PHOTO: PISAN THAILAND - STOCK.ADOBE.COMBoats and recreational vehicles share many similarities, especially when we look at boats with living accommodations. Both must have self-contained electrical systems, water and waste systems, cooking facilities and other comforts of home. However, there are notable differences in how these systems are constructed and delivered to the consumer, including in their electrical installations.
RVs and boats have significant AC and DC power systems; complex plumbing systems; large tanks holding fuel, water and waste; and heating, cooling and ventilation systems. These systems often have significant overlap paired with potentially surprising differences.
Similarly, the standards and requirements for building these two modes of transportation follow many parallel paths but also diverge significantly. RVs and boats operate in vastly different environments and with differing challenges.
RVs have a typical lifespan of 10 to 20 years, while the average boat in the United States is more than 20 years old, according to registration data. Additionally, breakdowns in an RV may leave a traveler stuck on the side of the road, whereas a breakdown on a boat may leave the boater adrift miles from shore. The most affordable new RV with living accommodations begins around $20,000. A boat with living accommodations costs multiples of that number.
Many more RVs are sold each year than boats. In 2022, nearly 450,000 new RVs were sold, compared with a bit more than 250,000 new boats. Because of relatively limited volume for boats and RVs, manufacturers often target their products at both markets to try and maximize economies of scale on everything from alternator regulators to toilets.
There can be significant differences in the levels of automation in RVs and boats. Modern RV electrical systems often offer significant automation, even on lower-cost units. They automatically switch between power sources, detect the connected shore power type, manage loads and even automatically start the generator when the batteries are low.
I have owned numerous boats and a couple of RVs; the first time I stepped in an RV was as a boat owner. I was immediately struck by what I didn’t see. Every boat I’ve owned has a large electrical panel with numerous switches and transfer functions. My RVs, in contrast, have energy-management systems that control those switching functions automatically — and the energy management systems automatically manage incoming power. If the RV is supplied with a 240-volt, 50-amp shore power feed, it will take full advantage of the incoming power. If less power is available, all the way down to a single household 120-volt, 15-amp circuit, the system will manage load to keep the current draw under the limit of the incoming circuit.
Why are the systems deployed so differently? The pat answer we generally hear is that boats must contend with harsh environments and the challenging conditions encountered on the water. I understand that explanation, to a point.
I’ve driven a lot of miles in an RV, and the conditions on the road aren’t a picnic either. I think the actual answer comes down to three basic factors: volume, standards and user expectations.
A huge percentage of the boats built each year do not have enclosed spaces and living accommodations. So relative to RVs, a small number of boats are built with 120-volt AC and 12- or 24-volt DC systems. An electrical system designed for a travel trailer may be shared between a few models and see production in the tens of thousands per year. That volume simply doesn’t exist in the marine industry.
The marine industry’s reduced volume also reduces the ability to demand specific features and functionality. It is much easier for Thor, which built nearly 175,000 RVs last year, to dictate its requirements to a vendor than it is for even the largest boatbuilders to do the same.
