Shore Power Cord Recommend Length

[fox9988]

I’m building a 30A cord. Caribbean and East coast US. What length do you recommend? Thanks

[smac999]

Long enough to get from the boat inlet to the dock...

if you dock bow in / stern in / port side / stb side. It could be very different every marina you go too...

[Sailmonkey]

You need to put great effort into making it too short for 10% of your intended usage. Then you’ll be just like the rest of us.

[wingssail]

From your shore power plugin straight forward or sternward to the dock, then over two slips to a power outlet. (This assumes you will be able to chose which way you dock, bow first or stern first)

For me that is 15ft to get me over the stern to the dock, plus 40ft gets me over two berths to a working outlet = 65 ft. Covers many situations

Alternately a 50ft cord which covers most berths and adapters to connect a 15amp 100ft heavy duty extension cord which gets me everywhere.

Two 100ft extensions gets me to the moon.

[S/V Illusion]

Originally Posted by fox9988

I’m building a 30A cord. Caribbean and East coast US. What length do you recommend? Thanks

Is this a philosophy question?

[Phyrcooler]

I use and recommend a 50’ and 25’ - 30a cords. Gives you lots of flexibility up to a combined 75’ total. Able to use a 25’ when that’s all I need. Then I have a 15a male to 30a female pigtail and a 100’ 12/3 cord for rare crazy days.! (Safety Note: Pay close attention to amp loads when you start going long!!)

[smac999]

Well if you plug into Caribbean and head to upper east coast USA it’s about 3000km straight line. But the cord will be resting on the bottom of ocean so probably Triple it. You’re going to need a 9000km long cord.

[Jim Cate]

For marinas like this one where they charge .40 AUD/kwh, one long enough to reach your neighbor's outlet is good...

Jim

[AKA-None]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

For marinas like this one where they charge .40 AUD/kwh, one long enough to reach your neighbor's outlet is good...

Jim

As long as the power is not metered

[LoudMusic]

Originally Posted by AKA-None

As long as the power is not metered

I think the joke is that it IS metered and that's why you want to use your neighbor's pedestal.

Assuming your boat's plug is closer to one side and near the stern, I highly recommend a cord that is the combined measurement of your beam and your length overall. Nearly all slips have a pedestal that is within the space that your boat will be docking, but you don't know how your boat is going to be arranged in that slip. There may be reasons to orient the boat in different ways beyond simply "making the cord reach", so you want the cord to reach in any arrangement.

Then, of course, there are slips where the pedestal is NOT NEAR the slip. Who builds this crap? I've had to put three 50' 50A cords together before.

We now have so much solar and battery that in those circumstances I just don't bother anymore.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by LoudMusic

...Then, of course, there are slips where the pedestal is NOT NEAR the slip. Who builds this crap? I've had to put three 50' 50A cords together before...

The problem is not that they built it that way, it is that they don't maintain it so when one is broken you have to go to the next one (and the next, and...). Last month we had to move three times to find a slip with working power, even the marina staff didn't know which one was working and which one was not (Barra)

There are other issues you have to deal with. In Fortaleza the shore power was a heavy three strand cable running down the float past all the boats (220v). It was hanging on the metal railing. To get power you stripped off the insulation and twisted your wires onto their wires, unless of course some previous customer had already bared the wires. All of this while standing on a wet metal 10' x 10' float! How did we survive? But we'll do anything to get air con in Fortaleza

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by fox9988

I’m building a 30A cord. Caribbean and East coast US. What length do you recommend? Thanks

Well what you do is make a 25' shore power cord, because that is the longest length that is reasonably easy to handle and store, and it will usually work. Then you also make a 50' cord because that will work in most of the situations where the 25' will not particularly those where the closest pedestal is out of service or already has all the receptacles in use so you have to go to the next one. You connect them together to make 75' when absolutely necessary, and if that doesn't work you get a different slip.


This assumes your boat is reliant on shore power because you have to run air conditioning or a water heater or something.


On my boat I really only need shore power to charge batteries and run the fridge, and never draw more than 2 amps. So I have a shore power cord that is made out of 16 gauge cable so it's nice and light.

[fox9988]

A bunch of comedians…lol ; )

A 50’ and a 25’ sounds like a good plan. Thanks

[rslifkin]

I have 2 inlets, so I carry 2x 50' cords. I've used the full 50' or close to it quite a few times (even my home slip uses about 35'). But I've yet to have to string the 2 cords together and run with a single inlet.

[rwidman]

I suggest that you start out by buying your shore power cord, rather than making one. You can't really duplicate the water proofing qualities of molded connectors.

What length do you need? Well, the shorter, the better as far as voltage drop and as far as actually handling the cord when setting it up and when disconnecting and storing it.

As a practical matter, sometimes 25' is long enough, sometimes you will need 50'. That probably the reason these are the most commonly sold lengths.

My suggestion is that you buy one of each and use the short one when possible and the longer one when the shorter one will not reach.

And in a pinch, you can connect them end to end and have 75'.