03 396 Shore Power Question

[650Guy]

Ok, I have not messed with the shore power setup since I bought my boat but am now looking at it and finding myself asking "WHY?" and "I HAVE to be able to simplify this somehow"

Current Setup from the dock to the boat:

(Dock side) Single 50A outlet -->
(Y Adapter) 50A to (2) 30A lines -->
(Each line then has a Line Adapter at the end) 30A to 50A --> Into boat

Seems like all 396's of my year have twin 50A lines into the boat.

I see so many bigger boats simply have a single 50A line come out and plug in and it seems so elegant... then there is me, Lugging out 80 adapters, piles of shore power lines, wires hanging everywhere.

Is there something I'm missing? is there a simpler way? What other 396'ers do out there? Please help me simplify!

[g36]

If reading your post correctly not only yours but others including my 405 is dual 50amp 120v into the boat. The dock pedestal your on sounds as 50amp/250;your 50-30 changes to 30amp 120vollt for each cord.sounds like your using 2 30amp cords cause the last wye is changing back to 50amp plugs to connect the boat. I'm using dual 50amp 125 cords that came with boat and only using a wye at the pedestal. You have choices to make all we be some money. Not in any particular order. You can purchase a 50amp/250 cord plugs into pedestal and split it at the boat with a wye to 50amp/120v. You can change out the power inlets to continue using your shore cords and get rid of wye at the boat. You could use 2 50amp125 cords like me and only use a wye at the pedestal since the other end will plug into the boat . Or do what your doing. Or ask if dock manager can change electrical pedestal to accommodate your boat and only use a wye at the boat inlet if their not changed to match your cord. Last would be to rewire shore power of boat to accommodate 50amp/250v power

[ColRon]

I also have 2 50amp/120 volt connectors at the boat. I’m a little different than g36 as I run a 250/50 amp from the pedestal to a 250/50 to 120/50 amp wye which connects at the boat. That way I only use one shore power cord vs 2 cords, but either way would work. I would definitely replace the 30 amp so I could get the benefit of the 50 amp cord.

[650Guy]

I'm going to double check what I have at the dock, 50a 250 or 120. I have 3 50'/50A cords I carry in my aft dock box when I travel but also have to carry 50A to 30A converters when I travel. Yep... I have such a crazy mix of cords and adapters its not even funny! Worst part is, I think the whatever lines I have do NOT go into my dockside plug.

I LOVE the idea of a single 50A run to the boat and a single Y adapter to each input into the boat... but then I just went to west marine and saw the price... $675! SWEET MOTHER OF PEARL!!! must be made from pure gold or something?

[ColRon]

650Guy, make sure you closely when check your 50 amp connectors as there are two different ones as you already know. There are the 250/125 volt and the 125v and They can easily be confused at a casual glance. Buy the wrong ones and as you have seen it would be a costly mistake. Last time I looked a wye with a 250 inlet to 2 125 outlets was around $300-400 alone. While they are not made of gold, I take care of mine like they were made of gold. I like to look at West Marine, but I rarely buy from them if I can find other sources. They are so expensive I feel like I’m dealing with ‘s

[Midnightsun]

50A 125 is basically obsolete, was used for a few years back then but no more for many many years.

My boat being a newer vintage uses a single 50A 125/250 cord. These are standard plugs in almost all Marinas by the way or you need to use dual a 50a reverse Y adapter in order to plug into 30a outlets. Yes they are pricey as you saw but keep an eye out on eBay, I paid $125 for mine new. Here is one for 1/2 the price of what you saw. https://www.ebay.com/itm/Marinco-RY504- ... SwDIZfQi5O


a 125/250 is equivalent to dual 50a 125v cords since 2 of the 4 legs carry 50a 125v, the other 2 being neutral and ground as opposed to only 1 conductor on the 125v version. Bottom line is you get 100a available on board unless you use the y adapter and then you get 60a on board. My dock has only 30a connections and never have I run out of juice no matter what I use on board @ 60a.

I really like the way it is set up however the single cord is big and heavy in comparison to 30a cords. Mine is much lighter and smaller than conventional cords since I made my own with even better materials than what is commonly found on the shelf. Here is a link to the build. viewtopic.php?f=3&t=3988&hilit=shore+power

[g36]

[/quote]

I LOVE the idea of a single 50A run to the boat and a single Y adapter to each input into the boat... but then I just went to west marine and saw the price... $675! SWEET MOTHER OF PEARL!!! must be made from pure gold or something?[/quote]

Remember what BOAT means. Break out another thousand

[650Guy]

haha.. No doubt! another thousand... then another... and another LOL!!!!!

Start a simple little project of cleaning out my dock box... and BAM!!! I'm spending money! HA

[bud37]

Watch what you are doing ....remember what looking up and down the dock did the last time....