At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
- boatingbob
- Scurvy Dog

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- Vessel Info: 1995 Carver 390 CPMY
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At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
Hi Guys!
Hope you can help: I have a 1994 Carver 390 CPMY. It’s Christmastime, and I have lights up on my boat. I’d like to simply plug them into the outside outlet that’s on the sun deck (port side, just to the left of the sliding companionway door), but the outlet is dead. It’s pretty badly corroded from rainwater intrusion that got in around the weathertight cover, but when I removed the outlet and tested the wire for power to the outlet - nothing!
All other outlets on the boat are working fine, so it doesn’t appear to be a tripped breaker on the 120v panel or one of the GFCI outlets having tripped. I cut off the old spade terminals and stripped 1/4” of new conductor off the 3 wires (white/black/green), and they look fine.
I can’t believe the wire itself is bad, but if it isn’t a breaker or a GFCI, what can it be? I had assumed this particular outlet was on the same circuit as all the outlets on the port side, and wired in series downstream of the 120v outlet on the port side of the master stateroom, but when I pulled the cover of that outlet to look in the back, I saw there was just one cable going into it.
I have attempted tracing the exterior outlet cable, but I lost it when it appears to drop into the engine bay and gets lost among all the other cables.
The wiring diagram in the Carver owners manual is very general, and doesn’t show the schematic of the individual outlets.
So help! Can anyone shed some light on this? It’s kind of a pain in the ass to run an extension cord into the cabin to run my Xmas lights. I’d really like to get my outside outlet working again.
Thanks!
Hope you can help: I have a 1994 Carver 390 CPMY. It’s Christmastime, and I have lights up on my boat. I’d like to simply plug them into the outside outlet that’s on the sun deck (port side, just to the left of the sliding companionway door), but the outlet is dead. It’s pretty badly corroded from rainwater intrusion that got in around the weathertight cover, but when I removed the outlet and tested the wire for power to the outlet - nothing!
All other outlets on the boat are working fine, so it doesn’t appear to be a tripped breaker on the 120v panel or one of the GFCI outlets having tripped. I cut off the old spade terminals and stripped 1/4” of new conductor off the 3 wires (white/black/green), and they look fine.
I can’t believe the wire itself is bad, but if it isn’t a breaker or a GFCI, what can it be? I had assumed this particular outlet was on the same circuit as all the outlets on the port side, and wired in series downstream of the 120v outlet on the port side of the master stateroom, but when I pulled the cover of that outlet to look in the back, I saw there was just one cable going into it.
I have attempted tracing the exterior outlet cable, but I lost it when it appears to drop into the engine bay and gets lost among all the other cables.
The wiring diagram in the Carver owners manual is very general, and doesn’t show the schematic of the individual outlets.
So help! Can anyone shed some light on this? It’s kind of a pain in the ass to run an extension cord into the cabin to run my Xmas lights. I’d really like to get my outside outlet working again.
Thanks!
- buster53
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
FWIW...I have 2 friends (2 different boats) that both had dead outlets. Went aboard to help and on both boats we found GFCI outlets hidden in out of the way places the owners were unaware of. Reset and all is good
- boatingbob
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
Thanks! All I have to do is find the ‘hidden’ GFCI.
390 CPMY owners: I spy with my little eye two GFCI outlets: one in the forward head, and one on the port forward side of the main salon. Anyone aware of a third?
390 CPMY owners: I spy with my little eye two GFCI outlets: one in the forward head, and one on the port forward side of the main salon. Anyone aware of a third?
- tomschauer
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
Try behind the tv in the aft cabin, or maybe in the aft deck cabinet where the icemaker plugs in.
- RobGunn
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
`Are all of your beakers turned on? I had similar issue with my 3607 with a dead outlet up on the flybrige and found out that the one outlet was tied into the breaker for my electric stove. Who would have though...
- boatingbob
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
tomschauer wrote:Qr Bbpost Try behind the tv in the aft cabin, or maybe in the aft deck cabinet where the icemaker plugs in.
As it turns out, that was indeed the case. I had forgotten about that outlet, as we had filled the closet with clothes. Sure enough, there was an outlet there, and it's a GFI. Reset, and all is well!
Thanks to all for your great advice!
- VolNavy91
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
Thanks I just had the same problem a vaguely remembered this thread. The advice you give on this forum is used for years after you give it. 
- Bentone23
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
tomschauer wrote:QR_BBPOST Try behind the tv in the aft cabin, or maybe in the aft deck cabinet where the icemaker plugs in.
Genius! Now I know there are at least three GFCI plugs on my 355. Port side plugs on gfci near tv antenna booster. Starboard plugs GFCI in forward head. And just found today thanks to you guys- aft plug outside for refrigerator/ice maker is powered by GFCI inside the closet in the aft cabin where the tv cables plug in. Who knew!
Thank you for the previous posts and this great Carver knowledge base.
Bruce Bennett
Bentone23@sbcglobal.net
1996 355 Aft Cabin
Central California
Boating on the Delta and SF Bay
Bentone23@sbcglobal.net
1996 355 Aft Cabin
Central California
Boating on the Delta and SF Bay
- tomschauer
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
You would think they would put the GFI's where they are easily seen, like the one in the forward head.
I have one in the forward head, one behind the TV in the aft cabin and one under the galley sink where the fridge plugs in.
I have one in the forward head, one behind the TV in the aft cabin and one under the galley sink where the fridge plugs in.
- g36
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Re: At my wit’s end! Carver 390 CPMY outside outlet dead!
Sometimes stuff like this makes you wonder what they were thinking when the wiring design was being laid out.
1997 Carver 405
Crusader xli
The Black Pearl
Soddy Daisy Tn.
Crusader xli
The Black Pearl
Soddy Daisy Tn.