Sold My Selene & Need Another One, or Nordhavn

[bowball]

If you want perfection you need to pay dearly for it. I’m staying right now on an almost new Fleming 65 that is just magnificent. Not mine. But not everyone wants or wants to (or can) afford this level of craftsmanship and finishes. In many ways, it can take some of the experience away since it’s so elegant, if that makes sense. The F55 and F58 are equally well finished too.

 

[Peter B]

I would have thought that with a suitable transformer made for the job, it would not be that much, because the US wiring, being for 120v, is way heavier than that for 240v, (higher currents), so is more than adequate for Europe 240v/50Hz converted to US 120v/60Hz. Not so good trying to go from European - or most other parts of the world, for that matter, most being 220-240v, to US power specs. But, again, the right type of transformer should be obtainable.

 

[rslifkin]

Transformers will change voltage, but they can't change frequency.

 

[twistedtree]

Transformers will change voltage, but they can't change frequency.

That's the first place it gets complicated. You also need to consider all AC appliances and equipment like HVAC, pumps, chargers, inverters/chargers, lighting, stoves, microwaves, washers, dryers, dishwashers, trash compactors, air compressors, isolation transformer, etc. The bigger the boat, the more of this stuff it will have. For each of these things you need to sort out of it can operate (or be converted) to work on the new voltage and frequency.


Then there is any generator. Can it be converted to the desired output? What about inverters? Some can be reprogrammed, but most cannot, especially with respect to frequency.


Then there is the wiring. Because of the lower voltage, 120V wiring it generally heavier than 230V wiring. That's good, assuming you are converting from 120V to 230V. If you are going in the other direction it's more problematic. Some devices could be converted to 240V, but not all.


And the wiring becomes even more complicated if there is a 120/240V split phase system involved. With a 230V single phase (euro) system, one conductor is neutral and is grounded, and the other conductor is the 230V line. In a 120/240V split phase system the two conductors that make up 240V are both ungrounded and 120V relative to ground. If you just plug a 230V boat into a 240V North American outlet, the whole grounding system will be live to the tune of 120V. Not good.



The best I can suggest is to NOT take any blanket advice as anything more than a example data point. The only way to really understand what you are getting yourself into is to do a detailed inventory of the boat's electrics and come up with a conversion plan. Boats vary hugely, and there is huge variation in how completely you can convert a boat. Some people keep the boat at it's native voltage and frequency and just convert where shore power enters the boat. Others want a more complete conversion with local outlets, and appliances built for local power so they can be sourced and replaced locally. It's also very different if you are taking your boat somewhere for a finite period of time, vs moviong it permanently to a new power system.

 

[Mako]

"Some people keep the boat at it's native voltage and frequency and just convert where shore power enters the boat."

Seems like the easiest and most practical solution. A complete conversion of a complicated modern vessel is truly an impractical undertaking - just look at @TT's list to remind yourself of the electrical items on a boat.

And truly, why would someone really need to? How often do you buy a new blender or hair dryer to keep on your boat? A full set of European appliances will serve you well and can be replaced readily enough via online purchasing. Your 50hz air-conditioning motor doesn't self destruct very often, and even if it did, shipping in a new one isn't so problematic.

Remember that most things which are rechargeable or operate off converters are multi-voltage and multi-frequency (televisions, Ryobi tools, MacBooks, sex toys, etc.). Plus, it's easy enough to wire in an additional inverter for 60hz electricity for guests or local purchasing.

The only boat I would consider fully converting the electrical system on, would be the Pardey's Serrafyn