Re: To Plug or not to plug into shore power?
One set of opinions told me if I'm not going to be down to my boat for days/ or any significant time period I should not leave my boat plugged into shore power especially if nothing is runnung on it because it will drain my batteries quicker.
Ok not sure of the logic here. The AC and DC systems onboard are isolated from each other, even if you have an onboard charger. So leaving the shore power connected will not effect battery drain.
Whether or not you leave your shore power connected depends on what your shore power is used for. If you have an onboard battery charger it is most likely a marine type charger that regulates itself automatically. If your boat was built in the last ten years or so this is even more likely true. So leaving your shore power connected will keep your batteries charged. If your shore power is only used for AC items onboard like a fridge or an air conditioner it is you choice based on what you want maintained for use when you take the boat out. Your may want to keep your fridge cold or keep the cabin cool in summer.
It is best if you do have shore power to use it. Most boats with shore power do have some sort of automatic charger to keep the batteries up. If for no other reason this will insure that your batteries stay charged and that your automatic bilge pump can operate in the event the boat takes on water in your absence. You do have an automatic bilge pump, don't you?
If you spend any appreciable time in the marinas you will eventually see a listing boat tied to the dock. In the worst case, you will only see a mast light sticking out of the water and some broken dock lines. It happens more often than we like to admit.
