Shore Power Requirements

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Yakmandu

New member
I have a 2005 Angler 19 with solar panel, controller and dual house batteries. Everything works great.

I have purchased a small 5k AC unit that runs on AC. I also have a Honda 2000 generator to run it when off the hook. The AC unit is mounted behind the passenger seat. I can roll up the left side of the aft curtain to expose the rear of the AC unit. The generator sits on the swim platform. I have a GFI plug on the generator for safety. I have a CO monitor installed in the cuddy cabin. Again everything works great.

Now my question…. Will a Marina allow me to plug my AC unit directly into a slip dockside 110 outlet? I would also use the portable GFI plug. Or, do I have to have a true shore power installation. Since I have no other AC power needs, a shore power installation seems like overkill.

To me, a shore power installation would include: 20 or 30 amp shore power cord, shore power plug onboard, breaker, distribution panel, and a outlet for the AC unit.

I always do things the right way, but all that for a 5 amp AC draw seems a bit excessive. But, I also don’t want to be reprimanded at the Marina…

Thanks for your advise!

Patrick Rohde
Miss April
 
I find that a 15 amp extension cord is much easier to deal with than a 30 amp shore power cord. I have adapters at each end that allows me to use the cord with the regular shore power input on the boat (safe plug) and an adapter for the end that goes to the pedestal. If the pedestal has a 15 or 20 amp outlet, I don't need the adapter on the shore end. Since I got this set up I have not used my 30 amp cord. My boat draws less than 10 amps (@120v) with everything on (including the AC).
 
Greetings Patrick,

We’ve never seen any boater ‘reprimanded’ at a marina for any pedestal electrical connection, even when maybe they should be. (example: a 50A to dual pigtail 30A cord with only one connected to the boat, and the other left naked on the dock just waiting for a kid to put a ‘key’ into a slot.)

Don’t worry about it.

We use that adapter in Bob’s link to also power the toaster oven on the dock (to keep heat out of the galley). It’s rare to find a 15A duplex receptacle on most marina pedestals, because the power that can be extracted there for the whole boat would be equal to that of a typical hair dryer on ‘high’...much less amps than even a small boat with a shore power system would typically desire. If present, the intended use is for dockside use for contractors using buffers etc rather than to power a typical entire boat with a shore power system.

My (perhaps wrong) impression is that a GFI detects mv differences between the Ground and Neutral legs of a boat AC circuit to cut power. But the Honda 2000 has a ‘floating Ground’ and therefore that may not work out. The worst result would be your thinking that you have more protection than you think you have.

We also ‘strive to do it right’. However, the fact that the Honda instructions (and lawyers) make a point in writing that their generators are not designed and should never ever be operated on boats; makes us reluctant to do it.

Should you decide to do so anyway, I’d advise two or more CO detectors in the cabin as well as not running any genny on board while asleep.

Best of luck and safe travels!

John
 
There are 2 types of boaters: those who have been reprimanded for breaking a marina rules and those who will be.

This is said by one who is putting their boat into a marina for the summer. I don't know how or when, but I know I'll get chewed out for some transgression whilst I'm there.

Boris
 
journey on said:
There are 2 types of boaters: those who have been reprimanded for breaking a marina rules and those who will be./quote]

Those rules are only for the peasants. :P The big yacht guys do what they want. At a marina on Lake Huron a few years ago I was surrounded by 3 - 50' boats that had arrived together. During the day the captain of 1 verbally accosted a local seadooer transiting the fairway for "rocking his boat". That same afternoon his son was fishing in the marina- a clearly posted no no. They then partied till after midnight on the boat beside me. 10:00pm is clearly marked Quiet Time in the marina. I rest my case.

Rob
Click to expand...
 
On our boat we have a standard 15amp outlet on the outside of the boat that you would see on a boat or RV and we have a GFCI and then a 15 amp power strip on the inside with a breaker on it. We run a 20 amp 12 gauge exterior extension cord to the boat. We have never had a problem but few weeks ago we were at a marina in the South Puget Sound and one of the security guards was taking photos and I asked what he was up to. He said we were out of compliance and had to write a report and turn that in with the photos to marina management. I said okay and we never heard another word. In the four nights we stayed there no one ever came down and said anything. The guard was very polite and was not confrontational in anyway, probably just doing what we was told to do. I would say no one would probably ever say anything to you.

Rob
 
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