Do I really need to have an electrical hook-up in the marina

[River Bank]

I applied today for a slip at a local marina and in addition to the slip rental, "services" (assuming now it is for 110 Volt service) would be an additional $4.00 per day. As far as I can tell I only use shore power for my fridge to keep my bottle of wine cool. At a rate of $120 per month, I don't really need the wine that cool. Is there any other reason, important reason, why I might need shore power while docked at the marina?

 

[TonyM]

WOW $120 a month seems way too much. That sounds like the rate for transient moorage, not for a monthly tenant.

South of the border it is $10 to $12 a month and some marinas will add on a usage fee determined by a meter.

Ask again if that was the right price for a monthly tenant.

 

[baz]

I agree with Tony... that $120/month is way out of line here in WA (USA). I pay a $5 flat fee each month for the shore power pedestal use plus a metered use at $0.08535/KwH. I run a low power use humidifier, the Fridge at power/cooling level 2 and the battery charger and last month these used 71 KwH for a cost of $6.06. This made my monthly shore power connection and electrical use total to $11.06 for the month. I do keep our boat in the water permanently in a covered slip year round.

So your $120/month is way out of line with my $11.06/month... by a factor of ~10 ! 😱

Do as Tony suggested and check again as the $4/day sounds like a transient per day charge made for guest moorage.

Of course, much depends on what the Marina charges for each KwH. This can vary even in our WA (USA)... but not as high as your $120/71KwH (using my monthly electrical use) or some $1.7/KwH.

...and to answer your question... simply for battery charging I would say yes.

 

[abcandjrc]

...........and to answer your question... simply for battery charging I would say yes.

And for that, if you are not shaded too much, a "portable" solar charger may be sufficient if you don't leave the refrigerator on in the slip. (Maybe even if you do.)

 

[Ken Boyd]

Add my vote to those who believe you were quoted the transient per diem electric rate for a monthly slip rental. At my home marina in NC, I pay $3.00 per month for a basic number of kilowatts and then a metered charge if I go over the minimum. You should go back to the marina and ask for a clarification on the electric rate you were quoted. It really seems out of line for a monthly slip rental.

With respect to your question of do you really need a marina electrical hook-up. The simple answer is no but it is a wonderful convenience. Having a generator on board eliminates the need for an electrical hook-up but it is nice to be able to plug into shore power to cool down the refrigerator the night before you are going to take the boat out, or to fire up the A/C to cool down the cabin, or to top up the batteries when you have not take the boat out for a while. It is possible to do all of this with the generator but the marina and your slip neighbors might get upset about the never ending generator noise. Going the solar array route is a possibility.

 

[ngleadow]

$4.00 sounds pretty steep unless your monthly rental is really, really low. Time to look at solar? We installed a 190 watt panel earlier this year for a total cost of about $600 (panel, cables and MPPT controller) on our Ranger 25. Even though it is only connected across our house batteries, it keeps all our batteries fully charged thanks to the charge relay circuit already built into the Ranger Tugs. I also turned on the fridge for a few days to see what would happen, and there was no problem with the batteries running out of juice.. even though it was cloudy.

So with solar, you don't need to be plugged in.. except perhaps in the winter if you have a heater going.

Cheers

Norm on Blue Socks

 

[bbrh842]

Add me to the list of WOWS. Our slip is metered and electricity is usually around 7 dollars a month. Being plugged in to keep the battery charged could be important if something springs a leak and the bilge pump starts running a lot.

 

[baz]

$4.00 sounds pretty steep unless your monthly rental is really, really low. Time to look at solar? We installed a 190 watt panel earlier this year for a total cost of about $600 (panel, cables and MPPT controller) on our Ranger 25. Even though it is only connected across our house batteries, it keeps all our batteries fully charged thanks to the charge relay circuit already built into the Ranger Tugs. I also turned on the fridge for a few days to see what would happen, and there was no problem with the batteries running out of juice.. even though it was cloudy.

So with solar, you don't need to be plugged in.. except perhaps in the winter if you have a heater going.

Cheers

Norm on Blue Socks

Of course the Solar feature also provides electrical energy while anchored out. However, if this was not a requirement the $600 for installing a solar for the purpose of not having to connect to shore power will take a long time to recover compared to having shore power.

Let's say KwH rate is $0.085. Then for $600 you get 600/0.085 or some 7,059 KwH. Using say no more than 70 KwH per month would mean it would take some 7,059/70 or 101 months to recover the $600 to break even. That's some 8.5 years !!!! Certainly something to keep in mind.

One other advantage for not connecting to shore power could mean your under water anodes last longer because your boat would not be subject to other boat's poor electrical installations while they are hooked to shore power nearby you... but again, this is small change compared to the $600 for solar panels.

Solar panels may also restrict what you can carry on those cabin roof luggage rails...

Don't misunderstand me.... solar panels are a great feature but do consider the cost comparisons for your solution here.

 

[abcandjrc]

Actually, I was just talking about a portable solar trickle charger. We use one on the dash of our pickup truck which is rarely run. I think it was about $30 from Amazon.

This is not the one but it looks even nicer for less money. It comes in a 5w version for about $40.

http://www.amazon.com/NOCO-BLSOLAR2-Bat ... ry+charger

Do a general search on there for "solar battery charger" and there are any number of inexpensive units which will maintain a battery. The more sun you can get to the cells, the more juice you can expect to store. Shade is the enemy with solar devices. Even a shadow from a mast or flagstaff can reduce the output appreciably. On a boat you would probably want to look for one that was waterproof and keep it outside to get the most out of it.

 

[River Bank]

Thank you for all your replies.

I now feel rather embarrassed with my rather naive question.

I will be talking with the marina tomorrow and no doubt they will likely confirm your group suspicions.

Bob

 

[Gin]

Bob, don't feel embarrassed. That's why this forum is so wonderful. There is no dumb question. We've all had (and I, for one, will continue to have) our share of stuff to learn. Every thread on every subject is an opportunity for the next person to learn something valuable without having to even ask. It's all good.

Gini

 

[RProffer]

The primary reason for shore power is to keep your batteries charged, so you will have power for your water pump, so you won't sink your boat at the dock. All the other reasons are pluses. Of course a solar panel could be an alternative. Just be sure it is sized properly for your needs. Solar panels are not do-alls.