[C320-list] Marinco replacement

[Tony Murphy]

I had a short in the on-board receptacle last year that fried my connector and plug.  Lucky I was on the boat to notice power had been lost, or it might have gotten ugly.  I will see if I can find the pic of the burnt receptacle and post on the website when I get some time.

I ended up replacing my on-board receptacle and plug with the SmartPlug that Doug mentioned below and couldn't be happier.  It's a bit tougher to plug and unplug because of the amount of surface contact from the prongs, but I see this as a good thing.  And it's definitely water tight when plugged in.  Doug did not mention that the plug also has a thermal sensor that cuts power if overtemp is sensed.

Not sure if any on this list are ActiveCaptain subscribers, but there newsletter offers up specials each week on Defender.com.  The prices can't be beat when a special hits that fits what you are looking for.  This week is at http://www.defender.com/activecaptain.jsp and just happens to be the SmartPlug kit with the on-board receptacle and plug conversion kit.  I converted my existing shore power cord using this kit, but if you needed a new cord, you could always buy the receptacle and cordset separately… without the special price of course.  Oh yeah, I recommend the dust cover also for the end of the plug when not in use (purchased separately).


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Tony Murphy
Bella Sol #886
Leech Lake MN

> May 14, 2013, at 6:28 AM, Doug Treff <doug at treff.us> wrote:
> 
>> Jim,
>> 
>> I just replaced my socket and boot yesterday with new Marinco parts. You really have to push down hard on the boot to get it to slide all the way on the socket. Try holding the end of the socket against a hard surface and firmly push the boot down over the socket. I'd bet that it's not fully seated. I had to really work on mine to get it down all the way. Try to do this without squeezing the boot, since it may prevent it from sliding easily.
>> 
>> Once I did this, my plug correctly engaged and I was able to use the locking ring. I'm still on the fence, though. I think I may convert to a Smart connector. See this link:
>> http://www.catalinadirect.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&product_ID=2338&ParentCat=69
>> 
>> Fairly easy to swap out the on-board receptacle, I may do it next off-season. The on-board receptacle even uses the standard mounting hole pattern, so you don't need to drill new holes.
>> 
>> 
>> ---
>> Doug Treff
>> September Song #350
>> Pasadena MD
>> doug at treff.us