The boat's wiring
Check that all electric cables are in good condition and routed away from any equipment that could damage them. If any cable or wire is damaged, under-sized or under-rated, it can overheat.
Turn off power immediately to any circuit that has damaged cables, and have them replaced. Touching exposed live wires will give you an electric shock, which could be fatal.
New or replacement cables should be multi-stranded and of the correct size as determined by reference to Table A.1, ISO 13297 - check with your competent installer.
Plugs and sockets
Remove plugs from sockets with care using the body of the plug; tugging of the cable risks damage to the connections.
If any plugs show signs of overheating, stop using that circuit, equipment or appliance and ask an electrician to check things out.
Only essential appliances should be left plugged in and powered up when you leave the boat.
Make sure the 230 V plugs and sockets are not of the same design as for your boat's 12/24 V system.
Fuses and circuit-breakers
If these are not right and there's an overload or fault in the system or appliance, the circuit will start to get hot and a fire may start
Check all fuses and circuit-breakers are the correct rating, and if any need replacing, check those are correct too.
Check that all fuses and circuit-breakers are in good condition
Avoid electrocution: visually check that any connections on fuse or circuit-breaker boards are properly enclosed so that it's impossible to touch them accidentally.
If fuses blow or circuit-breakers trip, seek competent help to address the cause.
Residual Current Devices (RCDs)
Check the boat has one or more RCDs that these trip when the test button on the RCD is pressed.
Press the test button at least once every three months. When tested, an RCD should cut the power to the boat's 230 V sockets.
Understand that an RCD is for additional protection and is no substitute for proper installation and maintenance.
Double-pole, non-delay RCDs having a maximum rated trip sensitivity of 30 mA (milliamps) should be used and they need an effective earth path if they are to work - check with your competent installer.
If an RCD trips and won't reset, seek competent help to address the cause.