"shore power"....

[nahmint]

What are the main concerns when having "shore power" installed on a boat? How do you protect your boat and motors from any current related damage? (beyond keeping your zincs in good condition and having the system properly grounded)
Has anyone experienced any problems with their 110v "shore power"?
I appreciate your input.
Thanks in advance.
Larry

 

[TenMile]

Hey Larry,

One of the components recommended if you are leaving your boat in the water is a Galvanic Isolator. It stops the small trickle of electricity flowing between the AC ground from the shore and the DC ground on your boat that can be present in a marina. Without it your boat can suffer from galvanic corrosion.

http://www.yandina.com/galvanicIsolator.htm


TenMile
<'((((><

 

[Island Fish Lifter]

I get really large zincs, like the ones a person would use on a tug boat. I cut them in such a way that I can bolt them on to my trim tabs, I then bond them to ground. Seems to work for me.
An other way would be to bond the large zinc to a piece of downrigger cable, ground the other end then hang it over the side whenever shorepower is being used.

 

[TenMile]

If you find that your zincs are disappearing after connecting shore power and you have a Galvanic Isolator, you can also install the Mercathode system. They are installed on all Merc I/O units but can be installed on any boat.

http://www.outdriveshop.com/mercathode.html

http://www.maxumowners.org/talkshopsmaller/messages/2180.html

If you do a search on a topic I wrote several months back on zincs disappearing -- this is the unit I installed (actually installed 2 of the controllers) and it has cured my zinc depletion issue.

I've also got a "Zinc Fish" hanging off my slip like IFL has suggested. Alligator clip to the neg terminal on the battery.

TenMile
<'((((><

 

[nahmint]

Hey guys.
Thanks alot for the useful input....
I'm looking at installing shore power with breakers/outlets and a Guest Model 2610A (5.5 Amp, 2 bank) battery charging system...

Larry