Rule #1: Don’t be stupid...
Yes, rule #1 is “don’t be stupid” and rule #2 is “if at anytime you are frustrated or impatient...stop, then refer to rule #1”. Boy, I really wish I had followed the rules.
The boat came with a 25 foot shore power cord, which seemed to work fine, but the male receptacle that plugs into the dock’s electrical outlet was covered by wrap upon wrap of electrical tape. This usually means that something unpleasant lurks under all those layers of tape, so being a responsible boat owner, I investigated. First, I checked the continuity of all they wires in the cable; all three showed zero ohms of resistance...great so far. Next, I carefully cut away all the tape, ensuring I didn’t damage the underlying insulation and this is what I found:
Well, the white clamp that holds the cable to the plug was kind of rusty, but it seemed secure...maybe there’s something in the plug itself that is defective? Well, let’s take the clamp off then and see what we find. The rusty screws were very hard to loosen, so what I should have done is put the whole assembly in a vise and then bore down properly with a Phillips head screwdriver; instead, I tried to do it by hand, and this was the result:
Just in case you’re wondering, if you impale yourself hard enough with a screwdriver, you will hit bone. After an appropriate number of swear words had been uttered (quite loudly), and the level of pain was back to a tolerable level and I could think clearly, I got the wound washed and dressed and made it to the urgent care center for an evaluation and a tetanus shot...”patient presented with a 1cm laceration in the thenar eminence, 5cm hematoma in right anterior wrist, and acute stupidity in the cranial region”.
I was very fortunate in two ways. First, I injured my right hand (I am left-handed) and second, I picked the one spot in the carpal region that is made up mostly of muscle. After a couple days, I am very happy and relieved to say the wound is healing nicely and the strength and mobility of my hand is returning, so I guess I avoided any permanent damage. The Almighty looks after even those of us that probably don’t deserve it.
I did eventually get the clamp off (using a vise) and one side has stripped threads, so I will get a replacement installed before I use the cord again.
Remember, ALWAYS FOLLOW RULE #1 !!!
The boat came with a 25 foot shore power cord, which seemed to work fine, but the male receptacle that plugs into the dock’s electrical outlet was covered by wrap upon wrap of electrical tape. This usually means that something unpleasant lurks under all those layers of tape, so being a responsible boat owner, I investigated. First, I checked the continuity of all they wires in the cable; all three showed zero ohms of resistance...great so far. Next, I carefully cut away all the tape, ensuring I didn’t damage the underlying insulation and this is what I found:
Well, the white clamp that holds the cable to the plug was kind of rusty, but it seemed secure...maybe there’s something in the plug itself that is defective? Well, let’s take the clamp off then and see what we find. The rusty screws were very hard to loosen, so what I should have done is put the whole assembly in a vise and then bore down properly with a Phillips head screwdriver; instead, I tried to do it by hand, and this was the result:
Just in case you’re wondering, if you impale yourself hard enough with a screwdriver, you will hit bone. After an appropriate number of swear words had been uttered (quite loudly), and the level of pain was back to a tolerable level and I could think clearly, I got the wound washed and dressed and made it to the urgent care center for an evaluation and a tetanus shot...”patient presented with a 1cm laceration in the thenar eminence, 5cm hematoma in right anterior wrist, and acute stupidity in the cranial region”.
I was very fortunate in two ways. First, I injured my right hand (I am left-handed) and second, I picked the one spot in the carpal region that is made up mostly of muscle. After a couple days, I am very happy and relieved to say the wound is healing nicely and the strength and mobility of my hand is returning, so I guess I avoided any permanent damage. The Almighty looks after even those of us that probably don’t deserve it.
I did eventually get the clamp off (using a vise) and one side has stripped threads, so I will get a replacement installed before I use the cord again.
Remember, ALWAYS FOLLOW RULE #1 !!!