Short Sightedness

dparilla

dparilla

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Jan 22, 2008
597
Oday 35 and Mariner 2+2 Alexandria, VA
Well. Stupidity reigns supreme. I was just informed by a client that his marina will not allow the use of SmartPlugs on boats because they are not UL listed! I compiled a list of evidence as to why they are the better plug, but until they review the information, I have been told that I should remove the smart plug and install the owners original Marinco plug! Gotta love bureaucracy.

Any good ammo would be appreciated.
 
Jackdaw

Jackdaw

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Nov 8, 2010
11,386
Beneteau First 36.7 & 260 Minneapolis MN & Bayfield WI
The smartplug is ETL certified. Is arguably better than a UL mark but that depends of who is listening. If they are smart enough they will know what that means. If they are dumb enough not to, you might be swapping plugs!
 
woodster

woodster

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Sep 15, 2009
6,244
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
good time to contact smart plug and see what they have to say about it i would think they don't need this to continue
 
dparilla

dparilla

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Jan 22, 2008
597
Oday 35 and Mariner 2+2 Alexandria, VA
Thanks Woody, I just did that. I am waiting on their data sheets.
 
Hello Below

Hello Below

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May 7, 2012
1,618
Hunter e33 Maple Bay, BC
dparilla said:
Well. Stupidity reigns supreme. I was just informed by a client that his marina will not allow the use of SmartPlugs on boats because they are not UL listed! I compiled a list of evidence as to why they are the better plug, but until they review the information, I have been told that I should remove the smart plug and install the owners original Marinco plug! Gotta love bureaucracy. Any good ammo would be appreciated.
Click to expand
So here are 2 insurance companies, one Canadian (mine) and one American, that give discounts for having a Smartplug installed.

http://www.boatingindustry.com/mari...insurance-companies-offer-smartplug-discount/

I would have the folks at Smartplug touch base with the marina.
 
L

LloydB

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Jan 15, 2006
927
Macgregor 22 Silverton
I'm not understanding how the owners original Marinco plug got installed onto your boat. Could you enlighten that process?
 
woodster

woodster

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Sep 15, 2009
6,244
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
LloydB said:
I'm not understanding how the owners original Marinco plug got installed onto your boat. Could you enlighten that process?
Click to expand
you may want to re read the ops original post again and a little slower
 
dparilla

dparilla

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Jan 22, 2008
597
Oday 35 and Mariner 2+2 Alexandria, VA
It is not on my boat, though I do happen to still have theirs in my truck. I replaced their plug with a smart plug and cordset as part of a rewiring job. Their marina wants them to put the original plug back. Since I did the work, it would be I replacing the plug.

I happen to have a smart plug on my boat...what a great product. Easy installation, and I absolutely recommend them to others.
 
Maine Sail

Maine Sail

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Feb 6, 1998
11,759
Canadian Sailcraft 36T Casco Bay, ME
Talk about a stoopid:cussing: marina.. Now lets review why the SP does not technically have a UL approval..

#1 When Harvey Hubbell wrote the test standard it called for TWIST LOCK Plugs. Something Mr. Hubbell had a patent on!!! UL can't test a non twist-lock to a twist-lock standard. D'oh......

#2 The SP design is far better than twist-lock, does not require any twisting, can only go in one way and has a true positive locking feature. The Twist-Lock fails in every regard... If we want to discuss a positive locking feature, the Smart Plug beats the Hubbell Twist-Lock like Bobby Brown beat Whitney, no contest....;)

#3 The NFPA/NEC only allowed for the rules to be re-written to accommodate the Smart Plug last year. This means SP won a HUGE battle and has the likes of the standards writers in their camp!

#4 In the mean time they had it tested to UL standards (minus the ridiculous requirement for a twist lock) by IMANNA labs the same exact folks that certify just about every navigation light out there. The Smart Plug exceeds UL for every measure except twist locking, EXCEEDS!!!! Once the standard is finalized they can then test at UL.

#5 UL was proud to take thousands of dollars from SP only to send them a note a few weeks later saying "These are not twist lock and can't be tested to this standard.".

