The Isolation transformer was an expensive, but very worthwhile option on the 49
/50 boats.
Unfortunately, Hunter had no way of educating the dealers marketing this properly, and very few customers understood the value of this rather heavy $4000 option.
Well, the main purpose of the isolation transformer is to prevent electrolysis, and to have a safer grounding system on the boat.
I’m not going to get into a whole discussion on this, as there are several online sources that do a good job of it.
I actually use many functions of the xformer, and for those of you who have one, here are some tips.
And, for owners of 49/50 owners who don’t have one installed, perhaps this might be an incentive to get an extra 120 lbs of weight added to your boat.
Firstly, the 49 /50 s are 220 v boats. This is a fabulous improvement over having dual 30A cords, and having the efficiency of 220v airco units, etc.
Yes, the 50A cables are larger & heavier, but once you modify your power inlet to a 50A smart plug, it is truly the easiest way to plug into shore power.
Until you cruise into a marina that only has 30A 120v power posts.
So, you can spend $400 on a reverse Y unit which grabs 2 30A receptacles, and hopefully gives you 220 50A. The problem is that unless the two 30A Outlets have opposite phases, you won’t get 220 volts.
And, of course, there’s always the existing boat moored there who is already using one of the 30A plugs. It’s not an easy sell to ask him to move his power cord somewhere else.
And here is the first Magic trick your transformer does.
By simply moving one wire on the internal terminal block, the transformer switches from a 1:1 isolation transformer to a 1:2 step up transformer.
So, you (with an adapter cable you will need to make /buy), plug into 30A 120v, and your boat will now have 220v service.
The caveat is that you’ll only have 30A, which is plenty to run the charger, your main cabin airco, and the microwave.
Trick #2
Many marinas /clubs have 208v service instead of 220 / 240
You’ll see your AC panel struggle to get above 98 volts , and it drops further once you have the charger running full bore & an airco.
Running 229 airco units at 180 volts doesn’t make them happy campers, and shortens their lifespan,
Once again, the isolation transformer comes to the rescue.
You can wire it in a “step up” mode so that 208v becomes 220 v with full 50 A capability.
Now, here is where I put the HUGE warning label.
If you don’t know know how to modify the taps yourself, do not mess with this. Call an electrician, and he’ll do this in less than 1 hour.
Bigger warning…..,,.
Never, ever, ever change the taps, and plug into a new service without making sure it’s set properly.
The very worst case is plugging into 220 volt shore, and having your transformer set to “double mode”
This is where marshmallows come in handy,
Lastly, if you have the transformer already installed from the factory, I have a rather important tip for you.
Owing to the weight of the xformer, Hunter installed it with the mounting feel downwards, which made the access panel to the taps all but impossible to get into
You want to re-mount the xformer on its side, so that the access plate is facing upwards.
This saves hours of time when you need to access it
I’ll be posting a huge technical post this week showing the most useful upgrade I’ve done in years which affects ALL Hunter models, as well as anything with an engine & sails . It’s been in the works for awhile
Just putting it into pdf, as you’ll be sharing it with other boat buddies
/50 boats.
Unfortunately, Hunter had no way of educating the dealers marketing this properly, and very few customers understood the value of this rather heavy $4000 option.
Well, the main purpose of the isolation transformer is to prevent electrolysis, and to have a safer grounding system on the boat.
I’m not going to get into a whole discussion on this, as there are several online sources that do a good job of it.
I actually use many functions of the xformer, and for those of you who have one, here are some tips.
And, for owners of 49/50 owners who don’t have one installed, perhaps this might be an incentive to get an extra 120 lbs of weight added to your boat.
Firstly, the 49 /50 s are 220 v boats. This is a fabulous improvement over having dual 30A cords, and having the efficiency of 220v airco units, etc.
Yes, the 50A cables are larger & heavier, but once you modify your power inlet to a 50A smart plug, it is truly the easiest way to plug into shore power.
Until you cruise into a marina that only has 30A 120v power posts.
So, you can spend $400 on a reverse Y unit which grabs 2 30A receptacles, and hopefully gives you 220 50A. The problem is that unless the two 30A Outlets have opposite phases, you won’t get 220 volts.
And, of course, there’s always the existing boat moored there who is already using one of the 30A plugs. It’s not an easy sell to ask him to move his power cord somewhere else.
And here is the first Magic trick your transformer does.
By simply moving one wire on the internal terminal block, the transformer switches from a 1:1 isolation transformer to a 1:2 step up transformer.
So, you (with an adapter cable you will need to make /buy), plug into 30A 120v, and your boat will now have 220v service.
The caveat is that you’ll only have 30A, which is plenty to run the charger, your main cabin airco, and the microwave.
Trick #2
Many marinas /clubs have 208v service instead of 220 / 240
You’ll see your AC panel struggle to get above 98 volts , and it drops further once you have the charger running full bore & an airco.
Running 229 airco units at 180 volts doesn’t make them happy campers, and shortens their lifespan,
Once again, the isolation transformer comes to the rescue.
You can wire it in a “step up” mode so that 208v becomes 220 v with full 50 A capability.
Now, here is where I put the HUGE warning label.
If you don’t know know how to modify the taps yourself, do not mess with this. Call an electrician, and he’ll do this in less than 1 hour.
Bigger warning…..,,.
Never, ever, ever change the taps, and plug into a new service without making sure it’s set properly.
The very worst case is plugging into 220 volt shore, and having your transformer set to “double mode”
This is where marshmallows come in handy,
Lastly, if you have the transformer already installed from the factory, I have a rather important tip for you.
Owing to the weight of the xformer, Hunter installed it with the mounting feel downwards, which made the access panel to the taps all but impossible to get into
You want to re-mount the xformer on its side, so that the access plate is facing upwards.
This saves hours of time when you need to access it
I’ll be posting a huge technical post this week showing the most useful upgrade I’ve done in years which affects ALL Hunter models, as well as anything with an engine & sails . It’s been in the works for awhile
Just putting it into pdf, as you’ll be sharing it with other boat buddies
