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Jere Lull

In article . com,
wrote:

I was just given a boat, and I haven't spent much time around them.
It needs work, so I hope to learn as I go. My question is this, when
I plug the boat into the power on the dock, should everything on the
boat work (outlets, radio, etc) or just certain items?

Is there usually a switch that also needs to be turned on when
plugging in? Does the key need to be in the ignition like on a car?

After plugging it in, nothing seemed to work. When I put new
batteries in, lights and radio worked (didn't check outlets at this
time).

I know that the cord from the dock to the boat was fine.

Because you don't know if the system was good when the boat was put up,
and who knows what's corroded since, I'd leave the boat unplugged from
shore power until I traced the lines and confirmed the conditions. When
we got Xan, the first thing I did was rip the 110v circuits completely
out as they were incredibly unsafe.

As another mentioned, most systems on boats are 12v and controlled by
panel switches and fuses or circuit breakers. Usually, other than a few
outlets and possibly refrigeration, plugging in just charges the battery
bank(s).

--
Jere Lull
Xan-a-Deux ('73 Tanzer 28 #4 out of Tolchester, MD)
Xan's Pages: http://members.dca.net/jerelull/X-Main.html
Our BVI FAQs (290+ pics) http://homepage.mac.com/jerelull/BVI/