Any electricians out there?

[Ariel Spirit]

So, i may be crossing the line here, but forgive me because im still new at this and i was hoping to get advice from a group of non-power boaters..

The issue is not mine, but my dad just bought a new cruisers 415 motoryacht, the boat is wired for 50 amp 240V but the dock is wired 50 amp 240V(like the only marina on the east coast like this) and when we got back to the dock we realized that even with our power converter, we NEED the 240 volts to run the 5(yes 5) climate control systems on the vessel, along with the hot water pump, etc...

A step up transformer has been suggested, also there is of course a 30/120-30/120 to 50/240 power converter, but that would entail moving slips around, and a 50/120-50/120 to 50-/240 power converter would entail unplugging our neighbor to plug in both the "pig tails".

So, my QUESTION is what would yall do, what is the best solution, or what is a solution...any websites, or specific products would be appreciated...

And, i know it's about power boating and it's like sacreligious but keep in mind im a sailor, and make my dad slow down for every sailboater we see on the ICW;D

[Captain Smollett]

This reply is not going to be very helpful, but it's all I could think of off the top of my head (and I'm not an electrician, but I've done my share of 1500V engineering).

You said you need to run 240 V, but do you have any idea what current you NEED to draw?  You said the boat was wired for 50 amp, but that does not necessarily mean that you need to have 50 amp running through those lines.

If you are not actually drawing 50 amp, then I would agree with the suggestion of a step-up transformer.  If you step 30/120 up to 240 V, you'll have at most 15 amp available; step up the 50/120 and  you'd have 25 amp available (rule of thumb here; with AC, I don't think you'll get a true 1:2 ratio).  Anyway, if you can serve the systems with 25 amp, and you have access to a 50/120 line and a 1:2 step-up transformer, that might work for you (him).

My other question is do you really need 240V?  You said you needed 240V to run the climate systems - are they really 240, or are they only using one leg and thus 120V?  (I'm not saying they are not 240V, but only that it would not hurt to take a peek at them to see what they really are, rather than going by what the wiring is designed to handle...you might get lucky).

Sorry if this doesn't help much or doesn't make much sense....

[AdriftAtSea]

So, i may be crossing the line here, but forgive me because im still new at this and i was hoping to get advice from a group of non-power boaters..

The issue is not mine, but my dad just bought a new cruisers 415 motoryacht, the boat is wired for 50 amp 240V but the dock is wired 50 amp 240V(like the only marina on the east coast like this) and when we got back to the dock we realized that even with our power converter, we NEED the 240 volts to run the 5(yes 5) climate control systems on the vessel, along with the hot water pump, etc...

A step up transformer has been suggested, also there is of course a 30/120-30/120 to 50/240 power converter, but that would entail moving slips around, and a 50/120-50/120 to 50-/240 power converter would entail unplugging our neighbor to plug in both the "pig tails".

So, my QUESTION is what would yall do, what is the best solution, or what is a solution...any websites, or specific products would be appreciated...

And, i know it's about power boating and it's like sacreligious but keep in mind im a sailor, and make my dad slow down for every sailboater we see on the ICW;D

Am I missing something.... you say that the boat is setup for 50 Amps @ 240 Volts... and that the dock is setup for 50 Amps @ 240 Volts... there isn't a problem unless the dock is setup for 50 Amps @ 120 Volts... in which case you either need a step-up transformer, or two pigtails.  I would go with the step-up transformer, unless the boat actually requires more that 20 Amps @ 240 Volts... assuming that the step-up transformer will have some losses. If you actually need 50 Amps @ 240 Volts, you will need to hi-jack another 50 Amp/120 Volt plug and use two of them.  None of this is not really ideal though.

Capn Smollett's suggestion to see what the equipment actually requires is a good one.  Houses have 240 Volts coming in, but most of the circuits are wired for 120 Volts.  That could be the case here.  Then you would just need to make sure that the proper leg is live... so to speak.

[bayracer]

deleted reply, read the question wrong.

[Ariel Spirit]

The boat is wired 50/240, sorry i may have made a typo...but in regardss to John's comment, i understand the amperage thing, and we figure that the climate control systems only pull about 10 amps...i was actually wondering if anyone knew any specific brands or types of transformers that would be appropriate to use????

[Captain Smollett]

Here are a couple of links.

Voltage Converter Transformers scroll down to the 5000 Watt model (20 amp at 240 V).  It's only $150.00, which is less than I was thinking.

DVD Overseas has a 10,000 Watt model for $300.

Hope this helps.  That might help get you started...

[Lynx]

Please check with your marina first. There may be a very simple solution like useing the ground for 110V and changing the box out.