shore power battery charger installation
I am about to instal a shore power battery charger in my 411 and would like your opinions on the following questions:
- where to instal the shore line socket (I have filled the cockpit with water and would prefer a surer place);
- where to place the charger (i have cursed the buzz of the cooling fan under my berth on other boats but appreciate the advantage of being close to the batteries). My latest idea is just inside the port lazerette hatch.
Any thoughts on this? Thanks in advance, Pippo 411/22

Hi Pippo,
in my 411 the socket is in the starboard side of cockpit, quite high and with a waterproof cap; overall I think that such accommodation is quite convenient. The charger is under the starboard berth of the aft cabin and sometimes it is quite annoying. Not only for the noise but also for the heat. I agree that there should be a better choice but I do not understand what you mean by "port lazarette hatch". I was thinking something like inside the lazarette, fixed on the starboard side of the bulkhead. Proper dampers may avoid the buzzing passing through the bulkhead.
In my long term projects I would place there also an isolation transformer.

Daniel, 411-04

ciao Daniel, the position I'm thinking about is inside the lazarette under the helm seat on the starboard side bolted to the fore wall (as in the drawing). This is a ventilated area, far from the cabin. I'm thinking of putting the socket inside here also and cutting a small groove for the wire in the hull under the hatch. Off shore this can be plugged. The inside socket prevents a big hole in the cockpit wall. a presto Pippo, 411/22

Hi Pippo,
ok, I understand. The only problem I foresee is that that part may be rather damp - this is especially true in my boat where that locker is frequently used (I keep there the aft mooring lines, the water hose, the electrical cable and other useful stuff in port). I would be careful in positioning the charger in a relatively protected dry place because those devices are not usually built to withstand water spraying... unless they are indeed!

Daniel, 411-004

Hi Pippo and Daniel

I used to have the socket where Pippo wants his, but it was not so comfortably (but the 38 is smaller than the 411), and when I re-painted the hull I had it placed outside the cockpit. You need a very good quality socket (I decided for a Marinco, completely watertight).

Fair winds!

Matteo (38/067 Only You)

Pippo:

My set up is just like Daniel's - I can say that my Hart system is very quiet - no noise trouble really at all that I noted. As for filling the cockpit, that shouldn't matter with a good fixture. I like Matteo's location, because with it, you don't have a few feet of cable hanging over the coaming to trip on, or lose length with, etc, but it does break an otherwise clean exterior surface. All in all, I think the other comments regarding putting your rectifier/inverter system in the aft space are valid, namely: this space is too wet. I would be interested to know if anybody talking about noisy systems has the Hart?

Best to all,

Geoff

Hi all,

On our 40 the external plug is in the same position Matteo has described. It is a good solution as it keeps the cockpit clear of cables. As for the location of charger and our inverter, I have installed them in the cupboard underneath the chart table. Took a lot of time!!! Not much space but it is a nice dry place for the electronics. To me this is the primary consideration as water and electronics don't mix.

Cheers
Mike and the crew of Stormsvale.

Hi Pippo & Daniel.

I was interested, Daniel, in your comments about your use of the lazerette for storage. We are reluctant to use the area for storage due to the steering gear etc. in there and it as such it is a loss of stowage space.

What have you done to enable the lazarette to be used safely for storage?

Regards

Paul 411, 042

Hi Paul,
I am not totally sure that I am doing the safest thing but, yes, I am using that locker for storage notwithstanding the steering gear. There is a movable shelf that covers the important steering gear but the socket for the emergency tiller is still sticking out and actually turns. To date I never had any problem but indeed if I need to access the quadrant I have first to extract: the emergency tiller, 2 mooring lines, 40m of water hose, 50m of AC shore cable, a Fortress anchor with 10m of 8mm chain, an additional Campingas bottle, swimming flippers and masks, a 5 liter can of engine oil, fishing gear, etc. - enough for a yard sale!
Due to the shelf which is made of several pieces and pretty well shaped there is no danger of fouling the steering cables but still...

Daniel, 411-004

Not a bad place to install the battery charger is in the locker in the centre aft of the aft cabin above where my engine battery is stored. It is well evntilated and the noise level is very low on my isnstallation. I like the waterproof socket, mine is far from waterproof and fitted on the lazarette bulk head aft of the wheel. Anthony