Safety & charging in the water?

Joined
Jan 10, 2018
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1) What sort of charging hardware do you use to charge watercraft? Does standard automotive EVSE tick all the boxes for full safe use in something like a yacht or a houseboat, which is intended to remain in the water at all times? Or is it only good enough for things like jetskis and small boats which come out of the water?

2) What extra design & use precautions must be taken for such a watercraft?
 
A GFCI on the AC line is usually the first like of defense. Not sure if a standard EVSE has this.
The GFCI senses the current going down one wire and coming back on the other. If the difference is more than a tiny amount (indicating an unintended current path), it cuts the AC power.

The second line of defense is for the charger output to be isolated from the input, which most are.

People use power on boats all the time. The real hazard is if your electronics get wet and fail, possibly starting a fire.
 
I believe UL1426 covers electrical wiring for boats, and there are safety / protection devices listed in there as well. It's critical that all copper wiring be tinned for corrosion resistance. In the case of heavy duty cables, this might be difficult however you can seal the ends really well to minimise any corrosion.
 
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