12v appliances

Reading another thread about 12 outlets I thought of asking the following question (did not want to hijack the thread)
What kind of 12v appliances do you have?

The reason for the question: I realized that I have no 12v outlet beyond a cigar lighter type and few usb and this because I do not have anything to plug except phone, table or rechargeable light.

these are my needs I know of and right now none are met. I only have two 8 d batteries so I'm not sure how much I could run at anchor anyway.
at anchor
1.I'm going to have to run a fan if we anchor out or my wife can't sleep.
2. charge phones and laptop . I still need to get a 12v to 19v charger for the laptop.
3. the wife's iPad
underway
1. keep the laptop charged . I use open cpn for now.
2. keep phone charged . I use mx mariner at the helm.
3. I may need a spot light . I hope not.
the wife's iPad

what I do now is bad I use the phone until it's dead then use the lap top and charge the phone with the laptop .the phone is mostly charged when the laptop is dead . but never been that far.i hope to have this fixed before I leave the dock again.

No 12v appliances of any kind. If the inverter won't run the appliance, start up the generator.

I have a high powered spotlight that came with the boat. I've used it once in ten years.

I have some older phone chargers.

I have a 12 volt DC TV.

I have a permanently mounted and wired 12 volt fan.

I was just thinking how times have changed. In days past I had a 12v plug in spotlight, 12v fan and a 12v blender. No phone, we used the vhf and the marine operator and a computer filled an entire room with its 256k memory.

I have 12Vdc outlets (look like cigar outlet) all over the boat. My frig is 12Vdc with no shore power or genny. Otherwise, start the genny or get out the cords...

My fridge is AC/DC, I have a handheld 12V plug in spotlight and a lantern both obsolete probably now with LED/ LIon rechargeable handheld spotlights and lanterns. A couple of 12V plug in fans to keep lower helm front windows from fogging up.
I have a Cigar type outlet on upper and lower helm station. I also recently added a dedicated 12V BlueSeas dual USB charger for phones and tablets.
I do have a Magnum inverter 2000W

You can charge a cell phone a half dozen times with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Cha...&qid=1519525898&sr=1-4&keywords=phone+battery

I converted a 3-bottle wine box into a raised charging station/laptop base on the port windshield counter. I covered it in mahogany veneer and oiled it. It's got a small fanless inverter of 100-150W that plugs into a nearby 12V outlet strip with 12V 3 plugs and an ON/OFF switch. This combo powers a Caframo electric fan, laptop, portable VHF, Aviation band and family radios and a cellphone or two as needed.

I also have a 12V plugs at the lower helm with twin 2.4A USB charging ports for a phone and tablet. In the aft port corner of the house I have another twin 12V plug that powers the HDTV and another twin 2.4A USB Scosche adapter for devices.

My 12V smoke/propane detectors and stateroom fan are hardwired. No 12V ports in the head or fwd stateroom yet, but I've been considering them.

FlyWright said:

I converted a 3-bottle wine box into a raised charging station/laptop base on the port windshield counter....

Click to expand...

Terrible waste of a perfectly good wine storage facility .
A fridge is our most important 12v item. One built in, one a Dometic we cool at home on 240v,on 12v driving to the marina, on 12/240 onboard. (We`ve eutectics too for longer times onboard.)
We charge electronic/phone devices/handheld searchlight/etc via a car charger outlet. We also run a small inverter on one for the TV.

The thru the roof 12V RV fan systems are excellent.

Thermostat , rain sensor , remote control and usually hard wired in.

Almost silent and very frugal with DC.

The portable version with a cigar plug is also very useful for cabins or when working in the Hell Hole.

There is even a D cell version , should that be your choice.

In the cockpit the breeze is usually fast enough to keep the no-see-ums at bay, but not the 5 lb Green Flys.

Amazon.com: Fan-Tastic Vent 01100WH Endless Breeze - 12 Volt Fan ...

https://www.amazon.com/Fan-Tastic-Vent-01100WH-Endless.../dp/B0000AY2Z6


Rating: 4.2 - ‎706 reviews
Product description. Powerful 12V portable fan designed to move a large volume of air. Perfect to cool you or your pets. Attaches to pet cages to provide them cool comfort on warm days. Produces 10 mph wind.

I really don't have any 120v appliances anymore. My rice cooker and microwave are the only 120v appliances I have on board now.
Everything else is 12v, including:
all pilot house stuff, computer, LCD monitors, etc
fridge/freezer
watermaker,
lamps, fans, radios, chargers,


I like cutting out the middleman (inverter)

Richard

12v for me is: All lighting on the boat, any and all systems with the exception of the water heater, AC/DC Fridge (soon to be 2 of them), all navigation equipment, computers, monitors, etc. the POE Network and cameras including the NVR. Oh and very importantly, the 12v pellet smoker

Other than that appliances, TV,s, Stereos, are all 110/240 as it’s just easier and since the original boat had most things electric including the stove my house bank, alternator and inverted are all way oversized and replaced very recently. My heating is also all 110/240 but I’ve got a diesel heater on the to do list.

We use our 12V cigarette lighter plug a lot. Charge cells phones and other electronics,charge LED worklight, charge portable radios, use with 12V million candle power spot light, and insert a voltage monitor when not in use. Other than that our Majestic tv and stereo/dvd/cd are all 12V.

Benthic2 said:

You can charge a cell phone a half dozen times with something like this:

https://www.amazon.com/Portable-Cha...&qid=1519525898&sr=1-4&keywords=phone+battery

Click to expand...

That's pretty funny. A battery that you charge so you can use it to charge batteries.

We too use our cig. lgtr. outlet to run our very small inverter, to recharge our cells and other stuff with the proper adapters, to run our extra fridge/freezer which is portable and going to stay that way, our floodlight although not used, etc.

Granted a dedicated 2 pole plug/receptacle might be better but the cig. outlet serves the purpose for the small loads we have. I just use a good one from Marinco or Blue Seas that locks/unlocks with a twist so things stay connected untill I disconnect them.

I don't have any AC appliances. Everything electrical is 12V DC. Fridge, fans, sound system, all chargers, spotlights, lantern, air compressor, transfer pump, kettle.

Interesting replies because I found I have gone the other way. I have gone to AC appliances whenever possible. Of course when I say "appliances" I think mostly of kitchen appliances. In the kitchen, I find most 12V stuff subpar and expensive for what you get. But now with LED lighting, even 120VAC lights use less power than my high end 12V florescent fixtures. Other than instruments and running/spreader lights the only 12V items I have are berth lights which I have converted to LED.

For me the overhead (600ma) and efficiency (~90%) of my inverter is offset by the quality, price, selection of AC powered devices.

Ken

I would think a lot depends upon the boat and where you boat and of course what YOU want.

Many boats have generators so the boat is wired for AC and used that way. Would not make a lot of sense to go the other way.

I have though known a few people, with all electric gen. equipped boats, who tossed the electric stove, keeping the microwave of course, and installed a propane stove.


Many other people, me included, do not have generators and have chosen to stay that way so 12V accessories are more likely to be used. Of course some things we simply do without because, as said, as 12V devices they are poor quality.

Neither right nor wrong.