Anyone else running a Victron Multiplus on a boat — how are you handling the shore power integration?

Just picked up a Multiplus 12/3000/120 for my narrowboat and I'm trying to work out the cleanest way to set up the shore power side. The boat has a 16A shore connection at the marina, and I want the Multiplus to handle the transfer automatically when I'm plugged in, then flip to inverter mode when I'm not. In theory that's exactly what it's designed for — but the devil's in the detail.

My main concern is the input current limit. The marina supply here in the Midlands is a bit suspect — I've seen it dip noticeably on busy weekends. I've read you can set the AC input limit in VE.Configure to something conservative (maybe 10A) so the unit doesn't overload the shore supply, but I'm not sure how aggressive the PowerAssist kicks in to compensate. Anyone have real numbers from a similar setup?

Running 200Ah of Fogstar Drift lithium (12V), with a Victron SmartSolar 150/35 doing the solar side via a couple of 200W panels on the roof. The VE.Bus and VE.Direct are both feeding into a Cerbo GX, so visibility is decent. I just want to make sure the Multiplus and the shore connection play nicely before I rely on this as my primary system.

Has anyone had issues with the transfer relay clicking constantly when shore voltage is borderline? That's the other thing I'm bracing for.

@LindaPrice87 the Multiplus basically is the shore power integration — just wire your 16A inlet through it and let it handle the transfer switching automatically like the smug little box it is.

@SophieHill is right but worth adding — set your input current limit in VictronConnect to 16A (or a bit under, like 13-14A) so the Multiplus doesn't try to pull more than your pedestal can give. It'll automatically top up from the battery if you run something big.

Also worth enabling the shore power relay in the assistant settings so it switches cleanly when you plug in. I've seen a few boats where this wasn't configured and the crossover was janky.

On mine (van rather than boat but same principle) I've got the input limit set conservatively — marina supplies can be a bit flaky and tripping the pedestal breaker gets old fast.

@ExSquaddie97

@LindaPrice87 good shout going with the Multiplus — solid bit of kit. One thing worth mentioning that the others haven't touched on yet: if your marina supply is a bit dodgy (and plenty are, especially older ones), make sure you've got your input voltage range set sensibly in VictronConnect. The Multiplus will reject shore power if it falls outside tolerance, which sounds annoying but actually protects your kit. Also consider fitting a shore power polarity indicator before the inlet — reversed polarity on marina pedestals is surprisingly common and worth catching early. On the narrowboat side, make sure your AC wiring is properly segregated from your DC stuff to keep your RCD happy. What's your battery bank looking like? That'll affect how you configure the charger profile.

Set the input current limit to 13A not 16A unless you fancy tripping the marina pedestal every time the kettle and charger kick in simultaneously — ask me how I know 🚐💥