#6 The Smart Plug is already ETL. ETL is a far more thorough testing standard than UL. ETL passed the SP with flying colors. ETL & UL are both equally accepted by states, municipalities and the NEC/NFPA.


It is PURE RUBBISH that these cord sets do not meet UL because they EXCEED UL......

Furthermore the end that connects to the marina is NEMA L5-30, same as Marinco, Hubbell etc......... What is on your boat end is simply no business of theirs.....

I am certain I could step on every single boat in that marina, including the owners, and find far more dangerous situations on every single boat than a SP would ever create... The SP makes his/her marina safer but he / she is simply to ignorant/uneducated to understand that.....

I am also certain I could set foot on every boat in that marina and find piles and piles of non Marine UL battery chargers, inverters, gen sets, etc. etc. etc........

Please out this marina that wants to remain UNSAFE and stuck in 1938!:eek:

Honestly this is the absolute dumbest thing I have heard in eons... Seems time your marina owner reads and understands this.....;)


Smart Plug vs. 1938 !!
 
woodster

woodster

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Sep 15, 2009
6,244
S2 9.2a Fairhope Al
Furthermore the end that connects to the marina is NEMA L5-30, same as Marinco, Hubble etc......... What is on your boat end is simply no business of theirs.....

my thoughts exactly .......but who is going to be the spin doctor to weave the truth into acceptance......as they say it easier to believe a lie than the truth ...i hope he can get this resolved ...but my guess is that the marina has made its line in the sand and is too narrow minded to back up......as an old girlfriend used to say " Honestly!!!!...Some people!!"
 
dparilla

dparilla

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Jan 22, 2008
597
Oday 35 and Mariner 2+2 Alexandria, VA
Maine Sail, I am clipping your comments and the writeup you posted and heading over with a surveyor (and insurance adjuster for USAA) this morning. Depending on the outcome of the discussion I may have to let the name of this self proclaimed "Premier Yachting Destination" slip.
 
dparilla

dparilla

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Jan 22, 2008
597
Oday 35 and Mariner 2+2 Alexandria, VA
I spoke to Terry from SmartPlug, and again I am impressed with their service! He is sending me a full set of literature, demo items and the ratings issued by ETL, which as was stated exceeds that of UL testing. After a conversation with the marina manager, and a subsequent phone call to the service director for their entire marina network, they have "decided" that since no modification to their pedestals is required, that SmartPlugs may be used in all of their marinas. The fact that i was able to find 4 boats at Gangplank Marina (a sister marina) already using the SP helped as well.

Thanks for the info and support.
 
Gunni

Gunni

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Mar 16, 2010
5,937
Beneteau 411 Oceanis Annapolis
What is on your boat end is simply no business of theirs.....
Click to expand
Sure it is. Burning boats are a liability to the marina and adjacent boats. And boat-side connections are a big culprit. Keep your boat in someone's marina and you are subject to a long list of their rules.

That doesn't mean they have to be smart rules.
 
B

Benny17441

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May 24, 2004
7,213
CC 30 South Florida
This might go deeper. There might be a clause in the marina's insurance policy that might require all electrical connectors to be UL approved. If the use of SmartPlugs is to proliferate they will need to get the UL endorsement. Yes, Underwriters Laboratory is a business and they work in conjunction with Insurance companies and manufacturers and to get their certification will cost money and perhaps expose patent information to the competition. Welcome to America.
 
Ron20324

Ron20324

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Jan 22, 2008
8,050
Beneteau 323 Annapolis MD
Benny17441 said:
... might require all electrical connectors to be UL approved. If the use of SmartPlugs is to proliferate they will need to get the UL endorsement....
Click to expand
Or just change the wording to read " shall meet or exceed UL requirements".:doh:
 
L

LloydB

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Jan 15, 2006
927
Macgregor 22 Silverton
For those reading too fast remember that "same as", "as good as", "better than", and "is" are not the same thing. You may take that from someone who has read "must be UL installation" to mean the same thing as: install a UL part by a MFG trained licensed electrician. Wherever you work or play there's usually more than one AHJ and if you don't believe that just ask the admrial.
 
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