That was close. Check your cables

[Cutwater28GG]

Check your power cables. Found this this evening

 

[knotflying]

This is why I like the Smart Plug. Making sure the wire connections behind the plug going to the 110v circuit is also a good thing to check every once in a while.

 

[Emerson]

This is why I like the Smart Plug. Making sure the wire connections behind the plug going to the 110v circuit is also a good thing to check every once in a while.

Agreed. Had this happen on my RV ...twice. First thing I changed when we got our boat was to install a Smart Plug.

 

[Mike and Sarah]

Plus one for the smart plug.
What kind of load did you have plugged into your boats 120 outlets? Many times heaters will cause this especially if you didn’t have the plug pushed all the way in and turned to lock it in. Poor connections will have resistance which produces heat especially higher loads.

The smart plug gives you a more positive connection. It doesn’t rely on you turning to lock in. The smart plug also has larger contact area of the terminals so less likely to have poor connection and heat build up.

 

[scross]

Yikes!
A SmartPlug was one of the very first upgrades to our new to us 2017 C-28.
We keep our boat on shore power in our driveway all winter. A/C is needed to power heaters and dehumidifiers in the cabin and bilge.
Just would not feel comfortable doing this with the original Furrion connectors.
Had a SmartPlug on our R-25 Classic as well.

 

[croakz]

I also did a Smart Plug upgrade, but it made me wonder why this isn't a standard feature? It's not terribly expensive, and easy to do.

 

[knotflying]

I also did a Smart Plug upgrade, but it made me wonder why this isn't a standard feature? It's not terribly expensive, and easy to do.

Looking at it from a single owner perspective it does not seem like a lot of money. However, when manufacturing many boats and in a competitive market the numbers can have an impact on the bottom line. Did you ever wonder what a Pinto would cost if it was built like a Mercedes? 🙂

 

[ixlr8]

What I don't understand is why these plugs are failing. Where I worked we had basically these same plugs for equipment that pulled 25+ amps 24/7/365 for 15 years and never had any issues.
Several folks have reported finding the wire connections not tightened down... could it be something as simple as the connections not being tightened down properly at the factory??? I have never used the shore power connection on my boat and I have never checked the connections. I think that is something I might do while the boat is out of the water for the winter.

 

[Red Raven]

What I don't understand is why these plugs are failing. Where I worked we had basically these same plugs for equipment that pulled 25+ amps 24/7/365 for 15 years and never had any issues.
Several folks have reported finding the wire connections not tightened down... could it be something as simple as the connections not being tightened down properly at the factory??? I have never used the shore power connection on my boat and I have never checked the connections. I think that is something I might do while the boat is out of the water for the winter.

They fail because of a poor connection, either between the cable and socket contacts or at the wire terminals in the back of the receptacle. A poor connection means high resistance and high resistance means high heat, eventually melting the plastic and making the contact worse, and then increasing the resistance, heat, and so on until failure.

Poor contact at the cable/receptacle is likely caused by the twist lock connector unlocking due to a twist in the shore cable or vibration. I have found that the cable can easily become “unlocked” even with the retaining ring tightened down. If there is a twist in the shore cable it can cause the connector to work its way loose in a counterclockwise direction. Boats are particularly susceptible because of constant movement and vibration. Many boaters leave the boat end plugged in even underway. It can easily come loose from vibration underway and if not checked before plugging in the other end it can become a problem. I think the connector really is a poor design but is the national standard. It works well if regularly checked for a secure connection and there is no twist potentially causing it to loosen.

Poor connection at the receptacle wire terminals would be a factory (or rework) issue. Much less likely but I have heard of it happening. Same problem with heat buildup causing the connection to get worse until failure.

The Smart Plug solves the contact problem by using a completely different connector with much more contact area and a locking mechanism that is less likely to come loose. Note however, that the smart plug solves only the connection at the boat. The shore connection end is susceptible to the same contact problem as the boat end. You may have noticed burned receptacles at the marina docks. The danger to your boat is much less at the shore end but I still would not recommend using a receptacle that shows signs of heat damage.

Curt

 

[Cutwater28GG]

This was my fault.

we have been using the boat a lot at the dock but not taken the boat out as such the cable has not been unplugged replugged in a while.

