One of the first things we did shortly after we bought SVRO was to change the shore power cord to a SmartPlug. The power cord that came with out boat was the typical outdated and problematic twist-type design. Those types of power cords are notorious for loose connections and corrosion. They’ve been known to be the cause of numerous shore power failures and fires.
We wanted a shorter length power cord to use when we left the dock. This one we’ll use to connect the Honda generator in case we need to charge the batteries while away from shore power. We repurposed our old twist-type cord by cutting off both ends. We added a standard 3 prong plug at one end and the SmartPlug at the other end. The terminals inside the Smart Plug are color coded so it’s pretty simple to do.
Some of the key benefits of the Smart Plug:
- Push straigh-in sleeved design – The SmartPlug’s sleeve design means that the body of the plug bears that weight or tension, rather than the electrical pins, keeping those points of electrical contact secure
- Weatherproof – 3 weatherproof seals
- Multi-point locking system – SmartPlugs employ two locking side levers as well as two points of contact on the locking cap
If you’re considering switching to a SmartPlug I suggest you check out the article by Marine How To. He goes into a lot more depth on the subject.
