Shore power cords

J

JohnC

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I may replace my 50 amp shore power cord this spring. I see that Hubbell, Charles, and Marinco all make them. Is there any difference in quality between the 3?

Thanks,
John
 
Hubbell uses, or used to I haven't look in a while, a metal body in their plug ends. Where as Marinco uses all plastic. Can't recall on the Charles version.

Most of the failures with shore cords seem to be at the connections in the plug due to loose, wet or corroded wires. And I've seen that happen in all brands. So I can't say there is a big advantage to the metal bodied Hubbell plugs.

I'd buy which ever brand you can get the best price on and take proper care of it and it's plugs.
 
The problem with that idea is he has to replace the boat side plug as well. Plus I'm sure the cord alone costs significantly more than a standard 50a cord. At least based on the asking price of their 30a cords.

And if you read this: "A complete line of 50 Amp connectors, inlets, cord sets and accessories will begin entering the market in the spring of 2011." it doesn't look like their 50a stuff is even available yet.
 
John- I don't want to hijack your thread but is it difficult to replace the ends on a 50 AMP cord ?

My shore power cord is in good shape but I would like to install new ends. The present ends allow too much twisting of the cord inside the strain relief.
 
No it's not difficult. Just lube the new covers a bit before you go to slip them over the new plugs.
 
John
Yes there is a difference! We have Hubbel, and if we did not use Hubbel the locking ring would not work. Look at them closely before you purchase one to make sure the locking ring is compatible and will secure the cord. I believe Marineco will not lock up properly in a hubbel rigged boat.
And yes, you can replace the connector. A 50 amp is going to be very expensive unless you know someone. Which end went? The tower end? That's what happened with ours, and I bought a new connector to patch it until we got a new cord. I will say the new cord is much more flexible due to the copper wire used. It has many more strands. The old cable is brutal stiff.
 
The Marinco's are complete crap. The smartplug is better in nearly every fashion. Given that the shore power connections have resulted in a very large percentage of marina fires, not only should you replace the marinco with the smartplug, but you might want to consider buying ones for your slip neighbors too. Not kidding.

I replaced my Marinco's about every other year and I got used to seeing scorched terminals in that very short timeframe. Given that my connections are on the outside of the boat and easily splashed, but it takes very LITTLe abuse to start the downward spiral with these things.

The smartplugs are coming down in price. They are comparable to buying a new marinco unit. Neither are hard to replace. Yes, you can buy the guts for the marinco at about half the cost of the whole receptacle, but a lot of people really need to full meal deal replace since their covers are banged up and don't fit right anyway.

To say it another way, you can vastly increase the chance of not burning down your boat for less than $200 bucks, new cord inclusive (30A) and you probably need to change out the connection if you have not done it last year anyway.

I'd wait for the smartplug 50A if you have to.
 
quote:
Originally posted by boatbum

John
Yes there is a difference! We have Hubbel, and if we did not use Hubbel the locking ring would not work.

Click to expand...


Maybe they have changed. But they used to be compatible. I used both Hubbell and Marinco interchangeably for years when I managed a charter fleet.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ghost

The Marinco's are complete crap. The smartplug is better in nearly every fashion. Given that the shore power connections have resulted in a very large percentage of marina fires, not only should you replace the marinco with the smartplug, but you might want to consider buying ones for your slip neighbors too. Not kidding.

I replaced my Marinco's about every other year and I got used to seeing scorched terminals in that very short timeframe. Given that my connections are on the outside of the boat and easily splashed, but it takes very LITTLe abuse to start the downward spiral with these things.

The smartplugs are coming down in price. They are comparable to buying a new marinco unit. Neither are hard to replace. Yes, you can buy the guts for the marinco at about half the cost of the whole receptacle, but a lot of people really need to full meal deal replace since their covers are banged up and don't fit right anyway.

To say it another way, you can vastly increase the chance of not burning down your boat for less than $200 bucks, new cord inclusive (30A) and you probably need to change out the connection if you have not done it last year anyway.

I'd wait for the smartplug 50A if you have to.

Click to expand...


Smart Plugs look like good plugs and cords indeed. But you can only upgrade the Boat connection. Not the dock end. So I'm not totally sold on them. Especially since most shore cords seem to get wet from mishandling when they are unplugged. As apposed to when they are properly plugged in. Most cords seem to go bad from improper use and care, not design IMHO.

