Farlander
Member II
First saw this on marinehowto.com, and heard some other folks talk about it, so I decided to give it a shot. I'd rather not be 'that boat' which caused the marina fire, and having reliable shore power is also a plus.
I decided not to buy the entire 50' cord and receptacle pre-assembled, since it was $370 from the cheapest vendor, so I splurged for the $170 plug and receptacle combo kit, and the $10 watertight cap accessory.
Installation was straightforward, though soapy water is an absolute must for sliding the old cable through the new rubber gland. Final installed product is a rock solid, immovable plug, which one would literally need a sledgehammer to dislodge. A size 12 boot with 100 lbs of force is probably not going to move this thing.
The lid on the receptacle actually clicks into the plug as well, making it very secure, as well as the two tabs on the side. The whole setup is very watertight and secure. Only downside is the receptacle mounting holes did not line up with my old holes, so be prepared to drill new ones. They were only off by a few mm so they still fit in the same gasket profile.
What I found next was a shocker - the circuit breaker panel on the aft side of the quarter berth bulkhead is a Federal Pacific, which are known to be fire prone. It is getting replaced ASAP with an Eaton box and some new 15A breakers, one for each receptacle.
I decided not to buy the entire 50' cord and receptacle pre-assembled, since it was $370 from the cheapest vendor, so I splurged for the $170 plug and receptacle combo kit, and the $10 watertight cap accessory.
Installation was straightforward, though soapy water is an absolute must for sliding the old cable through the new rubber gland. Final installed product is a rock solid, immovable plug, which one would literally need a sledgehammer to dislodge. A size 12 boot with 100 lbs of force is probably not going to move this thing.
The lid on the receptacle actually clicks into the plug as well, making it very secure, as well as the two tabs on the side. The whole setup is very watertight and secure. Only downside is the receptacle mounting holes did not line up with my old holes, so be prepared to drill new ones. They were only off by a few mm so they still fit in the same gasket profile.
What I found next was a shocker - the circuit breaker panel on the aft side of the quarter berth bulkhead is a Federal Pacific, which are known to be fire prone. It is getting replaced ASAP with an Eaton box and some new 15A breakers, one for each receptacle.