C-22 without shore power - will I regret it? Easy to add?

W

wa500

New member
I am considering buying a boat that does not have shore power. Will I regret not having shore power in the pacific northwest? Is it pretty easy to add?
 
Easy to add. There are a number of ways to do shore power. Some are only for 15 amps. IF you want 30 amps, then a bit more expensive.

Go for it.
 
We have shore power and Ive never used it in all these years. Our lights we use at night use very little power, and we tend to anchor out more than stay in marinas. That being said, if you have a bunch of power hungry accessories like a refrigerator, microwave, A/C all that stuff, it might be good to have.
 
My boat had shore power and an inverter when I bought it and I am actually taking it all out. Have never used it. Most accessories I use or anything I need to charge can be done with DC. We mostly anchor out and avoid marinas.
 
PaulNBriannaLynn":1so0gln2 said:
We have shore power and Ive never used it in all these years. Our lights we use at night use very little power, and we tend to anchor out more than stay in marinas. That being said, if you have a bunch of power hungry accessories like a refrigerator, microwave, A/C all that stuff, it might be good to have.
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My boat has 30amp shore power. We use it a lot. It's nice to have a fridge and AC. Also an onboard battery charger. The shore power inlet also makes it very easy to hook up a small generator to the boat.
 
NO shore power hookup on SleepyC, but I do carry a cord that will plug into the SP towers on the docks, goes to a surge suppressor on the boat end, and I can run a small electric heater, or 2 CPAPs if needed. In 15 years, I have used that system less than 10 times. Even at a dock, I have enough battery to run my CPAP for 2-3 nights without recharging.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
We have shore power & though not used extensively over the years at times it became very useful even though we don’t have many high use electrical on board. Where it has been most useful is when having the boat at the Bridge Bay Marina docks on Yellowstone for weeks up to entire summers. On our extended Alaska cruises its use combined with the Honda 2000 generator & a ceramic heater allowed us to dry out the bedding & rest of the boat in combo with the Wallas & other times our only dry heat when the Wallas quit. Also when running the old Honda twin 40’s that combined only put out 20 amps, we could keep the batteries up by using the shore power linked to the generator to run the charger. Shore Power is certainly not a need for many, but I’m glad we have the option of its use for us.

Jay
 
We have shore power and its nice to have if we are going to be parked for a few day at a dock but it is not something we do a lot . We anchor out a lot and we run and gun for fish a lot . So most of the day the motors are running and charging the batteries and running the fridge. If you sit still more you might need shore power or solar more or just run your main in neutral an hour twice a day. With modern 4 stroke you can't tell they are running most of the time and they burn so little at a idle. My 225 honda puts out 90 amps. my old honda 90 put out 40? amps? So do you need one or should get one is up to you but they are cheap and fairly easy to install. WE have also changed all of your inside, deck and anchor lights ( running lights it just does not matter because the motors running.) to LEDs.
 
IF you are going to do shore power, I would put in the "Smart Cord" version as opposed to the Marinco. Much less chance of getting a hot spot in the wiring that could go on and make a REAL MESS.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
hardee":1w38md8h said:
IF you are going to do shore power, I would put in the "Smart Cord" version as opposed to the Marinco. Much less chance of getting a hot spot in the wiring that could go on and make a REAL MESS.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
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I replaced the older 30 amp Marinco Cord with a Smartplug several years ago. In the replacing, I could see where the old cord had some burned places around the metal connectors, that could have easily created an actual fire like have occurred in many of the older Marinco plugs.

Jay
 
On that note I take apart my older style plug every year or so and clean it. Cut out the last couple of inches of wire and rewire it to clean copper. You WILL get corrosion its just a matter of how much and when. If you disassemble cut and clean every two years you will not have a problem.
 
I could live without shore power up here in the PNW, but I sure am glad I have it. (OTOH, this is on a CD25 which is more likely to have 120v AC needs.) Many reasons really, but here are 4 from me:

1. Easy to hook up a small generator and power the several outlets or hard wired appliances while at anchor. There can be many reason to need 120v AC in the cabin for short periods such as microwave, laptop chargers, small vacuum, etc.

2. If at a marina in wet, wet weather, I can easily plug in an electric heater to dry things out, or to supplement not quite adequate onboard heat.

3. When at anchor I like to charge my batteries via a high amp smart charger off the generator rather than via the engine alternator. AC wiring makes it a non-issue to run the charger whether at home, at a dock, or off the generator.....it's all the same hook up.

4. When working on the boat at home (on the trailer) I can plug in power tools to any in-cabin outlet instead of a extension cord that has to snake its way in.
 
For years and years never had shore power on my boats, never missed it. Then bought a boat with shore power, love it. Usual benefits, heater, light, battery charger, fridge, etc. Would certainly miss it now.

Martin.
 
We have shore power, but we have never used it while cruising as we usually swing on the hook. I have also installed a good solar system to keep my batteries charged. We do not have air conditioning or refrigeration, so our consumption is fairly low.

I do use the shore power to keep my batteries charged when not cruising. You could get by well with the addition of solar panels and maybe carrying a portable battery charger and extension cable.
 
Shore power or not really depends no how you use the boat. If where you use it has no shore power, it's a pretty easy choice. I wouldn't not let the lack of shore power deter you from a buying a good boat and as others have noted, it is pretty easy to install and not a huge amount of money, as far as boat money goes.
 
Don't have it on my C-Dory. Have it for the first time on my other boat. Safety checking the electrical set up by the prior owner lead me to researching Electric Shock Drowning (EDS). Shore power, or a running a generator or invertor at anchor, can have serious consequences when diving off the swim step. Adding shore power, and getting it right, or safety checking existing shore power is more complicated than I thought. Check out this website for a start.

https://www.electricshockdrowning.org/p ... g-esd.html
 
I had a Cape Dory 36 and did not like the shore power plug on the cabin side. I changed over to a plug inside the boat just below and to the right of a port light of which there were many. No corosion of any kind after 5 years +. I also had another boat where the shore power cord was hard wired into the boat and then extended to the dock - I know that the power pedestals are not always so great but that fire is outside my hull and 10' or more away from me. On fancy rigs, the cord is on an auto wind reel like an air or water hose.
Bob Jarrard
PS: You can change out the 110 V plug on a Honda 2000 to a twst lock, much better connection and it will not pull loose. BJ
 
smckean (Tosca)":d8hlk0ny said:
Keep in mind that EDS is a much bigger danger in fresh water than in salt water. Not recommended in either situation of course.)
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Interesting Sandy. Care to expand on that? I never thought of that before.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

SunSet_MystryBay_SleepyC_2009_177.thumb.jpg
 
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