Reel for shore power lead?

Twister_Ken

Twister_Ken

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Ah, the problems of going modern! The new boat has shore power. So it has a shore power cable. The thing is like an extremely skinny 90 foot long demented snake. Impossible to coil in anything like good order. Occurs to me that a reel might be a good idea. Never seen a dedicated reel on sale. Has anyone cobbled something together, or adapted something else, successfully?
 
short of adapting a Screwfix cheapie

http://www.screwfix.com/search.do?fh_search=16amp+cable+reel

(they are 13amp cable)

I have a long lawnmower cable which I wind onto a metre long piece of floorboarding, with a couple of V slots, one in each end. Doesn't look particularly elegant, but it stows in the garden shed without taking up much space, and also can be used for a while without unwinding all the cable to prevent heating (which you would need to do with a cable reel).


EDIT

Farnell have empty plastic reels.

http://uk.farnell.com/cable-reel-holders

EDIT2
and I have just remembered that I found this plastic reel in a skip in Portsmouth a month ago (along with some large pieces of PVC from an inflatable - for repairs :) )
 
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Similar problem, have divided cable into three, which makes it more manageable.

Got plugs and sockets from caravan shop for not a lot of money.

Have only used full cable once, most of the time get away with 20m.
 
Not a good idea to have it wound round a drum. They can get hot if you don't have all the cable out. You finish up with a transformer.

You can buy a cable drum from your local caravan shop. It will state all cable must be wound out before use.

The plank sounds like a good idea. Think I will make one. This works because the cables are not rolled tightly together.

..
 
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I have the same as MoodySabre, taking a spur from the centre junction box, but I left a connection so that you could still use the 13amp plugs on the reel too.
Reel around 13 quid,
Plug and Sockets from caravan shop around £3 each

If using heavy current, remember to roll it all out, or you will get an inductive loop, which creates interesting wispy smoke patterns above the reel, and the delicate fragrance of melting plastic.
 
We used a standard lead when in our home berth and most places as visitors that was maybe just 60ft being as it plugged into the transom of a 41ft boat parked bow in. This lead was coiled easily enough by hand and held with a velcro strap. Then we had a long lead that I made up on a reel drum, bought on sale in Cherbourg hypermarket for about £15 plus the cost of the two blue end connectors. This lead was really only used when we had to connect to a more distant connection on shore because all the nea ones were in use.

If you make one up, which is easy enough, make sure the cable size is heavy enough or it will overheat. Strictly speaking you would be recommended not to use it only part way unwound for the same reason, however we had a heavy enough cable (can't remember the size now, sorry) and were not overloading it with all things AC electric switched on and ours never got noticeably warm.

We had other leads too for convenience, from a shorty for use when stern to, to one which ran an extension out to the cockpit for a table lamp or power tools. Then again a short adapter lead wired to switch polarity (we had a plug in polarity tester) if we needed to correct bad marina wiring and another with a 3 pin UK plug to fit Mr Hayles points in Yarmouth!
 
I dont have shore power but my long (100m) extension lead is stored on a modified hose reel.
I cut off the centre feed hose connector and poked the end of the cable out through there.

As already stated to use the full current capacity of a cable it must be completely uncoiled otherwise it will overheat. IIRC my shorter extension lead, which is on a proper cable reel, is down rated by 50% if not fully unwound. That reel has a built in thermal trip.... and it works!
 
If you want to coil by hand, the first thing is to get the right cable in the first place. Cheaper cable is horribly stiff, prone to twisting of its own volition and consequently a pain to coil. A good quality cable will have outer insulation made of a material more like rubber than plastic and will be flexible and not prone to twisting of its own accord. Such cable is sometimes described as 'Arctic cable' due to the fact that it remains pliable at low temperatures. As ever though, qualities vary, so don't assume it'll be any good just because it says 'Arctic' in the description. You actually need to feel it in the flesh, or rubber, to be sure.

Once you've found the right cable the next trick is not to fill it full of twists by breaking the line coiling habit of putting half twists, along the length of the cable, in as you make each loop whilst trying to form it into a conventional round coil. You need to coil it with no half twist of the wrist, but insted pick up each new loop conventionally, then turn the loop round so that you effectively bring what was the back of the loop, and the back of the hand in which you've formed it, to the coil first. You'll end up with a neat figure of eight coil which can then be folded in half to form a smaller but fatter circular coil for stowing if desired.

Best of all, once you drop the folded coil back into figure of eight form, it will run out, snag free and without having been filled so full of twists that it spirals down the pontoon like a giant over-stretched spring. What you're doing is forming a figure of eight flake into your hand, or maybe onto your arm if it's a long shore power cable.

I also coil lines this way on a temporary basis whilst sailing to avoid twists being introduced every time they're tidied. When putting the boat away I then coil them conventionally as it looks neater and at this point I take the opportunity to shake out the inevitable few twists that have found their way down the lines as well as any I'm introducing anyway.
 
+1 to what simondjuk said. Once you have the knack of alternate twist the cable is easy to handle and doesn't turn into spaghetti.
 
and plastic bag - collector of dirt & damp ... just what you want on a power cable!

We've got 3 shore power leads - a short one @ 7m, a medium one around 15m and a long one on a reel ... try not to use the reel one - but then we do reverse into finger berths so generally closer to the hookup.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Flake it? The damn thing will leap up and wrap itself around your knees if you try that.
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But it needs showing who is master! Similar to that which simondjuk says coiling carefully a few times should tame it. I don't make figure eight but putting a twist with finger and thumb on each loop will enable you to make a neat hank each time, which will take up less space.

I wouldn't advocate coiling around a board, with the first few turns having tight bends and possibly in the same place each time. A hank in the locker or hanging somewhere takes up least space.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Believe me, that's been tried! It doesn't work with my cable.
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It always amused me that the official term for that cotton covered cable on smoothing irons was "non kink"! Sounds like your recalcitrant cable is out of the same place. Tried it when quite warm?

Still don't like the idea of sharp bends each time.
 
Twister_Ken said:
Believe me, that's been tried! It doesn't work with my cable.
Click to expand...

Doesn't work with mine either, which is Arctic spec cable. I have a similar weight extension lead and the stuff doesnt coil that well on its drum either.

It is a little easier when warmer, but still not right. Coiling it by hand is messy, either twisting it, double looping it (the climbers method) or winding it round a frame of wood or plastic.

In a way its a shame these things are not fitted into the boat on some sort of automatic reel.

Hopefully someone will suggest a proper solution.
 
IMO drums take up too much storage space, I have also tried flat water hose reels, the problem is that you have to unreel all the cable so it doesn't over heat.
As Fireball, I have ended up with 3 different lengths which I hand coil. I have no problem with coiling, I think because I DON'T take out the twist when deploying and I make sure I recoil as was.
The advantages are that you can stow them where ever and join them to suit.
 
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