Are we crazy?

See people a lot say they run their generator just to charge the batteries. Where ever we go we run the generator, because the heat is horrendous in FL, we need ac. If we anchor out for extended periods of time were going run the generator. Always. It's not like they burn hundreds of gallons of fuel.... We were even debating just ripping the inverter charger when it's done and just put a charger back in. Are we crazy or does anyone view it like we do?

N4712 said:

See people a lot say they run their generator just to charge the batteries. Where ever we go we run the generator, because the heat is horrendous in FL, we need ac. If we anchor out for extended periods of time were going run the generator. Always. It's not like they burn hundreds of gallons of fuel.... We were even debating just ripping the inverter charger when it's done and just put a charger back in. Are we crazy or does anyone view it like we do?

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Oliver, you seem to be cruising more like a motor yacht than passagemaking. Since your Nordy definitely has passagemaking capability, I would not take out the inverter. You may want to change cruising habits one day.

I have a generator & electric stove with oven so I have to run the gen in the morning to cook breakfast. That is enough run time to charge the battery, 1 8-D house, I fire it up again in the evening to fix dinner & watch a little TV. I can't understand why people with a gen also want to load their boat down with a large number of batteries & a inverter. I can see having a large bank of batteries if your charging with solar or wind. If you have to run the gen to charge the battery bank why not just run it to perform the task when needed.

Moonstruck said:

Oliver, you seem to be cruising more like a motor yacht than passagemaking. Since your Nordy definitely has passagemaking capability, I would not take out the inverter. You may want to change cruising habits one day.

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Yeah well probably leave it alone, but we don't have to conserve fuel because were not going make super long runs. Neither way ac is a necessity.

We run our generator about six hours out of every 24 hours we're away from shore power.

I admit, even after replacing all the lights with LED's our boat is a power hog, but I dont care. I want all the creature comforts of home and we have them.

We also have a super quiet generator, so its not a problem.

To answer your question, I'd leave the inverter alone. You might end up some day in a place where you do not need AC all day long.

Kevin,
Absolutely agree.
I have made my boat more efficient with solar panels and a 3000 w/24 V/70 A Victron inverter/charger but still don't mind running my generator when required.
We cruise in the tropics and sub tropics but I don't have AC as I have lived in this climate zone all my life and don't require it.
A nice breeze thru the windows is great and fans if required.
I would definitely leave the inverter alone as it may come in handy on the days when you don't require AC.

I have had 3 Victron Inverter / Chargers and all have been terrific and no problems.( the first 2 have been on sold at good prices)
I have just progressed up as I have increased the loads and requirements on the boat over the years.
Cheers
Benn

f we anchor out for extended periods of time were going run the generator. Always. It's not like they burn hundreds of gallons of fuel....

Depending .., the noisemaker, probably cost $5 to $10 PER HOUR when fuel, lube, maint and eventual replacement are considered/

$100 to $200 per day is $3000 to $6000 per month to be anchored out.

There has got to be a better way!

We have been living in the sailboat world of the Eastern Caribbean too long. (The wind is free and so should everything else be.) Two solar panels, a wind generator, Danfoss compressors on refrigeration and two large battery chargers have cut our generator time at anchor to an hour a day. Over a 120 day season that is 120 gallons of diesel or perhaps $650 US, plus another $80 for oil, filter and impeller. A 24 hour a day operation would bring that to $17,500.

As is clear from the postings on the Forum there are many approaches to boating, it is just interesting to see the variances. For now however, I will save the almost $17,000 and spend it on toys.

Marty

I would keep the inverter for the pleasure of having AC voltage on all my outlets any time I want. Handy for charging laptops, phones and pads, plus my nav displays are 120v computer monitors.

Dave

Oliver, I think it largely depends on where you are cruising. In Florida, I completely understand the need/desire for AC 24x7. But if you cruise to other destinations you will likely feel differently about it. On our trip from New England to Florida this fall we only had 2-3 days where we ran the AC (and generator) all night, and most of them were in Florida.

There are a few other reasons the keep you inverter system in place

1) Resale value. Lots of people cruise in areas where the generator is not needed 24x7 and want the quiet time. We certainly seek it out whenever possible.

