220v/50hz to 110v/60hz - Looking for Options

[Ferrari]

Love the dual wall sockets. New Zealand and Australia both use 220v for domestic power. Buy your electrical toys from EBay NZ 10 bucks US gets you $13.76 Nz

[travellerw]

These posts come up about once a month..

The fact is, having a 220V boat is not really a big deal. I %100 disagree with people that say you NEED to convert if you are in the USA. Its just ignorance of the facts.

All your gadgets (cell chargers, laptops, tablets) will work fine on 220 or 110 (50 or 60hz), with physical adapters. %95 of marine battery chargers support both, so you can just add a 110V tail to charge your boat when on a dock with only 110V power. As to blenders and coffee makers, there are online companies that sell 220V appliances in the USA (google it).

There is really no need to have 110V except for the convienience of being able to buy appliances in local stores like Walmart.

[Ferrari]

Originally Posted by sailcrazy

you are absolutely correct-most any marina (US, Canada, etc) will have 220v power-but it's 4-wire, not 3-wire like European/Asian wiring requires. The trick is to get from the 4-wire(hot/110, hot/110, neutral, and grnd) to a 3-wire(hot/230v, neutral, and grnd). A step-up transformer should work, but the 3 that I tried did not last past a few weeks(??). The Victron autosensing isolation xfmr is designed just for this application, and provides isolation from the marina as well.

The four wire 50amp cables are three pin with a ground on the inside of the outside of the cable \ plug so using the 50amp cable to the proper boat side receptacles maintains the ground. Just need a wire from the terminal on the receptacle to the grounding system on the vessel.
Downside of this is the 50amp (6 gauge) are very heavy and expensive. Especially if you only need 30amps. A 50 ft Beneteau would probably need a 50 and 25ft cord set. Probably better than $1000 US for a new one.
Where did you install the Victron, on the dock or onboard?

[valhalla360]

If you are traveling the world, a large dual voltage battery charger that works on 220v-50hz or 110v-60hz feeding the battery bank and an inverter large enough power the A/C appliances is a good option that allows you to function anywhere.

The issue is if you will be in the 110v-60hz all the time long term, eventually you will want to convert as it's a hassle to get 220v-50hz equipement. And as someone mentioned, buyers will seriously discount a 220v-50hz boat on the assumption they will have to convert it.

[flyingfin]

KaptKen
Just keep everything as is and - for now - add a second, temporary 30A circuit for toys, TV, drop lights, electric drills, battery chargers, microwave, etc etc

Once your first major appliance or AC dies, open up your wallet and hire a good, licensed electrician to re-wire her and replace all 220V components.

[jmschmidt]

We bought a French flag Euro power boat. Got a thing from West Marine called a Smart Y that plugs into two standard 30A 110-120V 60HZ US dock power. Powers only one of the 2 AC load groups on the boat so will only run one aircon unit and one water heater at the dock. Inverters for the small 110-120 loads. Your guest can bring their standard tourist's box of converters and adapters for Euro power. Or better yet just by a half dozen of them and hand them out. A lot cheaper the a partial rewire job.

[sailon46]

Originally Posted by Ferrari

Sailon46.
Glad this is working for you but don't understand why your Euro 220/50 configuration needs a transformer to reduce to 130v.

I always get on shore power 220 v also my genie is 220 so I need to transform to 120 so I can supply the boat plug ins with 120v since they are all after market US std. my battery charger is 220 so no issue there. Hope I made it clear
Ernie on the Mary Jane

[bluewatervet]

Check out GEORATOR for frequency / voltage changers. They specialize in marine qualified equipment. And no, I have no financial interest, just suggesting a "rotary vs. inverter" based solution. Many commercial ports & cruise ship piers are fitted out with these units, which can handle very high power requirements (....think 'megawatts' here). Even on a private craft, motor loads like air conditioning & fridges can draw up to 10 times the "run current" when starting initially. So remember that if considering solid-state inverters. Basically a georator is a motor driving an alternator that produces AC power, and are typically 95% efficient. Units are very quiet, both audibly & radio interference wise. Especially important if you use your SSB when at the pier. Note these are NOT units that work BOTH WAYS. So you must elect for a UK purchased boat for a frequency changer to go from 60 Hz USA mains over to the existing 50 Hz onboard hardware. As for "three-wire vs. four-wire" connections at USA piers, a minor wiring change to the motor unit covers that ( note a a clever electrician can set up a switch to make that much easier...just be carefull you know which way to go at your pier tieup...!!!). As for UK 205 volt 50 Hz wiring, simple 'plug' disconnect cabling or again switching arrangement solves that issue. Just remember, typically these "frequency changers" are a one-way solution. IMHO the best setup for a small craft is 'GO ALL DC' for lighting & appliances, and then buy battery bank DC chargers usable at any world location.....

[snaptwo]

OK, so the good news should be that most "toys" such as iPads, laptops, etc, etc that use adapters are sold nowadays run on 220/230 50 Hz with no issue. There is the need for the correct power cord (with the correct plug to match the socket - never run 230 in a 110 socket outlet) but they are easy and cheap to buy. for the coffee maker, etc., I would suggest buying the 230VAC versions of these appliances even if a little more expensive/harder to obtain (actually use Amazon, you can source there with little issue) for three reasons: 1) no wiring need be changed, 2) 230VAC is more efficient and has a higher power rating to the socket and appliance than 110VAC and 3) its far cheaper and more reliable to go this way and maintain just one system. Let's face it, even buying two coffee makers to have a spare beats the cost and reliability hassles in the long term hands down.

[john61ct]

Originally Posted by snaptwo

OK, so the good news should be that most "toys" such as iPads, laptops, etc, etc that use adapters are sold nowadays run on 220/230 50 Hz with no issue.

These should be run DCDC anyway, no reason to use AC.