Shelves/Drawers advice

W

Westie

New member
I am planning to install some shelves or drawers in the cabin (port side under seat and aft) and want to see if anyone had general advice. I'd prefer not to drill into any fiberglass.

I see that Lady KC has a nice wooden insert that fits around some equipment mounted on the cabinet wall. I would like to do something similar.

Has anyone had luck buying pre-fab shelf assemblies?
 
What Roger did is beautiful. We just put in some very simple shelves, with cleats of 1 x 2 on the sides of each cabinet. They were plywood, and painted with white paint.

There are a number of places which will make furniture: http://www.boatoutfitters.com/boat-drawer-units.html
http://www.teakisle.com/products_tackle ... _units.asp
http://www.teakmarinewoodwork.com/drawer_units.htm

I suspect that local cabinet makers could make anything you want.
There are some places which make a split drawer for under the table to put silverware. Such as this at camping world:

http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/it ... awer/38133
 
Westie, Tom Cat drivers,
The most important thing to do in that aft cabinet is under $200...replace the poor, 70 year old design Marinco style curved prong shorepower connector with a Smartplug system (includes an internal thermostat cutoff and much more contact area) and splice your old curved Marinco cord end to the compatible Smartplug end. Marinco EEL is not equivalent.

http://www.fisheriessupply.com/smartplu ... ly-b30assy

While un attended, my boatside Marinco shorepower connector burned clean in half on one loose prong to wire connection with flame marks in the plastic container inside the cabinet in the boat...thankfully the timing was good in that the flames didn't really get going before the wire burned through.

Exact same thing thing happened to Rogerbum's 255...scary pics in both albums. And I have the latest model 255 (2010) currently posting here, so it's not age.

We both agree the strain relief on the Smartplug shorecord adaptor is not as strong as their unique bright orange molded shorepower cords with cool blue LED...and they are the only cords available with 100% fully tinned wires for corrosion resistance and long life. Way cheaper than filling the gas tanks. but not cheap.

I wish I'd known about the Smartplug system earlier...actually I did but I thought since the standard pedestal plug now becomes the 'weak link' I thought it wouldn't help until, to paraphrase Charlie, "flames on your boat are your problem, flames on the pedestal are the marina's insurers problem."
Every boater has to decide on his/her own priorities. The heft, 316SS parts quality and 'overbuilt' feel of the Smartplug system impresses me and complements the Tom Cat. Obviously, Tom Cats/25's have the most complex AC wiring systems and loads, often with AC and/or heat left on when un attended, and I'm limiting my comments to them.

Not trying to hijack your post...Dr Bob, thanks for the sources! I never think of RV sources though we underutilize Cat O' Mine as a floating RV a lot.
WalMart Sterilight large containers with hinged lids fit (total 3) and with lids closed you can add stuff on top. Plus they have plastic drawer storage options. It will take several seasons to decide how to best pack a new boat, and I'd stay 'cheap and flexible' rather than custom and heavy til you figure out what works best for you. You should have the boat for MANY, MANY YEARS...no hurry on permanent changes.
Cheers!
PS The only thing better than a small electrical fire on your boat is NO electrical fire on your boat.
John
 
John is right on--the most common cause of fire on boats is these plugs. Marinco now has a second system--EEL , which does away with the screw on ring. (one of the problems with the old Marinco, is that often the ring screw to hold the connector in place was not tight).

Sorry to be involved with the hi jack…but it is important.
 
Once again, not to hijack this thread, but I am confused by the comments on the Smartplug vs. Marinco's EEL offering. I am not sure if you guys are saying the two systems achieve the same goal and are compatible to other pieces or not.

If you gents could elaborate your comments on the Smartplug system vs. Marinco's EEL system (i.e. advantages and/or disadvantages of each offering) it would be appreciated.

Hearing from others w/ great experience w/ such an important issue is always beneficial to the rest of us.

Thanks,
Dan, Tanya, and Hannah on C-Renity
 
ddenver":p0gbf2di said:
Once again, not to hijack this thread, but I am confused by the comments on the Smartplug vs. Marinco's EEL offering. I am not sure if you guys are saying the two systems achieve the same goal and are compatible to other pieces or not.

If you gents could elaborate your comments on the Smartplug system vs. Marinco's EEL system (i.e. advantages and/or disadvantages of each offering) it would be appreciated.

Hearing from others w/ great experience w/ such an important issue is always beneficial to the rest of us.

Thanks,
Dan, Tanya, and Hannah on C-Renity
Click to expand...
I haven't used the new Marinco EEL cord but I did look at it on their website and watched their brief video. It appears to still use the standard NMEA configured power inlet - e.g. the same old connection - but incorporates a light and a locking device and alternate waterproof seal into the female end of the connection. The locking device and seal is a step up from the previous connectors but there's nothing fundamentally different about the connector size, shape or surface area relative to a standard Marinco connector. The SMART plug is an entirely different connector. It has a much larger surface area on the electrical connections and a different shape of connectors. It also has a built in thermal cutoff which I don't see mentioned on the MarincoEEL. The two connections at the boat are not compatible with each other. E.g. if you have a SMART plug on the boat you must have a SMART plug connector on the cable.