2) Backup power. If your generator fails, you can still keep most things running off the inverter, and if you are underway, your main probably produces enough power to do so indefinitely. You won't have AC or an electric oven or a washer/drier, but you can keep going. If you are far away from home, this level of redundancy is important.

Your not crazy but you apparently do run her like a mega yacht. AC 24/7? I can't imagine. I do prefer the fresh air and sea breeze myself.

While I have no plans to remove the inverter from my boat, one of the items I had considered adding was a second much smaller generator in a double sound sheild. If the air conditioning isn't running, my boat could likely be very happy on 3.5 to 5 KW. I see the second inverter as redundancy, better utilized (% of capacity) on smaller loads, more fuel efficient on smaller loads, lower operating and maintenance costs because of size, and more reasonable replacement cost. My goal was to be able to utilize the inverter while motoring unless air conditioning was needed, then run the small generator till bed time when on the hook.

Ted

Oh ok, I guess were crazy.

Not crazy at all just different.

We have an inverter and never used it. Certainly no generator but we've got a much smaller boat and our style is greatly affected by that and the fact that we don't need AC here in Western Washington State. But if I had a 70' megayacht it would have AC and I wouldn't take it out.

Still I don't like the racket from diesel generators OR wind generators. I may even move my boat after anchoring to avoid the noise. But I'm learning to be a bit more tolerant these days. Slow progress though but steady. I don't even look down my nose at sailboaters as much and people have a right to make wakes as long as they don't do damage.

ksanders said:

We run our generator about six hours out of every 24 hours we're away from shore power. I admit, even after replacing all the lights with LED's our boat is a power hog, but I dont care. I want all the creature comforts of home and we have them. We also have a super quiet generator, so its not a problem. To answer your question, I'd leave the inverter alone. You might end up some day in a place where you do not need AC all day long.

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Yeah we've decided just leave the inverter alone. Just like you we enjoy our creature comforts, and our boat just like yours is a POWER HOG ( mostly electronics).

Tidahapah said:

Kevin, Absolutely agree. I have made my boat more efficient with solar panels and a 3000 w/24 V/70 A Victron inverter/charger but still don't mind running my generator when required. We cruise in the tropics and sub tropics but I don't have AC as I have lived in this climate zone all my life and don't require it. A nice breeze thru the windows is great and fans if required. I would definitely leave the inverter alone as it may come in handy on the days when you don't require AC. I have had 3 Victron Inverter / Chargers and all have been terrific and no problems.( the first 2 have been on sold at good prices) I have just progressed up as I have increased the loads and requirements on the boat over the years. Cheers Benn

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Thanks for your input, we've lived in Florida all our lives to which has a similar climate. I don't know how you do it. A breeze is nice but a 70 degree breeze from the AC on a hot summer day in Florida is worth everything.

FF said:

f we anchor out for extended periods of time were going run the generator. Always. It's not like they burn hundreds of gallons of fuel.... Depending .., the noisemaker, probably cost $5 to $10 PER HOUR when fuel, lube, maint and eventual replacement are considered/ $100 to $200 per day is $3000 to $6000 per month to be anchored out. There has got to be a better way!

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Extended periods for us is a week, anything more then that we would opt to be in a dock. Fuel is not a concern, if we could afford the boat, we can afford to run the genny when we want.

Bay Pelican said:

We have been living in the sailboat world of the Eastern Caribbean too long. (The wind is free and so should everything else be.) Two solar panels, a wind generator, Danfoss compressors on refrigeration and two large battery chargers have cut our generator time at anchor to an hour a day. Over a 120 day season that is 120 gallons of diesel or perhaps $650 US, plus another $80 for oil, filter and impeller. A 24 hour a day operation would bring that to $17,500. As is clear from the postings on the Forum there are many approaches to boating, it is just interesting to see the variances. For now however, I will save the almost $17,000 and spend it on toys. Marty

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Yes their are many approaches this is ours.

magicbus said:

I would keep the inverter for the pleasure of having AC voltage on all my outlets any time I want. Handy for charging laptops, phones and pads, plus my nav displays are 120v computer monitors. Dave

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Yep.

