dutch shore power - will i need a different lead and plug?

[Burnham Bob]

Can't readily find the answer. I have the usual boat mains lead with a round blue plug that connects to the shore power in the marina. Will I need anything different when I go to Holland?...or france or belgium come to that

 

[GrumpyOldGit]

France is the only problem, the blue 13 amp jobbie works nearly everywhere else in Europe

 

[GrumpyOldGit]

Obviously your French Capitaine will have his own ideas about what will work to drag 2amps of leccie out of a turret but the bigger marinas will accept the blue one too !!

 

[Seajet]

Burnham Bob,

sorry I have no experience of Holland, but when working on the French Canals ( Burgundy, Dijon to St Leger ) in 1994 we had a wide range of shore power plugs I had to swap en route - and water hose connections come to that; every place we stopped at required a different electrical plug & fresh water hose !

I'd expect some good up to date advice may be available on the liveaboard forum ?

 

[sailorman]

the 16amp weather proof ( blue) that you have is ok for most places

 

[alteredoutlook]

Also recomend you get the standard continental 2 pin to blue connector adaptor.

 

[Stork_III]

Can't readily find the answer. I have the usual boat mains lead with a round blue plug that connects to the shore power in the marina. Will I need anything different when I go to Holland?...or france or belgium come to that

I have been to Holland every year for the last 9 years. The normal 16A blue plug works in every place I have been. The socket ratings vary, 16A in many, but as low as 4A in some places.

 

[ditchcrawler]

I have also been to the Netherlands for several years and have not seen anything other than the blue plug/sockets in either north or south Netherlands.One or two places do have low output and if two or three people put the kettle on at the same time the power trips, but generally not a problem.

 

[pieter2]

I am Dutch. I can confirm that the blue plug is the right one for every marina.
For pictures google on "campingstekker"

 

[nigelmercier]

Also recomend you get the standard continental 2 pin to blue connector adaptor.

Why a 2 pin? Much better to get a Schuko hybrid, surely?

 

[philip_stevens]

Whatever plug/adaptor you use, make sure you have a plug-in circuit phase indicator - especially in some French marina's.

You don't need anything more expensive than the Martindale unit. That is all I have, plus an adaptor lead for reversing the polarity if necessary.

 

[nigelmercier]

You don't need anything more expensive than the Martindale unit...

Which is 5 times the cost of the ones that I use, see here. I quite often order from these guys, so I could do a group buy to save on P&P.

[LATER] New thread for Group Buy here.

 

[philip_stevens]

Which is 5 times the cost of the ones that I use, see here.

That's why I said "you don't need anything more expensive than...."

I've got a real cheapo from Lidl.

 

[westhinder]

Also recomend you get the standard continental 2 pin to blue connector adaptor.

I don't think you will need this. I have never found it necessary either in France, Belgium or the Netherlands. The blue one everywhere.

 

[nigelmercier]

I don't think you will need this. I have never found it necessary either in France, Belgium or the Netherlands. The blue one everywhere.

I've not sailed in these areas, but in Greece I often tied up on a town quay with no power, then asked a native if I could plug in.

 

[vyv_cox]

I don't think you will need this. I have never found it necessary either in France, Belgium or the Netherlands. The blue one everywhere.

It may be different now but not all that long ago the further marina (west bank) in Dunkerque still used French domestic sockets. Along the French Mediterranean coast we have occasionally needed our adaptor from blue 16A to domestic two/three pin.

 

[Burnham Bob]

thanks everyone. i am about to order a polarity tester/reverser/adaptor for touring abroad with my caravan so as we might be visiting France, I'll get a set for the boat. not expensive but should cover all eventualities.

 

[sailorman]

thanks everyone. i am about to order a polarity tester/reverser/adaptor for touring abroad with my caravan so as we might be visiting France, I'll get a set for the boat. not expensive but should cover all eventualities.

Don`t get a red one

 

[Wunja]

Not 'Every Marina' takes the 16A plugs.

I have a Schuko hybrid adapter which I need to use at my home marina.

 

[Burnham Bob]

thanks Wunja - the kei i'm getting includes the Schuko