What BBQ?? and other things.....

The Cadac is a good barbecue (we have had one in our caravan for years), but last year we bought one of these from Tam Leisure in New Malden:

http://tools4thegarden.co.uk/weber-q120-blackline-bbq

Apollo & No Regrets were present when we used it for the first time at Remenham....

We have a small mains microwave on board. When we are away from mains power we use a Honda 2.0EU Generator which powers it with no problems and will also charge batteries and run fridge and TV as well. Obviously consideration for nearby boats is paramount, but it is a very quiet machine.

http://www.seddondirect.co.uk/HondaEU20i?gclid=CN-IvLnAwK4CFUcRfAodInHIhQ
 
So... Having purchased our wonderful boat and had the servicing, antifouling and a bit of work done, we now have to kit it out.

1) BBQ...We have a charcoal Weber which works well as I'm not a fan of gas, however it might not be big enough for you. It's a rectangular model ith legs that fold I have just looked for it now but I think it's been discontinued for the "Smokey Joe"

2) Duvets or sleeping bags... Duvet for me, I like matching as well! Give the kids sleeping bags if they are desperate for them.

3) Hubby is a coffee addict and won't drink instant. - As No Regrets said stove top espresso or bodrum type cafetiere.

4) Microwave... Undecided....- You don't need one.

5) Television.. ? with portable satelite dish thingie.. :D - Laptop, DVDs, external drive and a 3G dongle. Oh and a small inverter to charge it.

So thoughts and advice from travelled forumites please. :D

Oh forgot to say... cheap is great, but quality is also a factor...
 
HONEYMOMMY said:
So... Having purchased our wonderful boat and had the servicing, antifouling and a bit of work done, we now have to kit it out.


2) Duvets or sleeping bags... Still can't decide. Being a girlie I want it all matching.. Kids want sleeping bags, hubby and I want duvet.
4) Microwave... Undecided....
5) Television.. ? with portable satellite dish thingie.. :
So thoughts and advice from travelled forumites please. :D

...
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Lots has been said already, but here's my input.

Bedding
Duvets have the advantage that you can take the covers off and wash them easily. Understand sleeping bags for the young as it takes a while to learn how not to have a duvet fall off in the night. However kit needs washing more often on a boat than it does in the home.

Microwave
OK if you're using it in the marina. NOT when cruising as it takes a lot of power. Need a humongous inverter to run it and will flatten your battery quickly. Could run your engines while using the micro.

TV
We watch a lot in the evening and started with Freeview, but found there were "always" trees between the boat and the transmitter so no picture...
So we changed to satellite. Easier to find 28degrees SofE (from my GPS) than to wonder where to point an aerial.
If you're going to be mostly below Bray, then Crystal Palace gives a good picture. Dead spots up to Reading when the Oxenford transmitter takes over. You should get a good picture in Bray; depends on how close your particular trees are. I do, but then it's on Satellite and there's a girt big off-white thing just beside me....

By the time you get going all the analogue channels will have gone and there may be some challenge in tuning in digi signals.
Where did 150W come from? An LCD or LED backlit TV shouldn't take more than 65 Watts (well my LuckyGoldstar sets don't)

Leccy points

B1 has given a good grounding.
He didn't mention that the inverter (12V DC to 240V AC) is only about 85% efficient, so that's another loss to consider. Don't buy a cheap one - but don't spend OTT either, so avoid eBay. There are two types - won't go into details - DO buy a "pure sine wave" variety. I have a 350 Watt version which runs the Tv / Sat / Hifi / Laptop all at the same time if needed

Some say victron kit is good but I couldn't possibly comment. around £100- £150 seems the going rate.
 
I have the Webber bbq for the garden and I have cooked (in one seating) over 200 German sausages on it...the small twist gas canister will last about a minutes, you need a new reg and a decent size bottle (say 5) or if they run out a 13 like the one at home that is still full to the brim, two years in.....
 
RichardShead said:
I have the Webber bbq for the garden and I have cooked (in one seating) over 200 German sausages on it...the small twist gas canister will last about a minutes, you need a new reg and a decent size bottle (say 5) or if they run out a 13 like the one at home that is still full to the brim, two years in.....
Click to expand...

Agreed. I bought the adaptor to use it with the larger calor cylinder.
 
boatone said:
Boatones quick intro to leckery. watts and stuff.......

