I have a 12Volt plug that has two inserts(female connections). I want to use the outlet to charge my phone etc. Is there an adapter to change this unit to an auto cigarette type inlet? or must I replace the whole unit to meet my needs. I have never seen a connection before like this and presume it was installed when the boat was built.
Paul Valcour, 1986 30’U,#328.
Not sure what you are dealing with from your description. The three types of 12 volt plugs plugs that have entered my life are an unusual type of cigarette lighter plug I have had on Mercedes and Audi cars. The third is called a BMW plug and it is a smaller diameter and quite weather resistant. I have this on motorcycles it requires a compatable plug or a compatable plug and an adaptor. The others have worked poorly for the purpose you describe and I have not come across a suitable adaptor. Because I have electronics for BMW plugs I have just wired in a fused plug under the dash. Hopefully this is what you have they work well in difficult environments. If not perhaps a photo would help some one to identify what you are facing. My 81 30 C has standard female lighter type plugs one forward, one by companionway and the third Is aft end of cockpit port. They have proven quite fragile. Thinking of giving up on the one in the cockpit.
Zephyr, 1981 N30, west end of Lake Superior.
Go to a store like West marine and tell them what you have. They can supply you with an easy retrofit to make you compatible with most 12VDC accessories. They can also supply the proper plug for your existing setup.
Joe Valinoti
S/V IL Gatto NS30U #221 (1984)
Sea Harbour Yacht Club
Oriental, NC
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I have two outlets that are probably similar to what you are describing. They are polarized 12v recepticles, for which there presumably are 12v appliances which are wired with male plugs. I’ve never used such an appliance myself, but I did purchase plugs at West Marine, or some such store, and used them to make “pigtails”, to which I wired a standard 12v cigar lighter-type receptacle. Once the pigtail is plugged in you can then plug anything that has a male cigar lighter plug into it. It’s not as elegant as wiring in a cigar lighter receptacle permanently, but it works. I think those original plugs must be more weather resistant than the conventional cigar lighter-type - that’s the rationale.
Ed Cook
Chat-eau
N26c #173
Chesapeake Bay
The plugs may be for Hinterhoeller-installed cabin fans. I have two movable fans in my main cabin that are each mounted on a teak fitting which slides along the grab rails on either side of the cabin overhead. You could probably plug anything else 12V into them as long as it did not overload the wiring. Charging an electronic device like a phone should be safe. A 12V hair dryer would undoubtedly be too much.
I also have cigar lighter receptacles in the galley and cockpit. My mate’s hair dryer pops the circuit breaker on those.
Joe Tierney,� Allegro, 1992 NS33 #64,� Annapolis, MD
Hi Paul,
They are just an older version of marine 12 volt DC receptacle that was commonly installed by Hinterhoeller on the Nonsuches. My boat still had a couple of them, while some of the others had already been replaced with the more common auto/RV versions that are used everywhere today. They may have even been more commonly found in Canada than in the US. I saw an older hand-held marine spotlight with one of the matching male plugs once, but was unable to find any new devices that use that connector. If you want to be able to use the outlet for any general use, it would be a good idea to use the newer receptacle. I eventually replaced every one of mine with the Marinco premium receptacles that have a sealing cap to keep out splash and moisture. Other than the irritation of having to spend the money, it only takes about 10 minutes to install one, and then you can use it for virtually any 12 volt device.
Dave Easley
87 NS30U #420 “BIG EASY”
Western End of Lake Erie