www.iFourWinns.com

I don't like cooking in the cabin due to splatter and smells. We do a lot of grilling using the rod holder for the grill. I am wanting to have access to a electrical outlet for our nu wave cooker (I bought one this year and it cooks so much faster for quick meals) I know it has to be a GFI outlet like the one in the head. I would like to have a on/off switch next to it for I will only use it for the cooker. Also considered putting the outlet underneath the aft cushion on the transom and have a access hatch in the transom for the plug to go through to keep out of the elements. Your thoughts, suggestions or ideas? Thank you.

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1996 278 Vista Dlx Twin 5.0
1999 Sea Ray 215 ex cruiser (sold)
1989 Seaswirl (sold)

Why not put the outlet by the battery switches, and just use an extension cord when you want to plug in the cooker ?
You could add the switch to the battery panel.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I supposed I could, just wanting to have a clean look and not have cords laying around. By the way Cap'n Morgan I don't believe I have switches at my battery terminal like you have. Is that something you added?

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1996 278 Vista Dlx Twin 5.0
1999 Sea Ray 215 ex cruiser (sold)
1989 Seaswirl (sold)

If you notice my signature, I do not own a 278 Vista. I have friends that do however, and that is the place where they added an outlet. When a cord is connected, they run it under the carpet, or along the gunwales so it is out of the way. The pic is of a 1998 278 Vista I believe. I would not recommend an outlet on the swim platform, or anywhere outside the cockpit, for safety sake.

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

I have a GFI outlet in the cockpit and it is exposed to the elements but waterproof (see below). You will want to use the outlet for stuff other than cooking on the swim deck so keep that in mind before placing it. What about moving your cooking station to the port side so the cord won't be exposed? Curious, how do you keep your NuWave cooker from sliding around? I can just see some jerk in a jet ski waking you and your breakfast going into the drink.

Another alternative is to use your gas grill to cook on. We used to have a gas Magma Marine Kettle Party Grill and you could remove the grill and there was a place to rest your pan so that it would be closer to the flame and wouldn't slide off when you got waked. We cooked many a breakfast of eggs and sausage links on that thing. I just Googled this set up and it appears Magma now has a variety of griddles specifically for using the party kettle as a stove top (see 2nd picture below). With the gas grill set up, you won't have to crank up the noisy gen to cook.

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Current Boat: 2000 Four Winns 298 Vista
Previous Boat: 2000 Carver 406MY

I have an outlet right next to my battery switch and it is right next to the transom door. The outlet is just like 298VISTA2000's in the picture. Going by memory but I don't believe it is a gfi because I believe it is piggybacked from a gfi in the cabin.

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--2002 3880 Regal Flybridge | Twin Merc 8.1HO **Seven**
--2003 AB 13 VST Console Inflatable | Tohatsu 40hp TLDI **Phish'n ski**
--310 Mercury Inflatable | 1982 9.9 Johnson

To 298vista2000 re: the cooker. We have an extended swim deck allowing us to place the cooker on a table and for the most part we stay in a no wake cove so the odds of dealing w wakes are slim. I do use the grill for the most part but using the gen and cooker is for a short period so the noise is not that much of a issue.

I like the idea of putting the outlet next to the battery switches. I already have a 12v outlet on the swim deck for the air pump for the inflatables. But to run the cooker I need to run the gen due to the high wattage. I will take a look next week and see what I come up with and let you guys know. Thanks again.

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1996 278 Vista Dlx Twin 5.0
1999 Sea Ray 215 ex cruiser (sold)
1989 Seaswirl (sold)

Used the boat this week and the cooker. I ended up just using a extension cord like cap'n Morgan suggested and it worked just fine. After looking at the swim deck I realized you guys were right and not a great idea to have a outlet that close to the water. Thanks again.

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1996 278 Vista Dlx Twin 5.0
1999 Sea Ray 215 ex cruiser (sold)
1989 Seaswirl (sold)