I think 2 things happened here.
one it was not seated all the way and water was getting in
two it was aging and getting corroded anyway

The Eel plugs are very handy but you must make sure they are seated.

its an interesting question whether the quality of the metal in the contacts is worse now than it was 15 years ago.

The irony is our marina Elliot bay was due to check cables two weeks from now for all boats for this exact issue.

 

[CruisingElvinRay]

I put my hand on the plug (now a smart plug) every time I leave the boat to see if it is warmer than ambient temp.


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[Captjuan]

I’ve just encountered the same melted plug issue. Fortunately I was onboard and charging my electric outboard before leaving the dock so noticed it before a really bad situation. I’m switching to a Smartplug.

My question is whether anyone has replaced just the boat end of the cable with a Smartplug versus the entire cord with factory installed plug.

Also, since the Smartplug receptacle is smaller than the factory installed receptacle I’m going to need some sort of plate to cover the larger hole in the fiberglass. Anyone have a good option for that?

John

 

[scross]

John,
Twice now (different boats) I have just replaced the boat end plug with a SmartPlug. Very, very easy to do and much cheaper than buying a completely new shore power cord.
In both my 2009 RT-25 Classic and the 2017 C-28, the old receptacle on the boat was exactly the same size as the SmartPlug receptacle cover. Even used the same drill holes.

PS: For the receptacle side, I’d highly recommend getting the stainless steel version over the plastic models. Plastic cover lid gets hard and brittle over time. Here’s an example of a combo kit:
SmartPlug B30ASSYNT Combo Kit with Female Connector and Stainless Steel Inlet - 30 Amp, Beige, Small https://a.co/d/2kIPh8C

 

[CaspersCruiser]

In both my 2009 RT-25 Classic and the 2017 C-28, the old receptacle on the boat was exactly the same size as the SmartPlug receptacle cover. Even used the same drill holes.

Same as on my 2012 R27. Absolutely zero modification needed to install Smart Plug shore power receptacle in place of the existing factory installed receptacle.

If one has basic electrical skills and tools, it is an easy job to put a Smart Plug on the boat end of a shore power cord.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

Hardest part is the lack of extra cable behind the socket!

 

[Cutwater28GG]

$222 for a plug.

Nothing like a “marine” upcharge.

 

[Submariner]

We published a recent video (2 weeks ago) of me doing a smart plug conversion on a Ranger tug.

If you’ve not done one before this will show you what’s involved.


https://youtu.be/ZmT6_IUK0p4


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[ChrisJ]

During my install I had two wires in the OEM receptacle that were lightly tightened, to the point that I used very little force to release the screws that hold the clamps. All of these instructions are important to be followed, but probably the most overlooked important instruction in my mind is -
"Make sure there is no wire insulation inside the terminal clamp(s). Torque spec. 20 in/lb. Test wires by pulling on them to make sure they are secured."* Stranded wires should be torqued, pulled/wiggled lightly, then re-torqued.

To keep the shielded conductors from getting away from you and rescinding into the depths of the hull, before removing the wires from the receptacle, run electrical tape around the cord and fasten that to the gel coat while you're doing the electrical connections.

If you're not 100 percent comfortable and competent working on electricity around explosive and/or flammable fuel that could present life or death circumstances - DON'T!

CJ

* From the SmartPlug BM30NT & BM30 Non-Metallic Inlets Assembly Instructions for SmartPlug Inlet

 

[dgiles]

Considering the 10's of thousands of standard shore power cords in the country and the lack of boat fires or at least the lack of reporting the boat fires, not sure it is that huge of a concern. After watching the youtube video of the install, I would think that if one was lazy and didn't push the plug all the way in to ensure it "clicks", one would have the same issue?

 

[scross]

I’ve seen enough boat and RV fires to know I don’t want one on my boat. As far as the “standard” shore power plug is concerned it’s just bad engineering as far as I’m concerned. The SmartPlug is not perfect. It’s sometimes hard to get both side tabs to click in the locked position. Even with that, the SmartPlug gives lot more contact surface area between the plug and receptical.
Any time I can do a somewhat reasonably priced upgrade to make my boat safer (eg adding resetting breaker between solar panel and solar controller not done by factory in their install) I’ll do it.
If you’ve seen the newer shore power pedestals in Canada (Saltsprings Marina in Ganges, Comox Marina and others) you absolutely cringe looking at most of the pedestals still used in US marinas.