How many amps. to run a 1999 270 se on dockside power

[CnCsigns]

I'm trying to find out how may amps my 1999 Sea Ray Sundancer SE will need to be pluged into dock side power.
Also can you run it off a small Honda Generator 2000w?
Thanks...
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[Presentation]

Lets step back from your boat and talk about your home.

You may have a 200 amp service for your home.

Go thru your home and turn on everything. Turn on your electric cloths dryer, your electric stove, microwave, air conditioning, every switch.

Plug things in everywhere, blow-dryers, portable electric heaters, etc.

Eventually you will exceed 200 amps and trip the main breaker even if every sub-circuit does not exceed its capacity.

Got the concept?

Back to your boat. Do you have air conditioning? Electric water heater? Microwave? Battery charger? Electric stove? Coffee Maker? More? If you do and you turn on everything the demand will get higher but in the real world you normally don’t have everything on at once.

Add up what you would reasonably have on at once and add up the usage to determine your proper needs.

Most marine shore power systems are 30 amps, some are 50 amps. 30 amps would be the electrical system your boat came with if it’s a Sea Ray factory shore power system and this would be more then adequate for normal use for boats our size.

About the Honda generator....this board, the senior members, and I am against running a portable generator onboard a boat. You will find some members here that do it but the general belief at this board is that the risk of CO poisoning is too high.

 

[Hampton]

Toaster, hair dryer, portable space heater, microwave, air conditioner, water heater and many other, similar products all use 10 amps. Battery charger, hair dryer on low, space heater on low, water pump, and other, similar items use 1 - 2 amps.

My boat uses 2, 30 amps cords. Unless we are cooking or trying to warm up, we are generally under 15 amps at any given time. When cooking, we turn off the space heater (so we can microwave safely) and water heater (for any cooking). By doing that, we don't have any problems. Leave those 2 on and then start the microwave with the a/c (or heater) and stove, and you have 50 amps plus lights, music, tv.

50 amps times 120 volts give 6 KW. We have a 5 KW genny, so, this is what we've learned: At the dock, you've got 60 amps to max out at. On the hook, we only have forty something - 4 X 10 amp items plus lights, music, battery charger.

 

[Presentation]

John, excellent write up. Just FYI…us little ‘dancers only have one 30 amp shore power connection, not two.

I’m not sure where the factory Sea Ray shore power system goes from one to two 30 amp plugs but its bigger than the 280 Sundancer.

 

[CnCsigns]

THANKS for all you advice!
OK, maybe what I should be asking is, if I'm keeping the boat at my home (in the water) and plugging in to my home ground fault outside outlet w/in 30 feet what size breaker should it be?
Yes the boat does have:
Air conditioning, Electric water heater, Microwave, Battery charger, Electric stove, TV, etc...
But as you stated most would not be on all at once, maybe the A/C, Battery Charger & TV, and some cabin lights.

Thanks,
C&C Signs and Banners

 

[Southpaw II]

THANKS for all you advice!
OK, maybe what I should be asking is, if I'm keeping the boat at my home (in the water) and plugging in to my home ground fault outside outlet w/in 30 feet what size breaker should it be?
Yes the boat does have:
Air conditioning, Electric water heater, Microwave, Battery charger, Electric stove, TV, etc...
But as you stated most would not be on all at once, maybe the A/C, Battery Charger & TV, and some cabin lights.

Thanks,
C&C Signs and Banners

Your boat should use 30 amp service.

 

[HUMPH]

30 amps at 120 volts

 

[skolbe]

When I first bought my 260 - I had to go into a temporary slip that had 20 AMP service - it was not enough power, the dock breaker was being overloaded all the time - when I went to a new slip and went to 30 AMP service - I never had a problem.

 

[Presentation]

THANKS for all you advice!
OK, maybe what I should be asking is, if I'm keeping the boat at my home (in the water) and plugging in to my home ground fault outside outlet w/in 30 feet what size breaker should it be?
Yes the boat does have:
Air conditioning, Electric water heater, Microwave, Battery charger, Electric stove, TV, etc...
But as you stated most would not be on all at once, maybe the A/C, Battery Charger & TV, and some cabin lights.

Thanks,
C&C Signs and Banners

If you are plugging into a existing outlet on your home it should already have a beaker protecting that outlet that is the correct size for the gauge wire that is run to that outlet.

So my answer, assuming your house is wired per the national electrical code, would be you need no additional circuit protection, just plug it in. If your breaker in your home for this circuit trips you turned on too much.

