Comments (0) It’s no secret that a significant number of AC electrical boat fires are due to faulty shore power. But did you know that the common twist-type plug that was designed in 1938 was never intended for marine use? The design as we know it today was originally developed for industrial use with only incremental improvements made to adapt it for marine use twenty years later. Well, no wonder…..
Burnt twist-type plug
Come April our product will have been on the market for one year. There have been three specific misconceptions about the SmartPlug throughout the past year and we want to clear those up today! First, the SmartPlug shore power system is available for immediate use and you can upgrade and Protect Your Boat Today! There have been several questions about having to wait because the marina hasn’t yet upgraded. We want to be very clear about this, the marina DOES NOT need to be converted to the SmartPlug for you to be able to get the benefits of the new system. The SmartPlug Inlet and Connector (B30ASSY) kit gives you everything you need. Just replace the boatside end of your existing shore power cord, install the new inlet on your boat and your end of the shore power problem is taken care of.
This brings us to our second misconception, adapters. There are no adapters needed to be able to use the SmartPlug system. As we said above, you just need to replace the boatside end of your existing cord and your old inlet and you’re all set! Once all of our boatside products are available we will be begin releasing dockside products so the marina can also benefit from the protection provided by the SmartPlug System. When the dockside products are available we will be offering adapters that the marina can use for those who have not yet converted to the SmartPlug system.
Finally, because the dockside end of your cord will remain the old-style, you will be able to visit any marina or dock equipped with the old standard while still protecting your boat. Simply bring your converted cord (or one of the upcoming SmartPlug Dual Configuration Cordsets!) with you wherever you cruise.
Happy safe boating!
Our job is to help you protect your boat today from the number one cause of shore power failure, overheating!! In an effort to make that as easy as possible, we have created two short installation videos to help give you an even better understanding on how to retrofit your current system with the revolutionary SmartPlug shore power system. The videos have been added to the Videos page as well as our individual installation pages on our website. See below or go to our website and view the SmartPlug 30 Amp Inlet Installation and the SmartPlug 30 Amp Connector Installation videos. Thanks to Cimtech for shooting the video, and to Shillshole Bay Marina and the Port of Seattle for allowing us to film these videos on their docks.
It’s that time of year again. As the temperature drops and the rain sets in, we must not forget to winterize our boats. Just a few last chores to do before you can button your boat up for the winter and switch your attention to cold weather sports. Here are a few tips and tricks to help you make it though the winter and hopefully avoid costly repairs.
1. Check you dock lines. Too many people take for granted that just because your boat’s securely tied up today, it will still be secure tomorrow. All too many times have I seen dock lines break when the winter storms roll through.
2. For you sailors out there, make sure your sails are secure. Just last week at Elliott Bay Marina there were 4 boats that lost foresails because they weren’t secured well enough. That can be a very costly fix.
3. Check your bilge pumps and float switches. Some preventative maintenance done before the weather gets bad can really help you sleep at night. Nobody likes to worry about their boats.
4. CHECK YOUR SHOREPOWER CONNECTIONS!!! With the weather intensifying, your boat will be moving around at the dock much more so than usual. Also with the increase in precipitation/snow, you really need to keep an eye out for signs of failure. You should check each end of the cord for discoloration or scorching. If you see any signs of failure, you need to replace your cord-end immediately. There could be larger issues inside the cord that you can’t see.
One last thing to think about. As you do button up your boat for the winter, there seems to be a universal train of thought that you should leave a couple of space heaters on inside the boat to keep the chill off. Remember, depending on which space heaters you use and how they’re set, you could be maxing out your shorepower capacity. When you stack that electrical draw on top of precipitation and boat movement, that could spell disaster for your shorepower connection not to mention your entire boat.
Next week I’ll talk about the upcoming SmartPlug installation video we just shot and what I found inside a fairly good looking shorepower cord.
Check your shorepower plug!!!!!
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