On Mon, 17 Mar 2014 18:01:06 -0400, david@righthere... wrote:

I've been on 30A 120V power at the dock for years and would now like to upgrade
to 50A 220V, or what they refer to as 50A 250V at the marina office. I haven't
put a meter on it yet but so far suspect it's closer to 220 than 250. The socket
on the pedestal is like the one pictured he

http://www.catagle.com/68-153/CWD_Ar...uyersGuide.htm

They say it's 3-pole 4-wire. I'm guessing X and Y are the two hot legs and W is
the neutral. Between X or Y and W would be 120V+/- and between X and Y is the
220/250V. Right? How does the ground tie into it though? With only 3 poles do we
run a separate wire from the boat to the pedestal, and if so how do we tie in?

Also can anyone suggest the cheapest place to get a plug like that? So far the
best price I've found is $68.18 he

http://www.ktool.net/servlet/the-581...-63CR65/Detail

Thank you for any help!
David

===

You've gotten some fairly good advice from most sources but let me
emphasize that this is not a job to be undertaken by an an amatuer DIY
electrician. A 50 amp shore power outlet is capable of delivering
about 12 kilowatts of electricity and that is way more than what is
needed to start a fire or electrocute someone. The parts are readily
available from West Marine or your local electrical distributor but
this is not a trivial project. In addition to rewiring your dock, you
also need to totally redo your boat's electrical system from the shore
power connectors right through to the breaker panel. You will totally
void your insurance policy if the job is not done to professional
standards.

If you'd like to learn more from a reliable source, I'd suggest you
start with this book by Nigel Calder:

http://www.amazon.com/Boatowners-Mechanical-Electrical-Manual-Essential/dp/0071432388