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03-26-2013, 09:00 AM
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#21
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Guru
City: Southern Maine
Vessel Model: Prairie 36 Coastal Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2012
Posts: 2,717
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This boat came with a 2KW inverter and a residential-style fridge. My thought was, what the heck, run the fridge off the inverter instead of investing in a new 12/120V unit.
The wisdom of this choice remains to be seen. The 7.5KW genset is a real teeth-rattler and is oversize to be run for any length of time, given the loads I can put on it.
I do like the idea of an inverter for small or infrequent 120V loads like charging laptops or running the microwave for a few minutes.
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03-26-2013, 09:00 AM
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#22
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Guru
City: San Diego
Vessel Name: Circuit Breaker
Vessel Model: 2021..22' Duffy Cuddy cabin
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 6,691
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Northern Spy
No gen, no ice, no inver-tars,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primitive as can be...
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Now I can take your posts much more seriously! (Nice avatar, NS!)
__________________
Done with diesel power boats! Have fallen in love with all electric!
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03-26-2013, 09:38 AM
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#23
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Guru
City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
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I have no genset so I have a large house battery bank and an inverter to provide 120 volts AC when away from the dock. Microwave, coffee pot, laptop computer, etc.
So to answer your question, Yes, I really need an inverter.
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03-26-2013, 09:41 AM
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#24
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Guru
City: Everett Wa
Vessel Name: Eagle
Vessel Model: Roughwater 58 pilot house
Join Date: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,919
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I really must protest being on the West coast by the time I get up and on line the eastern coast has already post dozen of replies.
The Eagle did not have an inverter when we bought it. The Eagle had three 8 D for house, so I bought a cheap Xantrex 3000 inverter at that time for 750 bucks. Did not have time to wire so I plugged the shore power cord into it. We have used it a few times over the years. Mostly during the winter when the AC dock power goes out. Some people have trouble with the Xantrex, but I think its because they push it to the max, 2500 watts, for long periods of time.
Anyway I would have a gen set over a battery and inverter, but the inverter does come in handy once in a while. The trouble I have with an inverter is HOW it charge back the amps if you don’t run the main engine? You need a gen set!
Lastly I would install a separate charger and inverter.
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03-26-2013, 10:49 AM
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#25
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Guru
City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Fill
............. . The trouble I have with an inverter is HOW it charge back the amps if you don’t run the main engine? You need a gen set! .
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Shore power?
I typically run for several hours, anchor for the rest of the day and the night, get up, start the engine, and repeat. After a couple days of this, I usually spend the night at a marina.
One way or the other, the batteries get recharged. No genset.
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03-26-2013, 10:52 AM
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#26
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Guru
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 4,021
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Readin' about all the problems with inverters I decided against puttin' one in. Rather run the gen set.
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03-26-2013, 11:04 AM
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#27
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Guru
City: St Augustine,Fl
Join Date: Sep 2009
Posts: 3,798
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It seems to me , most of the "Inverter problems" were more Xantrex problems (newer ones) rather than actual inverters themselves. Peeps that had Prosine, Charles and Victron seemed to be satisfied with the product.
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03-26-2013, 11:14 AM
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#28
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Guru
City: Hailing Port: Charleston, SC
Vessel Name: Moonstruck
Vessel Model: Sabre 42 Hardtop Express
Join Date: Nov 2008
Posts: 8,276
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With an AC powered frig, ice maker, TV, VCR and a few other things it is nice to have an inverter to carry the loads. It saves generator time, and is more convenient than having a lot of small inverters. The remote inverter panel and SOC meter are beside the electrical panels so that everything can be monitored easily. It is all located near the helm. The generator controls are also there. The inverter breakers are the bottom right on the AC panel.