Here in Florida, it's more usual than not for a boat to have much higher generator hours than the engines. Gens come on before the mains, and are the last to be turned off. Most modern boats have poor natural air circulation-if any at all. Wood boats on the other hand rarely need it. Naturally cooler, big cowls, big vents, huge opening windows, and hatches, as most were built before Marine AC was invented. KISS is something modern engineers have long forgotten, proven by how complicated they've even made turning on a television set!

twistedtree said:

Oliver, I think it largely depends on where you are cruising. In Florida, I completely understand the need/desire for AC 24x7. But if you cruise to other destinations you will likely feel differently about it. On our trip from New England to Florida this fall we only had 2-3 days where we ran the AC (and generator) all night, and most of them were in Florida. There are a few other reasons the keep you inverter system in place 1) Resale value. Lots of people cruise in areas where the generator is not needed 24x7 and want the quiet time. We certainly seek it out whenever possible. 2) Backup power. If your generator fails, you can still keep most things running off the inverter, and if you are underway, your main probably produces enough power to do so indefinitely. You won't have AC or an electric oven or a washer/drier, but you can keep going. If you are far away from home, this level of redundancy is important.

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Yep, we going leave the inverter as is. Florida is harsh, we WANT our AC. Well mostly be cruising the Bahamas. Also the sound shield plus Nordhavn's sound absorbing material, makes for a slight hum, that almost puts you to sleep.

Daddyo said:

Your not crazy but you apparently do run her like a mega yacht. AC 24/7? I can't imagine. I do prefer the fresh air and sea breeze myself.

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You don't have to be a mega yacht to run your ac 24/7, here in Florida almost every boat runs their ac if they can. Obviously no one knows that so it's out their now, shocker or not it's true. Even some bigger center consoles have gents just to run ac at the helm.

O C Diver said:

While I have no plans to remove the inverter from my boat, one of the items I had considered adding was a second much smaller generator in a double sound sheild. If the air conditioning isn't running, my boat could likely be very happy on 3.5 to 5 KW. I see the second inverter as redundancy, better utilized (% of capacity) on smaller loads, more fuel efficient on smaller loads, lower operating and maintenance costs because of size, and more reasonable replacement cost. My goal was to be able to utilize the inverter while motoring unless air conditioning was needed, then run the small generator till bed time when on the hook. Ted

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Thanks for for your input.

pilothouse king said:

Here in Florida, it's more usual than not for a boat to have much higher generator hours than the engines.

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You nailed it right on the head!

I never ran mine in the keys this year accept at the dock, I'm sure if it had been summer I would have been much more tempted. Better yet save the gen time and head to Maine with us for the summer

Daddyo said:

I never ran mine in the keys this year accept at the dock, I'm sure if it had been summer I would have been much more tempted. Better yet save the gen time and head to Maine with us for the summer

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When were you in the keys! and where did you stay? We were planning on doing a trip to the Fort. Thanks for the offer, is their much fog up there in the summer?

OLIVER

NO, You are not crazy. You're just normal!

I'd rather spend a few bucks more with fuel than being unable to sleep. If you come to Northeast Brazil you'll know why I do agree with Oliver.
Tropical heat mixed up with humidity, is hard to deal with for long periods of time.

manyboats said:

...

Still I don't like the racket from diesel generators OR wind generators. ...

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The Vagari, thank God, has a completely silent wind generator.

Among other things the inverter allows us to rise in the still of the morning at anchor and enjoy a cup or two of fine coffee via our Keurig; no genset required.

What size genny and/or inverter are you folks running?

We have not had the opportunity to run our genny much yet but the few times I have fired it up it is clear we will never be able to run it very long and certainly never in a quiet anchorage with nearby boats. Despite the fact the engine room is fully insulated with modern sound barrier & the genny is in a sound enclosure, the noise and vibration is simply too irritating for an extended period. I think most of our problem is the genny is a 30kw 4cyl 200+cid diesel guzzling monster....... what could the manufacturer have been thinking???? In my opinion it is absurdly over sized, in fact when testing it's limits I had the wife go around and turn on every AC device she could find, including oven, washer/dryer, air units, chargers, lights, etc. and I could not get it loaded up in the slightest. There was no rpm pull down as it started digging in, nothing, you couldn't tell we turned anything on. I would like to pull it out and put in a 10kw but I just don't know if it's worth the cost. Also not sure how I would get it out, it's at least as big as one of my 3208 Cats.

We do have an inverter so I am thinking my best solution will be to beef up the battery bank and just use the genny in the morning for an hour to charge the batteries.