And how long do you think he should wait for the 50a Smart Plug to be available if he has a bad cord now? He could have a fire waiting for the "better" cord. :-)
 
I talked to a surveyor/fireman this winter regarding heating the inside of the boat while I was away. He told me two things. First if there is a fire and you do not have an ABYC approved heater (like Mixmans custom Xtreme) prepare for a fight. Second is the fire you see at the cord is not always the cord. He recommended at least annually, pull the fittings from the side of the boat and make sure the connections are tight. No different than a house, the ebb and flow of current can back out the connectors just as if it were a ground in your breaker box at home.

Food for thought.
 
Here we go again.
A fireman / authority on all which may float and burn. Get my wheel barrow and load all non ABYA devices into it and head for the dumpster. Does the insurance company get to decide which devices ARE allowed to be non approved? Really ? So if my non ABYA approved hair dryer, curling iron,(maybe I use it, and maybe I don't :) ) microwave, toaster, coffee maker, coffee grinder, table lamp, floor fan, electric blanket, cell phone charger, auxillary battery charger, stereo, inverter, ice maker cause a fire it's OK, but put that box heater on the counter top, and now we have an insurance issue ? Can't find that clause in MY insurance policy.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Capt. Bill1

quote:
Originally posted by Ghost

The Marinco's are complete crap. The smartplug is better in nearly every fashion. Given that the shore power connections have resulted in a very large percentage of marina fires, not only should you replace the marinco with the smartplug, but you might want to consider buying ones for your slip neighbors too. Not kidding.

I replaced my Marinco's about every other year and I got used to seeing scorched terminals in that very short timeframe. Given that my connections are on the outside of the boat and easily splashed, but it takes very LITTLe abuse to start the downward spiral with these things.

The smartplugs are coming down in price. They are comparable to buying a new marinco unit. Neither are hard to replace. Yes, you can buy the guts for the marinco at about half the cost of the whole receptacle, but a lot of people really need to full meal deal replace since their covers are banged up and don't fit right anyway.

To say it another way, you can vastly increase the chance of not burning down your boat for less than $200 bucks, new cord inclusive (30A) and you probably need to change out the connection if you have not done it last year anyway.

I'd wait for the smartplug 50A if you have to.

Click to expand...


Smart Plugs look like good plugs and cords indeed. But you can only upgrade the Boat connection. Not the dock end. So I'm not totally sold on them. Especially since most shore cords seem to get wet from mishandling when they are unplugged. As apposed to when they are properly plugged in. Most cords seem to go bad from improper use and care, not design IMHO.

And how long do you think he should wait for the 50a Smart Plug to be available if he has a bad cord now? He could have a fire waiting for the "better" cord. :-)

Click to expand...


Since the vast majority of the fires happen at the boat end, thats the end that does need to be upgraded. This is not to say that the dock end shouldnt be inpsected. Most problems with shore cords is that they are not properly and securely tightened when connected. it is a poor design. Smart plug eliminates that problem. Getting wet is not what causes the fires. it is loose corroded connections between the cord and the inlet.
I'm sold on Smart plugs and plan to replace mine with on this summer.

As for how long he should wait. If the cord is bad, he should not wait long at all, but if the cord may last a couple months until the 50s are available, I'd be thinking abut waiting.
 
quote:
Originally posted by bobalong

Here we go again.
A fireman / authority on all which may float and burn. Get my wheel barrow and load all non ABYA devices into it and head for the dumpster. Does the insurance company get to decide which devices ARE allowed to be non approved? Really ? So if my non ABYA approved hair dryer, curling iron,(maybe I use it, and maybe I don't :) ) microwave, toaster, coffee maker, coffee grinder, table lamp, floor fan, electric blanket, cell phone charger, auxillary battery charger, stereo, inverter, ice maker cause a fire it's OK, but put that box heater on the counter top, and now we have an insurance issue ? Can't find that clause in MY insurance policy.

Click to expand...


I should have used the words "unattended heater" in my thread. That may have clarified things a bit.

WRT your statement, "A fireman / authority on all which may float and burn." The gentleman was one of the surveyors called to determine the cause of the McCotter fire in Beaufort, NC. Additionally, he is the NBOA (insurance) company's go to guy in this area.

The requirements for heating equipment is defined in the CFR, ABYC and the NFPA.

Sorry if I confused or mislead anyone. That was not my intent.
 
...IIRC, Hubbell has been the standard for like 50-years or more...
...in my experience, I never had an issue with it...
...so, I'd go with Hubbell...
 
"Getting wet is not what causes the fires. it is loose corroded connections between the cord and the inlet."