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03-26-2013, 11:41 AM
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#29
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Guru
City: Beaverton, Ontario
Vessel Name: Looking Glass
Vessel Model: Carver 370 Voyager
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 1,240
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No noise maker, 12 Volt TV, CD and DVD, 12 Volt fridge, 12 volt lighting (LED), gas stove and oven, use a 1000W inverter for charging cell phones, ipad and incidentals. Nice and quiet.
__________________
Allan
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03-26-2013, 11:44 AM
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#30
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Senior Member
City: Poulsbo, WA
Vessel Name: M/V Knot Knormal
Vessel Model: President 41
Join Date: May 2011
Posts: 282
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Northern Spy
No gen, no ice, no inver-tars,
Not a single luxury,
Like Robinson Crusoe,
As primitive as can be...
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Aw Man! NOW I got that tune going through my head!!!!!
Marty..................
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03-26-2013, 11:45 AM
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#31
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Senior Member
City: EC FL
Join Date: Nov 2012
Posts: 171
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I had a Trace Engineering inverter on my previous boat that did it’s best to try and burn the boat to the waterline. I just happened to be on the boat at the time and put out the fire. The inverter was not in use at the time.
It was well out of warranty but Trace paid me 250 bucks to send it back so they could examine it. Never heard back from them. This was just before Trace was sold.
I swore I’d never have another one.
Coffee? Peculator on the propane stove. Toast? One of those stand up racks for a camping stove also on the propane stove. TV? I have a Lcd that runs on 12 volt. Panasonic Toughbook? A Lind DC/DC convertor. I have a couple of little solar chargers for out tablet and smartphone. They work much better than I though they would.
My refer and freezer are both straight DC.
It’s a individual choice. We all cruise a little bit differently and have different opinions about what is and is not “roughing it”.
NL 6Kw genset with 323 hrs. in 7 years.
Mike
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03-26-2013, 12:01 PM
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#32
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Senior Member
City: Northern California
Join Date: Jan 2013
Posts: 409
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This thread has made interesting reading and shows the two schools of thought for power vs sail folks. It seems obvious that power boaters do not mind the noise and vibration of diesel gen sets. Way back when the Trace 2012 was the only game in town I had one for my Cal 40. Back then solar panels were $5 per watt and the best bang for the buck in batteries were 6 volt, 220 a-hr golf cart batteries. Even with this primitive by today's standards set up, I was good on the hook and never needed to run the aux (remember I'm on a sailboat) to charge the batteries.
Today things have changed, solar panels are $1 per watt, LiFePO4 cells are cheaper than all other batteries when you figure in cycle life, and inverters can be sized for any loads. To me, an AC gen set is redundant, heavy because it has to run at a fixed rpm for electrical output frequency, and you still deal with the noise and vibration. If your unable to size your solar to meet daily needs on the hook, then a small, light weight diesel DC gen set for battery charging will supplement your needs.
You can even go one step further. At this time I'm on the fence for my next boat, power or sail. But either way, it will have hybrid propulsion and a all electric galley. As energy dense as the new LiFePO4 cells are, you could size your inverter/propulsion bank to allow 100+ nm @ 4 kt for propulsion. The last time I was full time cruising, a typical passage was in that range and I would enjoy my new anchorage for about a week. Solar can be sized to meet all domestic loads on the hook with enough surplus to top off the battery bank from the last passage in about a week. Or you could just marina hop each day's run and feel a little better about a $50 overnight slip fee when you pull $30 worth of electricity in 24 hours from the marina to charge your 75 KW-hr battery bank.
Who knows how expensive diesel will be in the future? I sure don't want my next cruising plans to be dictated by the cost of diesel when the sun provides all the energy I need to cruise.
__________________
Bob
USCG Unlimited Tonnage Open Ocean (CMA)
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03-26-2013, 01:58 PM
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#33
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Master and Commander
City: Vallejo CA
Vessel Name: Carquinez Coot
Vessel Model: penultimate Seahorse Marine Coot hull #6
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 12,559
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rwidman
Shore power?
