Run the cable on the dock, inside the cleats. Leave it there when you go sailing (I coil mine neatly near the stern cleat). Invest in a cover for the end of the cable if you are worried about moisture.

Keep a spare cable aboard for cruising.

This is what I do.

Both will be way less hassle than rewiring your electrical system -- you're talking 110V AC, which means you've got to be extra-careful.

Blair,
I do the same thing as David. If the cord is a bit short, you can get a 10-15' extension (Hubbel? Marinco?) for a LOT less than just one of the components for putting an outlet in the anchor locker, plus the wiring, plus the auto or manual transfer switch. I use small pieces of 1/8" line to tie the cord in several places so it doesn't get kicked into the water. Really easy to untie and take it with me on cruises. Make sure you unplug the shore end first.

Blair,

I moved, actually added, a shore power connection to the anchor locker of my 1993 model Catalina several years ago.

It was a fun addition, not all that difficult to do and I am the envy of fellow sailboat owners in my marina.

I kept the aft shore power connection, I control it by using the shut off circuit breaker in the port locker. It stays off when I am connected to shore power. When I am cruising and at anchor for a few days and need to connect my Honda generator to charge up my batteries, I place the Honda in my walk through transom, and connect to the aft shore power connection.

It works very nicely for me.

Bill Matley

So, Bill, just for clarification, you can use either of the shorepower connections? That seems to be a great idea! Can you recall the totla cost of installing the shorepower connection and wire in the anchor locker?

We have a 30 amp shore power connector mounted inside the anchor locker. There is a 30 amp breaker mounted inside on the forward bulkhead, then triplex led aft to the panel into a source selector switch (a type of A-B switch normally used to switch between shore power and a generator). We mounted this switch just inside the cabinet just forward of the panel. If you don't have this type of switch you have the potential of energizing the unused shore power connector should you forget to shut off a breaker. This lets us use a 25 foot shore power cable when we are bow in and is just a heck of a lot nicer than having cable laying all over the deck. We also ran a cable tv connector to the locker so when we tie up at our dock we just pull out both and hook up. Most days sailing we leave the shore power connected in the anchor locker and unplug from the shore power tower when we are ready to leave and coil the shore power cable in the anchor locker. I offer no apologies for being lazy. This is a great arrangement for us since we almost always bow in. This is 110 volt wiring and mistakes carry the risk of death or fire. If you don't know what you are doing and want something like this invest in a pro. Wiring must be stranded, not solid copper.

My boat is set up the same exact way as Mike's. Since we are in the same area it was a common option from the former dealer in Vermilion. The dealer offered me many such dealer installed options when I ordered the boat new.

I agree that it is [B]VERY[/B] handy.

Not sure how it would save you time, but a few folks on my dock have one of these and swear by them:

[url]http://www.zipsleeve.com/marine.html[/url]

We also have power in both anchor locker and stern, it is very handy. As for leaving power cables on docks, this year we were at a marina that has banned that practice. Owners were leaving them alive when they left the dock and the other end got into the water which is apparently a bad thing. They also now want to see your power cable, it has to be commercially made with sealed ends, they won't allow any home made cords. They put a sticker on your approved cords, if you use one without a sticker they will confiscate it. I am expecting more places will follow suit due to insurance issues.

I'm also interested in installing a forward connection, since we are bow forward in our slip. I'm not at the boat, but how does the galvanic isolator fit into this equation? If a second breaker is installed at the forward end, is a second isolator also needed??