bumblefish
Well-Known Member
I have just taken out an old gas locker which drained into the cockpit, very low in the corner of the moulding. Could I install a shore power intake there, are they 'very' waterproof and is this feasible?
Shore power
- Thread starter bumblefish
- Start date
steverow
Well-Known Member
You need to buy a C form plug and socket that is IP66 rated..thats it's waterproofness.
Some are IP44 which is splashproof only.
However most "caravan connectors" can be left outside in the pouring rain without detriment...but have never tried dangling one in a bucket of water for instance.
Steve
Some are IP44 which is splashproof only.
However most "caravan connectors" can be left outside in the pouring rain without detriment...but have never tried dangling one in a bucket of water for instance.
Steve
roger
Well-Known Member
I put my input socket in the forward corner of a cave locker - but then I dont go out in rough weather any more.
Dont forget the RCD inside the boat though.
You will find the shore cable itself a nuisance. It usually has to be a long length. If you just coil it up it usually gets tangled. If you put it on a drum it can become awkward to stow.
Not a problem I've solved satisfactorily yet.
Depending on where you go expect to add adaptors and splitters for use in crowded marinas.
Dont forget the RCD inside the boat though.
You will find the shore cable itself a nuisance. It usually has to be a long length. If you just coil it up it usually gets tangled. If you put it on a drum it can become awkward to stow.
Not a problem I've solved satisfactorily yet.
Depending on where you go expect to add adaptors and splitters for use in crowded marinas.
damo
Well-Known Member
Solutions to stowage that I know include:
I have boxed off a corner of a cockpit locker, with lid to keep out rain, spray etc, and the shore cable is just fed in and out, with no attempt to coil it;
A neighbour has a 25L plastic drum with the boat connector emerging from a hole near the base, and the shore end fed in and out through the cap at the top;
A bag/sac in which the cable is just fed in and out - also a good tidy solution to rope stowage eg kedge rode. (NB Cavers rarely coil ropes, they are usually kept loose in tackle bags)
I have boxed off a corner of a cockpit locker, with lid to keep out rain, spray etc, and the shore cable is just fed in and out, with no attempt to coil it;
A neighbour has a 25L plastic drum with the boat connector emerging from a hole near the base, and the shore end fed in and out through the cap at the top;
A bag/sac in which the cable is just fed in and out - also a good tidy solution to rope stowage eg kedge rode. (NB Cavers rarely coil ropes, they are usually kept loose in tackle bags)
Ships_Cat
Well-Known Member
As Steve says if you use an IP66 plug (which is what should always be used in my view) then the locker does not have to be entirely waterproof but should not be normally subject to flooding. Obviously, the male fitting is what goes on the boat and the female socket on the boat end of the cable - the male fitting on the boat should have a closing cover that maintains the IP66 rating when no socket is plugged in.
Others have mentioned stowage of the cable and I interpret from some of them that it is stowed at the inlet point (and maybe even hardwired into the boat /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ). In my view the cable should be stowed when not used in the dry interior of the boat. We stow our own shore cables (we carry two, one serving as a shore extension if needed or for power tool work around the boat) in a locker inside the boat - just coiled up and hung with a loop of line.
John
Others have mentioned stowage of the cable and I interpret from some of them that it is stowed at the inlet point (and maybe even hardwired into the boat /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif ). In my view the cable should be stowed when not used in the dry interior of the boat. We stow our own shore cables (we carry two, one serving as a shore extension if needed or for power tool work around the boat) in a locker inside the boat - just coiled up and hung with a loop of line.
John
damo
Well-Known Member
My point about storing the cable in a container or bag was meant to indicate that it could then be stored anywhere you choose - it is just a convenient method of taming the cable if you don't like coiling it.
With the plastic drum then any spare cable is protected and doesn't clutter up the deck or cockpit.
With the plastic drum then any spare cable is protected and doesn't clutter up the deck or cockpit.
G
Guest
Guest
Caravan shop .......... they do ready-made cables and also have all the connectors / sockets etc. you could want. They have trailing versions or the bulkhead sort designed to have socket facing down, with cap. I have the latter and reagrdless of weather has provided excellent service. It is not inside any locker - it is fitted to the fwd starboard lower side of cockpit with cable entering through the bulkhead sealed by the socket body.
As to cable .... I agree that average cable is a s*d to stow and likes to have a lot of frenchmans in the coils ... but an idea is to make up one for home berth which is corect length - leave in place when away ....(you can get connectors with padlock eyes). And another which is longer for other locations. I made up a reel cable from a B&Q standard reel and cable set - changed the domestic plug for a caravan plug ... a short conversion plug to connect reel to boat socket and bobs the proverbial. Neat and tidy. You can insert a portable plug in RCD as well before the boat connector. But of course there will be sounds of horror at such a "lash-up" !!
As to cable .... I agree that average cable is a s*d to stow and likes to have a lot of frenchmans in the coils ... but an idea is to make up one for home berth which is corect length - leave in place when away ....(you can get connectors with padlock eyes). And another which is longer for other locations. I made up a reel cable from a B&Q standard reel and cable set - changed the domestic plug for a caravan plug ... a short conversion plug to connect reel to boat socket and bobs the proverbial. Neat and tidy. You can insert a portable plug in RCD as well before the boat connector. But of course there will be sounds of horror at such a "lash-up" !!
bumblefish
Well-Known Member
Have you got an RCD and circuit panel inboard or do you rely on the RCD in the cable reel as I have also just converted a B&Q reel with a marina socket for 'tool' use around the yard?
Danny
Well-Known Member
Our solution to stowing the cable is to have a couple of large hooks of the type sold by DIY shops for hanging coiled hoses on. These are fixed horizontally at the same level, about 2' apart, on the inside of a cockpit locker, just below the locker lid. The cable is coiled between the hooks <u>in figure-of-eight mode</u> to avoid kinking.