True but getting wet is what causes the corrosion in most cases. no? And getting wet seems to happen more often than not when the cord end is unplugged.

Like I said, Smart Plug seems like a good system. But running around telling people it's the only way to go, everybody should have one and that they should replace their existing cords right away seems a little over the top. I think people would be better served running around making sure the cord sets they have now are properly maintained and cared for.
 
when i replaced my shore power cords in the glendining unit a few years back i asked the same question of the marine electrician as they had both marinco and hubble avaialble. there is a significant cost difference between the two. the electrician told me that in his experience the marinco lasted about 1/2 as long as the hubble. since my application had a signicant labor component to it, the difference in cost was worth it.
 
Thanks for the feedback guys. Looks like a few votes for the Hubble. That's what I saw when I was looking this weekend and I thought the ends and connections look better than what I have now (not sure if it's Charles or Marinco).

quote:
John- I don't want to hijack your thread but is it difficult to replace the ends on a 50 AMP cord ?
Click to expand...


I started thinking about this Sunday when I was in a marine store and picking up some other parts I need for spring prep. I happened to notice the electrical accessories and started thinking about my shore power cord. At some point late last season something on the dock side of my cord seemed to shift and I ended up with a gap between the cover on the end and the yellow outer insulation on the cord itself. I played around with it and got it back in place but wasn't long before it slipped again. I taped it up to get through the season but I was afraid water was going to start getting in there and causing problems so I need to deal with it properly. On the boat side the plug never quite fit as snug as I thought it should have either. Interesting what Dan mentioned because I think the inlet on the boat is a Hubble but the cord is not and it never tightened the way I thought it should. Anyway, I looked at new plugs and new covers and by time you buy those it's $250 and I would still have a ratty looking cord that was probably original with the boat (16 years). So I'd rather spend the money and get everything new.

As far as the smartplug is concerned I've been reading good reviews on them and it seems like a good system but if it's not even out yet for 50 amp setups I don't think I want to be the first one installing it in case of unforeseen issues. I also have 2 50 amp inlets on my boat (one on each side so I can choose whichever is better depending on where I'm docked) so I'd have to replace both. I don't want to wait on a new cord so maybe in time if the smartplug proves that much better I'll make the switch.

Thanks,
John
 
My experience says they will twist lock, but the lock ring that is put in place subsequently is what does not engage properly. Check the mfg. on all ends. The boat end is the most important since that is the one you can predict. All others will merely twist lock into place at the tower.
 
To your issue with the cover, in most cases where I've seen that happen, as long as the wires are not actually pulling out of the plug, it's because who ever repaired the plug in the past left the individual wires to long so the cover ends up to short to cover and seal against the yellow insulation layer. And that ends up letting in water and Fs up the plug.
 
My boat came with a Hubble cord and Marinco boat recepticle. I replaced both ends on the Hubble cord about two years ago. The end of the plug were is was molded to the cord had started to crack. When I installed the cover on the end I replaced I put some silicon inside the cord end of the cover to insure I would have a tight seal against the cord. I haven't had any issues with the cover or the plug after replacing them. I also replaced the plastic recepticle on the boat with a stainless steel one with a round cover that will twist to seal it when it is closed without a cord. The one I replaced was a plastic square one in which the covered just snapped shut when the cord wasn't plugged in. I have 50A-240V cord which is 50 feet and is heavy and difficult to handle. It was getting old but was in good shape after replacing the ends. My dock recepticle is very close to the stern of the boat where the boat recepticle is. I decided to buy a new cord but went with a 25 foot cord vs. 50. It is really nice handling the 25 foot cord. I now have 75' of 50A cord which will be beneficially for guest mooring where I can go stern in to the slip. I bought the 25' cord from WM during one of their sales events and was into for less than $400. I actually bought the boat recepticle off eBay for $25. It was brand new in the factory packaging. I was skeptical based on the price but figured for $25 it was worth a shot.

The key is to keep the plugs and recepticles dry. As long as you are paying attention with the sealing collar I don't see any real advantage with any of the different brands. The plugs on the Marinco cord I just bought are molded onto the end of the cord so there is no risk of them leaking as long as the sealing collar is properly secured. Good practices are also key; power off at the boat panel, power off at the dock then handle the cords. I also connect them end to end and use the sealing collar when ever the cords are not being used. I keep all my pigtail adapters in a nice whether proof storage bag as well. I believe with proper care all of these cords should have a similar useful life.

These manufactures have both been in business a long time with basically the same design so I would guess if they was a safty issue they would not still be in business.
 
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