting our new TC255 about the same time. I would vote very much in favor of the shore power installation. It can be done for far less than $1000. We plan on using an Outback 2000w. inverter/charger. all 110v items in the boat will operate off the inverter or shore power if at a dock. All except the water heater that is. The Refrigerator is 12v only. The Nova Kool has a 12v compressor. No sense going from 12v house batt. to 110v throught the inverter only to be converted back to 12v.

You'll find many uses for hard wired 110v in the boat. Dehumidifiers, battery chargers, heated mattress pad (so much nicer than an electric blanket), computer, TV, possibly a toaster oven or microwave.

Have a great time commissioning the boat and enjoy the cruising.

Roger
Dreamer
 
LLOYDS-

Roger has answered your question very thoroughly.

If you're not going to run the TV while running the engine and therefore the charging circuit, the higher voltge may not be a problem, but I suppose you could always make a mistake and start the engine w/o thinking to turn off the TV, so better check out the voltages as Roger says.

One other resource that you might look into would be to call the technical rep from the company that built the TV and discuss the project with him or her.

They usually know the answers to such questions because of their knowledge of the product, their training, and because they get asked the same questions over and over.

The only problem here is that some products, not made in America and only marketed here, may not have any such Technical Reps available.

Let us know how it works out, and be sure to ask if you have any further questions. Joe.
 
Thanks for the replys on running the flat screen tv on 12 volt. I have completed my forays into asking the technical folks at Toshiba why this isn't practical. I tried two different tech reps for Toshiba and they were both very nebulous and non-commital. The big worry seems to be that I will do something stupid and they will void the warranty. They never did say that it couldn't be done, just wouldn't recommend it. No specific reason why. One finally did say if it broke something the warranty would be void. I will do some of the checking Roger suggested and see what I get. All the 12 volt in the camper is served through a 110/12volt converter so I don't think spikes should be a problem. I am reasonably certain that wherever I pull the 12 volt from on the electrical panel, it will all be within a volt or so of 12 and without spikes. As an aside, the first time I contacted a Toshiba Tech Rep I sent an e-mail asking this basic question, can I operate the tv on 12 volt, without the converter. The reply: "Converter necessary". End of communication.
 
The marine power cord I ordered about 48 hours ago from BoatersWorld.com using their regular shipping method just arrived. Great service!

Norma
 
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