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European Electrical

Discussion in 'Technical Discussion' started by bliss, Jun 7, 2014.

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  1. bliss

    bliss Senior Member

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    How are boats wired for the European markets? What electrically needs to be done to, say, a used 65 footer before using it in the U.S.?
  2. K1W1

    K1W1 Senior Member

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    Plenty, there will be nothing 110v and very little if anything 60 Hz

    When halving the voltage the current doubles for same load so the cables will have to be changed for many things too.
  3. bobhorn

    bobhorn Member

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    The voltage difference can be taken care of with a transformer. The real problem is the difference in frequency for electric motors and possibly some electronics.

    Bob
  4. Tigersail

    Tigersail New Member

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    All of the voltage and the electrical sockets will need to be looked at. Im sure the battery charger and many other components which run on 240v in Europe will need changing.:(
  5. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    It depends on the age of the boat. A lot of the newer (say less than 10 year old) pumps, motors and compressors will work on both 50/60hz, but they will be stamped that way on the data plate. Nothing with electronics will work most likely (tv's etc). However there will not be any 120 volt in the boat for anything, anywhere and that will all need to be run. Chances are the wiring for the 240V European outlets are too small. It depends a lot on the boat itself and who built it as well as age.
  6. captholli

    captholli Senior Member

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    More cost effective to install a suitably rated Kva frequency converter aboard than go through the cabling, equipment change outs. You can source anything that you'll need 220v. 50 Hz. online out of Houston Texas to mention quite a few suppliers stateside. Need a 220 hair dryer? no problem, T.V? Washer & dryer combo? done. Motors and E.R. equipment aren't That hard to source either (So. Fl.) or online but it's not going to be inexpensive when needed .
  7. Capt J

    Capt J Senior Member

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    Many of those items will also not be easily servicable in the US either.
  8. P46-Curaçao

    P46-Curaçao Senior Member

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    My idea, if EU 220volt, you probably have a generator and if in good shape, you don’t want to spend your money on a new 110volt one…

    Do like I did, put some solar panels on to, battery pack, and split you AC system to 110/60hz on an inverter, and keep 220/50hz for whatever is still in good shape, plus switch to 12 volt for certain items, this will make you more flexible and cost effective!

    If you need help with 220volt items, just let me know, I’m in The Netherlands quit often, and also in Hollywood, FL….(sort of a modern nomad :cool:)
  9. wickie

    wickie New Member

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    Hi,

    If this is a one way trip, it will be expensive but you only
    take a hit once if you convert to 120V 60Hz.

    Most of the Nav stuff is DC and not a problem.
    You can also cheat by lowering outlets capacity to suit the wiring.

    The big deal is with motors (Compressors & what not).

    You can choose to convert frequency and voltage right at the
    supply level but you will then be hunting for pricey replacements
    as time passes...

    If you choose to go with multiple voltages, it can be a nightmare
    of sorting different power panels plus a potential fire hazard.

    Wickie
  10. Chasm

    Chasm Senior Member

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    For me the first question is:
    Is the boat setup for international travel, aka 120V 60Hz external power?
    If so, presuming that everything works, the only immediate problem is posed by US appliances.


    Conversion from 240V to 120V is pretty much an replacement of the AC system. (Maybe partial, only outlets for appliances.) The need for different wire sizes is one part, that electrical codes are different is the other.
  11. Garry Hartshorn

    Garry Hartshorn Senior Member

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    Back to the original post, install a shore power converter so that you are able to plug the boat into U.S. shore power. It seems a crazy waste of time and money to convert the boat to 120V 60 Hz.

    As to appliances there are numerous vendors in the U.S. that sell 220 volt 60 Hz equipment. You will also find that most modern electronics such as computers, televisions, dvd players are 110V /240v 50/60 Hz