On Fri, Jun 29, 2012 at 11:55:02PM -0400, SteveW wrote:
> Well, Ben, I stopped by the HD and there was absolutely nothing resembling
> anything that would match up with the prongs on the male end (the 50A
> pedestal side).
Oh, well. Like I said, it's been a mort of years, so I don't recall
exactly which plug/socket pair it was - 30A? 50A? 125V? 250V? All I
remember is that the plug that HD sold me had the tab (the little bent
piece on one of the prongs) on the opposite side of the prong from the
one that the "marine" socket wanted. Otherwise, the pattern and the
diameter were just right. I filed off the tab, and it fit like a champ.
> The guy working the electric department happened to own a
> boat so he, at least, knew what the hell I was talking about. Guess what
> his recommendation was - "look it up in a Marinco or West Marine catalog"...
> So I figured I completed the circle and am now back where I started from.
[laugh] I'd say that we talked to the same guy, except that mine was in
St. Augustine FL. Sadly, it's _very_ rare these days to find anyone
behind a counter that knows what he's talking about... damn shame, since
I got a lot of the best tips, mechanical and otherwise, from old guys in
little hardware stores and machine shops. Driving screws into a bar of
soap before putting them in wood, welding through a nut to put a head
onto a broken bolt, waxing a saw blade, using "monkey dung" for holding
any screw to a screwdriver and using Moly-B to drill stainless...
thousands of these things that make up a very solid base of knowledge,
and I'm truly grateful to all those "blue-collar wizards".
(Which reminds me - thanks again for the "lifetime supply" of Moly-B,
Norm! I was wondering where I could find some...)
> Fortunately I don't get slips a lot when cruising (I prefer my own hook or a
> mooring ball) but from asking around I'm getting the impression that most
> marinas - at least in my cruising area (L.I. Sound, Block, Newport, P-town,
> etc.) - all have 50A 120/240V pedestals. I'll keep it on board for the
> "just in cases" but for the most part, over the years I've been able to get
> into slips with 30A service.
Be sure to keep those pigtails and adapters locked up tight; they have a
way of growing legs, I'm told.
> But enough of this..... we're heading out Monday for the week and, at least
> at this point, aren't planning on any marinas....
Enjoy! I've got a ton of stuff to do on my boat before it's fully
cruise-ready, and I'm chasing all that stuff down at full speed. Already
did one major project today, another one - installing the Balmar
regulator (mostly, finding space to install that bugger!) coming right
up.
Ben
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