Electrical cords in the Water

I'm reluctant to do anything to someone elses boat or the lines, cords, and fenders, etc. that belong to it unless a real immediate emergency condition exists.
If I saw something that was immediately dangerous I would call it to the attention of the Dock Master or representative. If they weren't available I would take whatever emergency action was appropriate and let the Dock Master or boat owner know about it at the earliest possible time.
If I saw something that is evidence of bad manners or seamanship I might try to diplomatically bring it to the attention of the boat owner. If the boat owner didn't seem interested in my opinion or suggestion I would just move on.
This is part of the price we pay when we dock our boats in marinas. We have to deal with a variety of different people and their standards. One man's ceiling is indeed another man's floor.
 
I guess I am the contrarian here. I don't believe power cords should be allowed to dangle in the water for a couple of reasons.

First, the insulating jacket on power cords is rated STW-A the application for which is "for wet locations - sunlight resistant" according to NEC. If the wire were designed to be underwater, I think it would carry the marking SEW-A.

Second, is the way most boaters neglect the condition of their shore power cords. Some of those in our marina look like Noah may have used them first, then passed them on to Columbus. As the cords age, even thought they are sunlight resistant, they are not impervious to eventual degredation and the insulating jacket can crack and srink. Shrinkage allows moisture to enter the plug where the wire is connected. A crack can let the water enter anywhere.

Unfortunately, the only way to tell if a cord-set is degraded is to cut it and look a the wire inside. I have seen corrosion in the copper conductor of cords 10' from the end. If you attempt to measure the voltage in the water near a submerged cord you might find one leaking juice.

So, I don't take chances. Cords don't need to be in the water.

As far as making adjustments to other boats........if the boat is owned by the marina or if I know the owner and we have the understanding that we look out for each other, then I fix what is wrong. If the boat is owned by someone I don't know, I go to the dockmaster and tell him the problem and say: "Do you want me to fix it?", and the answer is usually yes since their guys stay covered up in busy times. Then I'll do what I need to as long as I don't have to enter the cabin.
 
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It sounds like we have a bunch of issues here:

1) the technical good/bad/safe/unsafe practice of allowing power cords to be submerged.

I think Frank W's last post sums up the technological perspective best, dockside cords are NOT waterproof (vs. water/moisture resistant) and will (not if) become a safety hazard.

2) the legal liability issue - not being a lawyer it seems to me that if someone unplugs a power cord without some obvious mitigating condition of immediate danger, or emergency (smoke, sparks, arcing etc) and the boat in question sinks, food spoils in fridge, computer dies, etc. they will be responsible.

3) contractural issue - If you are not the dockmaster, acting for the dockmaster, or the above mitigating circumstances, it ain't your job.

That being said, if the dockmaster is not doing his job, particularly with respect to safety issues, it is your job to as the earlier post stated 'light a fire under his a$$' and motivate him to do it the right way.

Even if the problems are not safety, the dockmaster works for you (your slip fees remember), and it is your right to tell management when you are not getting your dollar$ worth.

4) The social perspective - Here is a lesson learned from personal experience from a past life when I lived in a condo with sloppy association management that I can paraphrase; Doing the dockmaster's job will only make you crazy and sick, and certainly win you no friends.
 
Henry Boyd said:
It sounds like we have a bunch of issues here:

1) the technical good/bad/safe/unsafe practice of allowing power cords to be submerged.

I think Frank W's last post sums up the technological perspective best, dockside cords are NOT waterproof (vs. water/moisture resistant) and will (not if) become a safety hazard.

2) the legal liability issue - not being a lawyer it seems to me that if someone unplugs a power cord without some obvious mitigating condition of immediate danger, or emergency (smoke, sparks, arcing etc) and the boat in question sinks, food spoils in fridge, computer dies, etc. they will be responsible.

3) contractural issue - If you are not the dockmaster, acting for the dockmaster, or the above mitigating circumstances, it ain't your job.

That being said, if the dockmaster is not doing his job, particularly with respect to safety issues, it is your job to as the earlier post stated 'light a fire under his a$$' and motivate him to do it the right way.

Even if the problems are not safety, the dockmaster works for you (your slip fees remember), and it is your right to tell management when you are not getting your dollar$ worth.

4) The social perspective - Here is a lesson learned from personal experience from a past life when I lived in a condo with sloppy association management that I can paraphrase; Doing the dockmaster's job will only make you crazy and sick, and certainly win you no friends.
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Well said.:smt038
 
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Good words. I want to re-iterate that this thing was so badly burned that it was not powering anything but electric eels. I will light a fire in the dockmasters...

