'97 Gulfstream going into a slip, shore power question

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robg9000

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Port o'connor (boat) Austin (res)
I've moved the boat to San Diego and will need to connect to shore power.
A dongle connector/converter was included when I bought the boat, used several years back.

I've looked all over and can't seem to find where it plugs in!
Can anyone help me?
Any tips on using shore power, testing its functionality etc. are most appreciated!
Thanks,
Rob
 
My '96 had shore power added when a battery charger was installed, I would think if you don't have an on-board charger then there isn't a hook up for shore power.

Dennis
 
Hi,
Not sure if that was an option on that boat. It would have a galvanic isolator (usually under the gunnel) and a battery charger if it does. Check the aft sections of the boat for the connector. I have a 2002 GW Catalog and the Gulfstream was not offered with shore power that I can see. You should have a long power cord if it was an option.

Just a guess... Maybe the Y connector was used to allow a standard 120vac power cord to be connected to the 3 lug 30 or 50A that are usually on docks?
 
Thanks guys,
We were unable to find out anywhere that 3 pronged dongle could plug into the boat.

It all of the sudden occured to me that the bilge pumps should be direct connected to the batteries and so shore power not needed for them to operate in the case of heavy rains or the boat springing a leak in the slip with the battery switches off.

That said, we shut the power switches to off and took a hose and filled the rear bilge until the bilge pump itself wass three inches under water and it never kicked on.
Do you think the auto sensor or float - whatever is supposed to trigger the pump malfunctioned?
I dont know what to do next..I turned the switches on and the pump emptied the bilge quite fast as one would hope.

Maybe this is 101 stuff but I never had it in a slip when I wasn't right there using it every day.
 
First, what type of adapter do you have? What types of connections are the two ends? My "guess" would be as mentioned above... a 30a to 15a adapter to allow a regular extension cord to be run from the shore power pedestal. Which would then allow the use of small AC items onboard such as a TV/DVD player, battery charger (if you end up finding it), etc.

If you're in a slip, it's a good idea to at least have a battery charger on all the time. Yes, bilge pumps are 12V, but if the batteries would happen to get run down for some reason, the bilge pumps won't work. If you have a charger, that will keep them going.

As far as why the auto function of the pump doesn't work, it could be any number of things (especially given that you may not know what a PO has done... which can sometimes be scary!). But some possibilities...

1) There is no float switch
2) The float switch does not work... faulty "switch", bad wiring, blown fuse
3) It's wired incorrectly - meaning it's wired through the battery switch, as opposed to direct to the battery

These things shouldn't be too hard to track down and figure out, though.
 
That's the same setup I use - a plug like that allows me to tap into the shore power outlet at my slip so that I can use a shop vac remove all the dog hair.

As for your bilge pump - my suggestion is to replace it. If that's original equipment you're pushing 20 years. Replace the pump, float switch and hose. I just did mine and the hose was quite brittle - it actually snapped in half while removing it from the pump. Also, keep in mind that some float switches from back then used mercury so dispose of it properly.
 
artodea said:
That's the same setup I use - a plug like that allows me to tap into the shore power outlet at my slip so that I can use a shop vac remove all the dog hair.
Click to expand...


BINGO! That allows you to use the power supplied by the marina using an extension cord. It doesn't plug into your boat. I notice it's not GFCI either so be careful!!!
 
BETTER!!!

10066835.jpg
 
robg9000 said:
Thanks guys,
We were unable to find out anywhere that 3 pronged dongle could plug into the boat.

It all of the sudden occured to me that the bilge pumps should be direct connected to the batteries and so shore power not needed for them to operate in the case of heavy rains or the boat springing a leak in the slip with the battery switches off.

That said, we shut the power switches to off and took a hose and filled the rear bilge until the bilge pump itself wass three inches under water and it never kicked on.
Do you think the auto sensor or float - whatever is supposed to trigger the pump malfunctioned?
I dont know what to do next..I turned the switches on and the pump emptied the bilge quite fast as one would hope.

Maybe this is 101 stuff but I never had it in a slip when I wasn't right there using it every day.
Click to expand...
The feed for the bilge pump/float circuit is directly connected to the battery and has a fuse in line. The feed for the manual override is usually powered off of the accessory bus (fuse block) at the helm. If the manual feed wire is not connected or the fuse is shot, the auto bilge wont work. So first thing is to see if there is power to the pump. If there is then you could have a bad float switch. If the float switch is connected with two wires, crossing the two together will bypass the switch and run the pump if the pump is good.
If the manual switch works then most likely the pump is OK both manual and auto
 
Hi
As stated, that dongle allows you to connect 15A household line cord (most standard items) into a 30A marina power point plug. My guess is either the owner used it in his slip (if he had one) or maybe for overnights if he went to a marina. You could run lights, a heater and even small appliances if needed.

You have a couple of options.

- You could use the dongle and run a line cord to the cabin. Might want to use a 3 or 4 adapter at the end to give you more power plug capability. This is certainly the cheapest and it would give you basic ac power.
- You could install some GFI plugs, pull the wires and bring to a point that you could use the arrangement above. A bit more work to look cleaner but the same basic power in say 3 locations.
- You could do the above and also wire an AC to DC converter and tie this to the required items that you want to power either by the 12v system on the boat or the converter. This would give you the ability to run critical systems off the AC at the dock.
- You could install a charger and galvanic isolator into the boat and add a 30A plug. You would need to get a 30A cord to direct plug the boat to the marina power point. Prob want to put in a couple of standard GFI plugs and wire to take advantage of it. If you do this, you could run it all off the shore power, just keep the switches on.

As for the rotary switches. I agree the bilge pumps should be hardwired and with systems that have the charger. I'm guessing that maybe they were wired the way you describe (rotary switches kill power to all - including the pumps) to give the owner the option not to draw from the battery. Not sure why, but maybe the desired way at that time?
 
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