Adding an inverter - or generator?

Elessar said:
what I did:

I bought a cheap sine wave 2kW inverter. Fitted right next to the batteries.

Above the microwave I fitted a switch to remotely start the inverter.

A relay sits on the inverter output, and if it detects voltage it switches the microwave and 1 galley socket over from shore power to inverter.

I use a 1kW kettle from a caravan shop.

This means I can heat stuff in the microwave OR boil the kettle underway. I don’t use the inverter with the engines off. It kills batteries.

If was doing it again I’d arrange it that the inverter can’t start with the engines off. It now requires discipline.

I lived with that for ages. But a generator is really needed for overnights on the hook. Generator wise I fitted a 3kW whisper power. As much as 16A shorepower pretty much and it’s small and not too pricey. With a water separator exhaust it makes quite a bit less noise than an eberspacher before the ranty men start.

So for now a £300 inverter plus some relays and cable will do the trick and do some more saving.
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I don't think we can do 'discipline' :) It needs just to work, and the man-maths gets easier if the inverter solution needs a lot of other stuff... I'll take a look at Whisper power.
 
This thread has just reminded me about our TV, I was going to buy a new smart TV in the U.K. but never looked to see if it’s 12 or 240 volt.
 
Elessar said:
But a generator is really needed for overnights on the hook. Generator wise I fitted a 3kW whisper power. As much as 16A shorepower pretty much and it’s small and not too pricey. With a water
Click to expand...

Oh rubbish, however, it would please me greatly if you could pass on your setup to Seastoke. It would be nice if we could bring him back into the fold and I didn't have to go to the next bay to fetch the beer he's keeping cold every 10 minutes.
 
Scala said:
Hi folks,

New boat nearly here.... :)
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Interesting thread...What boat are you getting?

I fitted a petrol 2.5kw generator on a Princess I had on the Thames, transformed our lives made weekends and holidays
a lot better in the miserable weather.

Anyways moved onto a rag'n'stick out in the med and it was the hairdryer problem that needed sorting,so installed another
petrol 4kw on board.

My first reaction was Petrol Noooo, but I woke up in the night realising I had petrol onboard anyways for the outboard.
 
Graham, I know you used to sail so have you watched the SV Delos videos? They did one where they converted from gas to just solar with Lithium batteries and it performed great. They cooked a Turkey for 4 hours just on batteries with everything else working electrically and still had a 50% redundancy iirc, well worth a watch. I know the batteries are expensive but a scaled down version would also be good for what you want. If you are not familiar with Delos I will find you the relevent links. It's well worth watching anyway.
 
Mind you, they would probably last longer than a genny and you dont have to keep servicing them. Maybe a good idea with the long view approach
 
BruceK said:
Mind you, they would probably last longer than a genny and you dont have to keep servicing them. Maybe a good idea with the long view approach
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I think I read somewhere Teslar battery suppliers have developed one that will last 15+ yrs
 
The ones I posted in the second link (that was from the first link) were 15 years, guaranteed for 10 years.
 
Graham,

We have a MASE i5.0 (5KW) generator factory fitted on our boat.

Here is a link to a UK supplier Single-phase Generators 3000 rpm | KENT Marine Equipment

As we spend up to three day's at a time on the hook in bays on the Cote d'Azur having the generator is a must. The basis of the Mase range in a single cylinder yanmar engine - so a pretty simple set up. Our only problem was that our fuel pump once failed. Took about 2 hours to fault find and then I got a replacement from a car parts shop in Nice and had it all sorted in a day or so.

A 5KW model might be over kill for you, but running two fridges in 30+ summer heat the batteries take a hit and I have 2 x 180ah domestic batteries so wee need to run the gen in the morning and afternoon and also if we need to cook for lunch. As we also have aircon we run the gen to run the aircon for an hour or so before we turn in to drop the temps down. We have done more engine hours than generator hours in our three years of ownership. With the aircon running and either the grill or stove the 5KW is quickly consumed as the battery charger is also humming along as well as the immersion heater. You will be surprised how much power you might need to max current draw.

Get through this season and then assess what you need. No need to rush and make a poor decision now.
 
MrB said:
Get you with your attention to detail lol, The lack of fun-box raiding is making you sensible! :LOL::ROFLMAO::geek:??????
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Word is Stokesea is going to raid the border soon (y)
But the attention to detail is because it is an attractive thought and a viable proposition even at at even price point. It's the lack of ongoing maintenance, reliability and weight savings that tip into it's favour. There is just something about spending that much on a batteries as opposed to mechanicals that sticks in the throat. But why is what I'm trying to figure out.
 
mcanderson said:
Graham,

We have a MASE i5.0 (5KW) generator factory fitted on our boat.

Here is a link to a UK supplier Single-phase Generators 3000 rpm | KENT Marine Equipment

As we spend up to three day's at a time on the hook in bays on the Cote d'Azur having the generator is a must. The basis of the Mase range in a single cylinder yanmar engine - so a pretty simple set up. Our only problem was that our fuel pump once failed. Took about 2 hours to fault find and then I got a replacement from a car parts shop in Nice and had it all sorted in a day or so.

A 5KW model might be over kill for you, but running two fridges in 30+ summer heat the batteries take a hit and I have 2 x 180ah domestic batteries so wee need to run the gen in the morning and afternoon and also if we need to cook for lunch. As we also have aircon we run the gen to run the aircon for an hour or so before we turn in to drop the temps down. We have done more engine hours than generator hours in our three years of ownership. With the aircon running and either the grill or stove the 5KW is quickly consumed as the battery charger is also humming along as well as the immersion heater. You will be surprised how much power you might need to max current draw.

Get through this season and then assess what you need. No need to rush and make a poor decision now.
Click to expand...
Hi Shane, thanks for this. I don't have aircon and no expectation I'll ever need it (got Webasto heating though!), but we do have leccy everything and I'd forgotten about the cockpit BBQ. Can't see any possibility of running that off batteries.... That's pushing me to the generator. It won't be this year though unless my premium bond held since 1962 comes up a winner, and as I also want a new tender I might need to come up with a cunning plan.
 
Generator manufacturers I've found, in alphabetical order. Any obvious winners there in terms of reliability and 'value'? Or to be avoided for that matter... !

Beta Marine
Cummins Onan
Fischer Panda
Kohler Power
MASE (mcanderson)
Paguro
Westerbeke
WhisperPower (Elessar)

Ideally would need to be supported by a local service agent. Hamble area.
 
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