Ed- shore power question
Ed, I installed shore power on my Oday 272 some years ago and made the inlet decision based upon where the new panel was going to be installed and ease of access to route the power cable from the inlet to the new 120v panel. I chose to mount the panel on the bulkhead between the quarterberth and the lazerette which meant that the power would come in from the lazerette side. In order to make that happen and not have to remove the cabin bulkhead to route the new wiring, I mounted the Marinco inlet in the seat back on the port side all the way aft. I worried before the installation that the location might create an uncomfortable back support, but that hasn't happened. Anyone who sits there puts a cushion over the inlet and there is really no discomfort. I thought about the conventional location on the side of the cabin top, but there was no location where I could cut a hole and get the wiring concealed without building a chase. If you see a way to get the cable into the boat from one side or the other of the cabin top and are able to conceal the cable (or better, protect the cable from mechanical damage) go for it. But also, keep in mind that the shorter the run from the inlet to the panel, the better. I have 6 GFCI outlets wired on the boat. There is one GFCI in the galley area wired in series with a standard outlet, one GFCI in the quarterberth area, another in the head wired in series to one in the v-berth. The (expensive, multi-stage) battery charger is also wired to a dedicated GFCI in the lazerette. All the wire is Ancor Marine grade tinned wire. All connections are done with spade or ring terminals. Make sure you error on the high side as far as wire gauge goes. Pick up a simple wiring manual from WM or BoatUS. There is good information in both the WM and BoatUS catalogs. Sometimes you can find a free manual in the store which will help you calculate loads. If not, buy a good one. This is not a difficult project because (unlike plumbing) wiring can be snaked through lots of nooks and crannies. Locations of rough boxes for the devices have to be thought out so that the wiring is concealed. Make sure you can get from point A to point B without exposing wire before you cut holes for rough boxes. Enjoy, Tom