By the way, if it’s a standard plug you must be using a adapter to go to the marine twist lock. What are you using?

 

[CnCsigns]

Boat came with the adapter to go to the marine twist lock.
Please understand, I'm asking all the questions because I just bought the boat and it's not here yet, and I'd like to know what I'll need for the dock side power to work.
I believe my outside outlet is only 15a. )-8

As far as a generator, it would be outside the boat on the swim plaform, and not used while sleeping.
I'm just asked if a 2000w generator would do the trick to run Air conditioning, Electric water heater, Microwave, Battery charger, Electric stove, TV, etc...
But as you stated most would not be on all at once, maybe the A/C, Battery Charger & TV, and some cabin lights.

 

[Presentation]

Boat came with the adapter to go to the marine twist lock.
Please understand, I'm asking all the questions because I just bought the boat and it's not here yet, and I'd like to know what I'll need for the dock side power to work.
I believe my outside outlet is only 15a. )-8

As far as a generator, it would be outside the boat on the swim plaform, and not used while sleeping.
I'm just asked if a 2000w generator would do the trick to run Air conditioning, Electric water heater, Microwave, Battery charger, Electric stove, TV, etc...
But as you stated most would not be on all at once, maybe the A/C, Battery Charger & TV, and some cabin lights.

Please do not use your portable generator on the swim platform when you are sleeping or when you are not sleeping.

I do not want you or your family to die.

 

[CnCsigns]

Boat came with the adapter to go to the marine twist lock.
Please understand, I'm asking all the questions because I just bought the boat and it's not here yet, and I'd like to know what I'll need for the dock side power to work.
I believe my outside outlet is only 15a. )-8


Oh one more thing the generator runs on LP GAS, NATURAL GAS if that makes things any worse!

 

[Presentation]

Boat came with the adapter to go to the marine twist lock.
Please understand, I'm asking all the questions because I just bought the boat and it's not here yet, and I'd like to know what I'll need for the dock side power to work.
I believe my outside outlet is only 15a. )-8

Like this one?

If so, I will stick with my previous answer. Your home outlet is already protected by a breaker in your home. Just plug it in and go.

The adapter allows you to put too big of a load into too small of a power supply. You need to then use your noodle to make sure you do not overload the circuit.

You will need to control your power usage. If the A/C is on, then nothing else, ok? Ditto with ever major power use item, just one at a time.

If your breaker trips its telling you something. Don’t turn on so much.

Keep in mind…..shoot, I’ll explain this in another post.

 

[Presentation]

.............more:

Keep in mind residential circuit breakers are thermal mag circuit breakers.

Its complex but I will try to keep the explanation simple.

Here is the issue. You can turn on two items in your boat and wait a given amount of time and have the breaker not pop and get a false sense of security.

Here is why:

Breakers have two tripping mechanisms. The over-load protection is made by connecting two dissimilar metals. This results in a time / current trip curve. The other mechanism is for short circuits. I'll focus on the first one only.

A 15 amp breaker should be able to pass 15 amps continually without tripping.
But apply 20 amps and it will take about 30 minutes to trip.

Give it 16 amps and it will take much longer but it will trip eventually.

Just for reference, the short circuit tripping mechanism is a field magnet. A short circuit results in a wire coil creating a magnetic field and pulling a mechanism. Neither mechanism opens the electrical circuit directly; they both cause a fast mate / fast break mechanism to trip.

The above is why traditional residential circuit breakers are referred to as thermal mag circuit breakers.

So what is the issue?

Well, plug a 16 amp load into the outlet on the outside of your home that is wired with 14 awg size wire (legal, meets the national electrical code and is common) that is connected to a 15 amp breaker inside your home and by the time the breaker finally trips the wires in your home will be hot. Possibly very hot. Possibly hot enough to start a fire and burn down your house.

You never exceeded 16 amps, the 30 amp breaker on your boat will have never come close to tripping.

Remember a few years ago when Ford Explorers would have a rear tire pop causing the vehicle to flip? For this to happen the person had to be driving a explorer with specific Bridgestone tires that were underinflated, had to be going above a specific speed for a specific amount of time and it had to be above a specific temperature. Unfortunately all these things happened enough that many people died in these situations.

If you are just skimming this long post please pay attention to this part.

The adapter sets into motion the potential possibility that under a specific load the 14 gauge solid copper wires between your homes electrical panel and the electrical outlet on the side of your house could get so hot a fire could happen in your home.

PS: I also use a adapter like in the above post from time to time but….well….like Mom and Dan always said, do as I say, not as I do.