Shore power info

KRB64

Member
Oct 12, 2006
785
Central Kentucky or Dale Hollow Lake
Boat Info
'76 SRV195 (our first) -> moved up to
'78 240 WE (now 4 sale because ->)
'82 260 DA shared
Engines
A Ford 351, a couple GM 350s and a Cummins 6BT to pull it all (W250)
I originally posted this in the electronics section but didn't get any bites. This may be the more appropriate forum.

Just bought a 1982 260 Sundancer. It is all original and in great shape. Its the first boat we've had with factory shore power. The others have always been added and easy to "view" and trace the connections etc.

My question is, on a factory set up, what are the dos & don'ts? Or are there any? Can one just plug & play so to speak? I see an indicator light on the breaker box that shows the connection is correct or not. Are there any old manuals floating around for that era boat that will help us out?

Its got the original AC/alcohol stove too that I know nothing about. AC/DC fridge, water heater.

Thanks for any insight.
 
Shore power is not complicated.
When plugging in:
Have all of your A/C breakers turned off.
There should be a little breaker next to your shore power plug.
This should also be off at this point.
Plug in the cord to your boat.
Plug in the cord to the dock tower, and turn it on.
Turn the little breaker on, and then turn on your A/C breakers.

When disconnecting:
Turn off A/C breakers.
Turn off the little breaker at the plug.
Turn off power at the dock tower, and disconnect the cord.
Disconnect the boat.

Many people do not disconnect, or even turn off the cord at the tower when they go out. This is a dangerous practice, as the cord could get knocked in the water when docking, etc.
Always disconnect the cord.
Also, while connected, keep your cord from touching the water, as this could contribute to electrolysis.

And a final note. If your stove is in fact electric/alcohol, I'd recommend not using alcohol. You cannot see the flame, and it is dangerous. A few years ago, we had a sail boat burn to the water line because they didn't remember that it was on.
 
Cool. Thanks guys. I knew there was a proper protocol. I don't want to mess up any electronics.

I think I read in another post while searching that even with the battery switch turned to "off" they will still charge by AC power.

My next question was going to be the stove. My father-in-law, who has sailed for decades warned me against pressurized alcohol. He said that it will accumulate with out you knowing and then :smt089 .

We splashed the boat and I haven't been back to the slip to check out all those little details yet. I guess the electric range isn't a huge current draw for normal cooking huh? At least no worse than the fridge and water heater.

I'm downloading that manual as I type this.

Thanks again fellas! :grin:
 
Your boat is very similar to mine. Probably the same equipment used. I pulled the stove out and tossed it. After all this time I doubt you will be able to get any pressure in the alcohol anyway. Mine was tucked under the cabinets, which I didn't like, and I wasn't going to be cooking anyway. I think there is probably a pretty good draw on the electric stove. In fact 115 volts is barely enough to run one. I would be concerned about pulling that much power through that old equipment.

Now for the equipment... You probably don't have a "little breaker". My panel has a master breaker on the panel. That should be equivalent. But, I would check the state of all those parts before giving it juice. My outside outlet was shot and had to be replaced. 25 years is a long time in a marine environment. Also, the wires could be dried out and cracked. You'll probably find single copper wires like at home. Actually, that violates current standards which call for only stranded wire on boats.

You'll also note a red light and "Polarity Test" if your boat is like mine. If you push the button and the red light luminates, that means all is well. Why, I have no idea; seems backwards.

You should check your entire shore power system and everything it's connected to. My boat had the water heater removed and the 110 wire laying in the bilge. check the condition of the wires too.

Oh, and check the condition of your shore power cable. If it's original, the fittings at the ends may be shot as well.

You should be aware too, that boats of that era may not have a Galvanic Isolator in their shore power setups. (And more new boats than you would think too). So, you may want to limit your plug-in time.

As for charging the batteries, well first you need a charger. Having shore power will not, by itself, charge your batteries no matter what's turned on or off. And, from that period, chargers were much less common on this size boat.

Anyway, enjoy the boat. Post a picture in the Virtual Marina. And let us know what you find out when you get to the boat.
 
Thanks for the tips, I'll check all of that out.

The boat does have a charger, I forget the name but its a metal box about the size of a battery with a dial readout on it.

Whats a galvanic Isolator? I figure its for electrolysis from the shore power? Where would I find it or where should it be?

I'll take a look at the wires to. Guess there are no wiring diagrams for these huh?

Many thanks,
 
It should be connected on the incoming power line between where it enters the boat and the breaker panel. They're not too big today, but then our chargers aren't the size of batteries either!
 
Don't forget to check for green lights on the electrical panel prior to turning any AC components on. Green is good. Red is reverse polarization.
 
Cap10Pat said:
It should be connected on the incoming power line between where it enters the boat and the breaker panel. They're not too big today, but then our chargers aren't the size of batteries either!

So its like an electrical device? Wired inline? For what pupose?

I like your Weekender. I like the lines of a WE better than a Sundancer. We upgraded from the 24' WE to get the aft cabin for the kids. Does a 26' WE have a dedicated galley?
 
Hampton, if KRB64's panel is like mine, there is no green light. And, as I wrote above, the polarity test lights up red when the button is pushed - if all is well. (I just report it here).

KRB64, Thanks! There are a lot of things I like better on the Weekender - and I don't need the extra cabin. I still think it's a lot to trade for a "cave". The lines are nice, the cockpit is larger with a flat floor. It is also lower than an equivalent Sundancer floor, the gunwales are higher and the freeboard is lower. Almost always, the canvas looks better, I think, because of the floor level (if it was made properly).

Anyway, yes there is a dedicated galley - if you can call it that on any 26 footer. I removed the stove and filled in the hole in the counter. We just have a small refridge - new but same as the original! Also a sink with a single faucet. I removed the hot water system. Water is always lukewarm anyway. I've considered an inverter and extra batter to allow for a small microwave and coffee pot but not so far. We do have an outlet there if we're on shore power. I pretty much keep it as a day boat. We can overnight with what's there.
 
KRB64 said:
...

So its like an electrical device? Wired inline? For what pupose?

...

A galvanic isolator is an electrical device designed to break the connection between your boats ground and the shore ground. The trick it needs to do is break the connection for low voltages that cause galvanic corrosion but not stop high voltages that protect you from electric shock.

It should be near your shore power inlet and have two connections, one to the shore power ground and one to the boat electrical systems ground.
 

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