[PUP] Power cords 30/50

[L H]

The way to deal with the 50amp inlet fitting and 30amp interior wiring is to 
replace the wire from the 50amp inlet to the 30amp main breaker(inside the 
boat) with the correct wire size for 50amps.  I believe that would be #6 
wire, the same as in a 125v/50amp shore power cord.  That way if someone 
used a 50/50amp shore power cord plugged into a 125v/50amp dock outlet, the 
boats wiring would still be limited to drawing no more than 30 amps.  A 
breaker protects the wiring that is 'downstream (on the boat side) of the 
breaker. The dock breaker would protect the power cord and inlet and 
interior wiring up to the 30amp main breaker, and the 30amp breaker would 
protect the wiring to the boat's individual circuit breakers.

Larry H
Puget Trawler 37  'Jacari Maru'
Cruising the Pacific Northwest
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Kevin Kearney" <lotusman1951 at yahoo.com>
To: "Passagemaking Under Power List" 
<passagemaking-under-power at lists.samurai.com>
Sent: Sunday, March 30, 2008 11:25 AM
Subject: Re: [PUP] Power cords 30/50


> Scott
>  Point is that if you are hooked up to a 30amp shore outlet-30amp cord, 
> 50amp house outlet and 30 amp interior wire- how could you over amp? Now 
> from a liability perspective-IF someone replaced the 30 amp cord (30/50) 
> with a (50/50) amp cord at a later date there would be a potential 
> problem-depending on your wire inside the boat. Its like hull 
> insurance-some people have it and are relaxed if the boat is 
> lost/damaged,-some people dont and devise safties and backups.  Its not 
> just a question of clean and shine. dock wire, lightning, loose fits are 
> issues. No one with a new boat is going to do this type of modifacation- 
> you can always trust in the USCG abdication of saftey build certifacation 
> to the boatbuilders sic.,anyone who has had a hot cord/outlet issue would 
> prefer that the issue be decieded anywhere else than on his boat. The 
> 30/50 cord suggestion is safer than a 30/30 cord when the s-it hits the 
> fan-and it does on boats. Kevin (30 days to launch/repowered) JOLIE
> Miles River Yacht Club after 5 years on wait list)
>
> "Scott E. Bulger" <scottebulger at gmail.com> wrote:
>  I would not consider placing a 50amp shore power receptacle on the 
> exterior
> of my boat with wire rated at 30amps behind it. If the boat burned in the
> future I'd no doubt be liable for violating the wiring specifications.
> Perhaps if I retrofitted everything from the receptacle to the inverter 
> I'd
> be ok, but that's more work than keeping the connectors bright and shiny.
> This sounds like a case of the cure being worse than the disease. Just my
> humble opinion.
>
> Scott
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