Adding shore power

[trainwrecker22]

I would like to add shore power to my boat. I have trailered it for the past 2 years. It's not a big boat only a 24' er. But I am thinking about putting it in at a local yacht club. I would like to add shore power to run a battery charger, and maybe a carry on ac unit at times. I guess my question is can I just wire them direct or do I need a distribution/breaker panel?

 

[Silvertip]

You are into something that best be done by someone who understands marine shore power installations. The last thing you need is to electrocute someone. This is not a job for a novice.

 

[R055]

Yeah read an article on yahoo a couple days ago about a girl who was swimming and drowned, she was electrocuted in the water from her parents dock that didn't have GCI or any other protective measures.

 

[Natesms]

You'll need a breaker panel if you put in a shore power outlet.

For what it is worth. I actually had a 24' that had the shorepower plug on it and a carry on AC unit. I always had issues with getting proper power to the AC unit and just ran an extension cord from the dock to the AC unit.

 

[thumpar]

Another thing to add is to make sure your anodes are good. What engine/drive do you have?

 

[JoLin]

There's a lot to it. I did it on my boat last year to add a dedicated circuit for my new air conditioner install. Yes, you need a breaker panel, and you'll want 2 other breakers in addition to the main breaker. One for the AC and one for the charger. I strongly suggest you have a marine electrician do it. If you're determined to do it yourself, do a lot of reading and don't forget to put a galvanic isolator in the circuit. At the least, pay an electrician to sign off on your work.

My .02

 

[Grub54891]

Yup, as stated above, have an ABYC Certified electrician install a breaker panel with correctly rated breakers.