GFCI outlet

[Stu Jackson]

if you trip the GFCI do all the other outlets go dead? There is a line and load side to a GFCI so that you can chain outlets and have them protected.

From our cruise notes up the coast in 2016:
The A.C. power went out to the outlet in the galley and the microwave. I mentioned it and Morgan said his outlet had stopped working, too. I had originally thought of having to take the galley outlet apart. But then I realized that when we first got the boat I had installed a GFI outlet in Morgan’s cabin. I hopped up and pressed the Test and then the Reset buttons and we’re back in business, no fuss, no muss. Morgan saved me a lot of unnecessary work. He said he could well have inadvertently pushed the test button, since he spends a lot of time in his cabin.

 

[Benny17441]

Not sure I agree with Benny. I can think of plenty of times on a boat where I could be grounded through the floor, either through a wet shower pan, cabin sole with overflowing bilge, etc.

I'm not arguing for or against; the point I wanted to make is that older boats did not have GFCI breakers and I have sailed plenty of them with no problems. I have also never heard of a single documented electrocution due to a faulty or grounded appliance aboard. I think it would be safe to say that any of us would naturally avoid touching in anything electrical if we were standing in a couple of inches of water. I was just wondering if the reason for no accidents was due to a poor ground conductivity when standing on a wood or plastic sole separated from the hull by inches of air. I also question the ground of some of the boat metal components that may be unbonded and away from the hull. Heck GFCI receptacles are cheap and any boat may only need 2 or 3 so it is no big deal to put some in. Some marine appliances already offer some protection like battery chargers but we like to use home stuff and power tools that may not be protected.