Thanks.
 
if it was that bad and didnt trip a breaker you have biger problems than you realise or on the other hand ...................
were i you i'd be for pluging him back in and hope no damage occured from a bilge pump stoping while you were messing with it
then keep your hands of others property. if your that worried find the guy and tell him
 
I'm a tattle... especially on those damn blowboaters that keep gasoline cans in their dock boxes.

Idiots.
 
Fwiw, I emailed Marinco and asked them about it. Their reply:
The Marinco cordsets are marine grade, however... they are not rated for submergence. Water will eventually seep into the cordset. Corrosion will then begin and the cordset will become a fire hazard. DO NOT ALLOW THIS!
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Come up to my marina in Mass. You would have a full time job as we have fixed docks and the tide changes up to 5 feet at times. You can wander any of the four docks and see cords in the water. Unfortunately, it is what it is.
 
actually if you noticed a burned out cord and unplugged it you probably did the guy a favor, barring the worst case of a dead battery a bad leak and no bilge pump(whoops), alot of cords dangle in the water at our marina, some say it helps keep the spider population off the boats, (can spiders swim?) anyway if the cords are not damaged and are insulated it wont hurt a thing to dangle in the water. insulated cords do not put out an electro magnetic impulse, not going to hurt anybodys bottom paint, happy boating
 
Scott quit picking on me,ha,ha, larry&leisa actually I think youre right spiders do swim in my pool at home, but the real question is can they hold their breath long enough to walk underwater on a submerged powercord?, one of them things that make you go ummm, all things being equal we do spray the tie down lines regularly but you just cant hardly stop those spiders if they want to come aboard, anyway I guess we all have our own crosses to bear even the lucky ones like us that get to spend time on the water,happy boating
 
Maybe it's just me but I can't get all excited about a marine electrical cord in the water. Surely if this were a big problem (or even a LITTLE problem) there would a be WARNING sticker on the area where you plug in the boat. There are none... not even with the manual... nothing... I mean, there are so many warning stickers on my boat and I believe there is one in the head warning if you don't wipe your ass enough, you'll have brown stains in your undies. I know there is one on the helm by the steering wheel that says if you don't look forward while driving, you could hit something. These are MARINE cords and surely the manufacturer realizes that they go in the drink sometime...

So if someone unplugged my boat because they saw the cord in the water, I would not be a happy camper.

There is a person here that walks the docks all the time and just looks for things on everyone's boat to bitch about. It's like the time I brought 4 x five gallon EMPTY blue diesel fuel jugs down to the boat and got a knock from the dockmaster that someone saw me putting fuel in my boat from a gas can. I brought the jugs down to put the used engine oil in for an oil change (and diesel is cheaper at the dock than on the street by about 70 cents a gallon anyway). The same boater also stopped me when I pulled a water pump off my boat and was leaving for the night and he told me I could not leave my boat in a state where it could not run. I understand things that are in dire need of attention, but don't become the village idiot that walks the dock with rule book in hand looking for things to complain about.
 
Yeah, a good ole blanket party - HEY, WAIT!
 
Hampton said:
Gary,

Reading that makes me sick. Please read the details before being so damn condescending.
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:lol: It WAS a good condescending scenario though!

I misunderstood you as well, it seems. I had originally thought it was just the cord in the water, and not an actually connected plug to extension cord in the water.

I dont know what to say about what you did, as I would just stay out of anyone's business and not be retying boats or doing anything as I walked up and down, simply because for every few people that appreciate it, there will be one arsehole that will have some kind of problem and tag it on you.
 
Woody said:
As a relatively high ranking officer on a military installation why don't you address the real problem and light a fire under the dock managers a$$. It sounds like you feel he and his staff? should be doing the things you are doing. Start teaching him and if he doesn't appreciate constructive critisim from you perhaps he will think different when he gets it from his superior.
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:smt038 Ya mon!
 
Sure, why bother asking the factory or heeding their warnings. Nah, just go with making up your own advice. Or some hare-brained logic of "there ought to be a warning label" nonsense. Yeesh.

I'd say it's pretty clear, make an attempt to keep the lines out of the water otherwise they'll eventually run the risk of water intrusion. Of course not right away, but given how long some boats sit idle it wouldn't seem like too long. At the same time it's likewise clear that taking matters into "your own hands" and disconnecting someone else's shore power when no demonstrable problem is actually occurring is a bad plan.

I suppose the real problem is lack of communication. Actually talking with people instead of acting 'for their own good'. Given the jackass mentality of some people replying here I'd say that's certainly a problem. But hey, apparently it's jerks at both ends of the spectrum. Sensible people will take steps to manage their own boats and help others. The rest will just continue to act like idiots. Pray they're not in your marina.
 
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