I typically run for several hours, anchor for the rest of the day and the night, get up, start the engine, and repeat. After a couple days of this, I usually spend the night at a marina.
One way or the other, the batteries get recharged. No genset.
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Ditto.
Helps to have a gas stove.
__________________
Kar-KEEN-ez Koot
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03-26-2013, 02:10 PM
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#34
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Guru
City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
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Quote:
Originally Posted by markpierce
Ditto.
Helps to have a gas stove.
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Yes it does and I question why a boat would have an electric stove unless it was a very big boat where one would expect to run a genset most of the time.
My TV/DVD is 12 volt.
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03-26-2013, 02:21 PM
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#35
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Guru
City: North Charleston, SC
Join Date: Sep 2010
Posts: 4,870
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ancora
Readin' about all the problems with inverters I decided against puttin' one in. Rather run the gen set.
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I've read about a lot of engine problems but I still have one in my boat.
If you have a genset, there's no harm in running it (except for the noise) and you don't need an inverter. I would hate to have to fire up a genset just to make a cup of coffee or to watch TV.
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03-26-2013, 02:24 PM
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#36
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Senior Member
City: Foley, Alabama
Vessel Name: GITANA
Vessel Model: Sea Ranger 47 Pilothouse
Join Date: Mar 2012
Posts: 315
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We have a little 750 watt inverter I purchased at Sam's Club for $25. Power for it comes from a house bank of 6 6-volt Golf Cart batteries (wired in series to for4m 3 12-volt pairs=660 amps, also purchased from Sam's for around $75 each. Rather than running our big 8kW genset most of the time when we need AC, we usually run the little Honda 2000W (cost $850) which will run all night on a gallon of gas. Makes coffee, recharges batteries, powers TV, cell phone charger, computer, etc. Haven't been too terribly uncomfortable so far. We rather enjoy learning how much we can live without, rather than the other way around.
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03-26-2013, 05:16 PM
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#37
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Guru
City: Hotel, CA
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 8,323
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rwidman
I would hate to have to fire up a genset just to make a cup of coffee or to watch TV.
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That is where everyone is different. I couldn't imagine using a television on a boat unless full time cruising or living aboard. As shown in my avatar, I have better things to view over the stern.
Sent by Craig from my iPhone using Trawler
__________________
Craig
It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they've been fooled - Mark Twain
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03-26-2013, 05:56 PM
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#38
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Moderator Emeritus
City: San Jose, CA
Vessel Name: Pineapple Girl 3
Vessel Model: Silverton 38c
Join Date: Jun 2010
Posts: 2,171
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Craig the TV becomes necessary for us during football season as we spend most every weekend on the boat but don't want to miss any Niners games. .
__________________
-Jennifer
2003 Silverton 38c (not a trawler)
Marina Village, Alameda
San Francisco Bay Area
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03-26-2013, 06:02 PM
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#39
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Guru
City: Hotel, CA
Join Date: Sep 2011
Posts: 8,323
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Pineapple Girl
Craig the TV becomes necessary for us during football season as we spend most every weekend on the boat but don't want to miss any Niners games. .
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My football fix is satisfied watching high school games about 2 blocks from my house on Thursday or Friday nights. Haven't watched a pro game in years.
Sent by Craig from my iPhone using Trawler
__________________
Craig
It's easier to fool people than to convince them that they've been fooled - Mark Twain
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03-26-2013, 06:08 PM
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#40
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Senior Member
Vessel Name: " Supertramp "
Vessel Model: Marine Trader Widebody 50 feet
Join Date: Sep 2008
Posts: 150
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Yes i need:
My Inverter:
WEST MARINE Inverter at West Marine
under way, i go without gen and my starboard alternador charged the 8 D ( Startbatterie for all Motores and gens) and two 8 D for 12 Volt consume, my portalternador charged the 3X 8 D Group for the Inverter.
Under way we used 1 fridged and 3 freezer .
_________________________
Norbert
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