From what I see, I don't like the Marinco EEL design at all. While it might seem sensible to have a light at the end of the cord, this encourages what I think is an unsafe practice - e.g. to power the cord prior to connecting it to the boat. There are two issues with this. First if you drop the cord end into the water, there's the potential for a shock hazard to those nearby. Second, if anything on the boat will draw A/C (e.g. you left the main on the A/C in the on position and have something turned on), connecting a hot cord to the boat will result in an arc at the connector and ultimately increase it's rate of failure. I ALWAYS make sure both ends of the cable are connected prior to powering the cord with the breaker on the pedestal and I ALWAYS turn the breaker on the pedestal off PRIOR to disconnecting the cable.
 
Concur 100% with Roger.
As Dr Bob noted, the Marinco EEL gives more stability to the old standard Marinco screw on collar connector. From prior posts I don't think he means its 'just as good as the Smartplug' since it has 20% less contact surface area than the Smartplug blades, and is a much less monolithic/stable structure when plugged in (the Smartplug cover cleverly grasps the plug on top and from the rear when plugged in). The Smartplug has multiple high quality silicone gaskets. The boat end can be weather sealed with a snap on protector ($15 option) that looks and feels waterproof, not just weather tight. All this helps limit salt air corrosion at the boat power inlet, and the increased resistance that leads to heat and fires (Roger is right, Marinco EEL has no thermal cutout).
When I lost a gasket during installation, customer service sent me one for free...along with a $15 end cover and helpful, US based advice. I believe it shares the same screw hole pattern as the square premium SS Marinco inlet, but most C-Dorys have the cheaper square white plastic inlets which require a wee bit of drilling...lots of info on core precautions on site.

'Westie, you can store your cord and flares (but not your propane and butane) in your WalMart Sterilight container in the aft port compartment next to your sparking cheap Marinco shorepower inlet', said the guilty hijacker.

I put a smoke detector in there, too, as it's 110v Grand Central Station.
Cheers!
John
 
I certainly agree that the SmartPlug is a better system. If I was putting in a 30 amp system, I would use the SmartPlug from the beginning.

As usual Roger is spot on, with the mandate to be sure the power at the pedestal is off (as well as the main breaker in side the boat). We do the same drill with the RV--breaker off inside, and breaker off at the pedestal. You then energize the boat circuit when you are aboard. The most dangerous practice would be to come in from a trip, have the circuits live on the the boat, and plug the boat in as you leave the marina, without checking the inside of the boat.
 
Help me out here. I looked at the link to the smart plug, and it simply looks like a standard plug, but with all 3 prongs, flat blades. Seems to me that if one uses the old marine system properly, that is plugged in, twisted and then the locking ring tightened, it is a very good and secure system. And with larger blades, more metal contact. ??? Colby
 
I was thinking the same but didnt want to rain on anyone's parade but receptacles and plugs can be routinely replaced with high quality items from Grainger, Mc Master Carr, electrical supply company, ......
 
Why are we discussing electrical safety/probs In a thread titled "Shelves/Drawers advice"??? Shore plugs safety is important subject but deserves its own thread. I'm as guilty as anyone high jacking ( I doing that here!) and have been rebuffed (rightly) for doing so! In fact I'm going to pursue this in a new thread right now!
 
olsurfdog":2yyp0xso said:
Why are we discussing electrical safety/probs In a thread titled "Shelves/Drawers advice"??? Shore plugs safety is important subject but deserves its own thread. I'm as guilty as anyone high jacking ( I doing that here!) and have been rebuffed (rightly) for doing so! In fact I'm going to pursue this in a new thread right now!
Click to expand...

IMHO, someone with the time (not me right now) should pull this electrical plug discussion information out of this thread
and combine it with the others that have discussed the same issue, blending them into one unified discussion
that can be continued and subsequently referenced, without starting a new thread over and over, which is so often done!
(Return to Square One, Do Not Pass Go, Do Not Collect $200, etc.):crook

Hidden down in this Shelves/Drawers thread, these great posts will be lost forever to future C-Brat researchers.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
colbysmith":37fk5e51 said:
Help me out here. I looked at the link to the smart plug, and it simply looks like a standard plug, but with all 3 prongs, flat blades. Seems to me that if one uses the old marine system properly, that is plugged in, twisted and then the locking ring tightened, it is a very good and secure system. And with larger blades, more metal contact. ??? Colby
Click to expand...
Yes more metal contact, a more robust connector AND a thermal overload protector for when (not if) the connector goes bad after multiple years of use. Given the fact that I pulled a burned Marinco connector out of the Tomcat, I feel a lot better about the more sturdy Smartplug. Now I suppose if I had replaced the Marinco every few years on a service schedule, I would not have had a problem but I'm willing to bet that the Smartplug will last longer. In fact I did bet on that by dumping extra money into it (relative to the Marinco).
 
The Smart plug system has a thermal overload so if something gets hot the circuit opens preventing a possible fire. Shore power female receptacles on boats are one of the largest causes of fires. Loose wires, excessive arcing from making connects while under power is said to be part of the problem. General unattended corrosion does not help. I guess the more contact area and a little better weather sealing is also a benefit. We use our shore power a lot as our boat is in the drive way with a heater plugged into an outlet and the battery charger stays on all winter or when ever we are not on the water. If we are anchored out and using our generator we have that connected to the shore power via a marine rated power cord. If something like a Smart plug system might prevent an electrical fire I'll be all over that like white on rice. :smile
D.D.
 
Speaking of plugged in all winter.. I've wondered about that. My boat is now under her cover on the side of my house for the winter. (This will be until the lakes ice out around April or so.) As I did last year, I'm leaving the batteries in again. Plan to just plug her in every month to put a charge on the batteries. However I've wondered if the batteries would be hurt to leave the charger plugged in all winter. Colby
 
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