We did the electrical wiring for a dock and boat lift in Fort Myers, off McGregor Boulevard. The dock starts as bare lift frames and a walkway with no wiring (see the before photos) and ends with two powered lift controls, dock outlets, walkway lighting and a shore power inlet.

  • Location: Fort Myers, Florida, off McGregor Boulevard
  • Service: dock and boat lift wiring
  • Equipment: GEM Remotes GR4A (four motors) on a 50-amp circuit, GEM Remotes GR2A (two motors) on a 30-amp circuit, 30-amp 120-volt shore power inlet with a 30 mA equipment protection breaker

What we did

  • Powered a GEM Remotes GR4A four-motor boat lift control on a 50-amp circuit. Four motors let the lift hoist a much heavier boat.
  • Powered a GEM Remotes GR2A control for a two-motor lift on a 30-amp circuit.
  • Set up the leveling and auto-stop controls and a handheld remote, so the lift can be raised and lowered without pressing the button on the unit.
  • Installed dedicated outlets on the dock for any power that may be needed.
  • Installed low-voltage lighting on the pilings along the walkway, run by a transformer with a light sensor that turns the lights on automatically at night.
  • Installed an outdoor-rated 30-amp, 120-volt shore power inlet, protected by a 30 milliamp equipment protection (EPD type) ground-fault breaker.
  • Posted No Swimming warning signs at the lift controls.

Why the shore power breaker is different

Shore power for boats is wired with ground-fault protection of equipment (GFPE) that trips at 30 milliamps, as NEC Article 555 requires for shore power receptacles. A standard GFCI breaker trips at a much lower level, around 5 milliamps, and often trips for no real fault on docks and boats. The 30 milliamp breaker is the correct protection for this application and avoids those nuisance trips.

Warning signs

NEC Article 555, section 555.10 requires a warning sign at docking facilities telling people that electrical currents may be present in the water. We include these No Swimming warning stickers on our dock jobs.

Need dock power in Fort Myers? See dock wiring installation, our Fort Myers electrician page, or get an estimate.