Quickie Winterizing

[Ron Hill]

Guys : I wouldn't let anything plugged in while on the hard & unattended.  Have you all forgotten the C34 that burned up - on the hard and plugged in -  during the Holidays last year??  

[Randy and Mary Davison]

Ron,
Why do you see a difference between being plugged in on the hard and being plugged in in the water?  

I use one of the oil filled heaters when the boat's going to be left for a long while.  I also run the heater at the 600 watt level to keep current at a minimum.

Frankly, the response we get to marina fires is so bad, I'd give a much better chance of a quick response on land!

All this assumes all connectors are corrosion free and power cords are in good shape - but the same would hold in the water or at home for that matter.  It seems to me that trouble will happen on occasion and proper setup and maintenance are more important than location.

Your thoughts?

[Ron Hill]

Randy : I don't discriminate.  I've always professed that no boat should be plugged in when it's unattended, in or out of the water!!  I've seen a lightening strike on a nearby power pole, the subsequent BIG power surge and the damage to all of the fried boats in the marina -- that were plugged in!!

I don't stay plugged in and the last years C34 owner's report of his devastating electrical fire on board Christmas Day, only confirms my belief!!  You have your opinion.  

[Randy and Mary Davison]

Ron,

Got it.  Thanks for your thoughts.   Our difference in perspective might be partly due to the fact that we have very little lightning here.

[captran]

Hi Ron,
No, I missed that discussion.  Can you provide a link to it, or who the author was?

[Stu Jackson]

I don't know specifically where Ron's story about that occurrence is on the board, but if you do a search on "solar" it may include that post.  There are a lot of references to Nicro that you can skip over.

Try a search on "fire" also.

A search on "Christmas" brought this up, which is what I think you're looking for:

http://www.c34ia.org/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=1234&highlight=christmas

It's entitled FIRE!  Gee - what a giveaway for a search.  

For further research, you could also do a search on the word "unplugged" because Ron and I have discussed this many, many times.  

We don't have much lightning here in San Francisco either, but I rarely leave Aquavite plugged in when I'm not there, only if we're going out the next day for an extended cruise other than day sailing.  When I work on the boat I plug her in for hot water and a charge.  Our solar panel takes care of the self-discharge from our wet cells and does a fine job.  Our dorade vents provide the ventilation necessary to avoid mildew.  Yes, it gets cool and rainy here, too.

For more research on solar, do a search on "Kane" as in Jim Kane who has a very nice solar array on his boat (and uses that to avoid need for a generator).

The downside of keeping plugged in all the time when you're not aboard is having your boat at the "mercy" of the elements, natural and dockside power-wise.  I've also felt being unplugged can help in reducing corrosion - never know how my neighbors' boats are wired.

[APACHE]

The author of the lightening strike story was ME.  It happened at my marina about 10 years ago - in northern Virginia.  
Call Boat US insurance and tell them that you leave your boat plugged in and it is unattended for long periods of time.  The Boat US magazine had some startling stats on boat electrical fires last Nov or Dec.  We'd all be interested in their thoughts.