Assuming boat batteries are 12volts then a draw of 12watts will drain 1 amp in 1 hour - so 150 watts - approx 12.5 amps in 1 hour.

To put this in perspective a 12v 25watt light bulb will use 2 amps per hour.

General rule for charging from engine alternators is that , without special charging arrangements you are unlikely to recharge above 85% capacity even after long hours running. It is good practice not to discharge below 50% if you want your batteries to give good service life.

So, that means you have approx 35% useable battery capacity - i.e. 100Amp/hour battery is actually worth 35Amp/hours useable power.

Watts are watts whether at 12volts or at 240volts AC if you are going to use an inverter - have you got one? (nifty devices that let you run AC appliances from DC supply). Good reason for NOT having a microwave unless you have LOADS of battery power is that an 800watt microwave will draw approx 70 amps and needs really thick cables to carry that current.

So, check all your appliances and see what their Watts rating is - divide by 12 and that will give you amps - multiply that by time you use it for and that is amp/hours. Add everything up that you might use - or want to use - in a 24 hour period and you can calculate how big your domestic battery capacity needs to be. Almost everyone has too little !!! ( I have 300Amp/hours = 3 x 100 )

Heaviest drains will be fridges - depending on model can easily be 30-40 amps over 24 hours (consider turning off when you go to bed and on again as soon as you wake up), followed by TV's, 12volt tungsten lighting. Laptops, mobile phones, ipods etc take very little.

Hope this is helpful.
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Amazing thanks. Have to print this out so I can refer to it later. There isn't an inverter on the boat, we were thinking we may need one, but so far discussion is leading us to think we can get away without one.

No hair straighteners or hair dryer though!!!!!! :eek:
 
Eventually, you will want an inverter or generator.

Think going away for a long weekend or even a couple of weeks and you will need it. I have a cheapie chinese pure sine inverter (£150 ish..) at 1000w. The BIGGEST use it gets is for leccie blanket in the colder months when away from base.

We do occasionally m/wave whilst cruising, but only ever with the engines running or it really does spank the battery. Usually this would be a long sector (Windsor to St Kats for example..) when we don't really have time to stop for proper food. I drive, she m/waves, we both eat on the fly(bridge..pun intended..). You can get away with hair straighteners, phone / lappy chargers, TV etc but probably not a hairdryer or kettle, unless you go for 2000w +, and half a ton of batteries.

My most bestest loveliest toy is a 3kva water cooled diesel generator, but think circa £7K to have one fitted. We usually cruise for three weeks away from shore power in the summer, and it is an absolute godsend. Failing that, you could do worse than invest in a suitcase type gennie (Honda, Kipor etc - let the fight commence..).

BBQ - I have a Weber portable, charcoal only please, or you may as well use the cooker.. :)
Cobbs are supposed to be good, but I have no personal experience.

TV - I use a portable satellite set up. Full HD, all 12v. The dish is permanently installed on my radar arch, and is really not intrusive (it's quite small..). I have had exactly zero success using one of those horrid flying saucer type aerials, although some swear by them.

Two cabins worth of duvets... you really don't want a sleeping bag in your new Sealine luxury motoryacht, do you??

+1 for the Bush TV No Regrets mentions. I have the older non-ipod version, but the built in DVD and 12v power is great.

Coffee - usually instant, but I do have a rarely used coffee maker on board, one of the push-the-plunger down types..

More boringly, ALWAYS have spare impellers and oil for the engines. A drivebelt is also good to have. You might also want spare fuses and bulbs.

Lastly, this should be a mega year for boating (Queens thing, Henley regatta / festival, Olympics, 80's rewind etc etc...)

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!! :)
 
rosssavage said:
Eventually, you will want an inverter or generator.

Think going away for a long weekend or even a couple of weeks and you will need it. I have a cheapie chinese pure sine inverter (£150 ish..) at 1000w. The BIGGEST use it gets is for leccie blanket in the colder months when away from base.

We do occasionally m/wave whilst cruising, but only ever with the engines running or it really does spank the battery. Usually this would be a long sector (Windsor to St Kats for example..) when we don't really have time to stop for proper food. I drive, she m/waves, we both eat on the fly(bridge..pun intended..). You can get away with hair straighteners, phone / lappy chargers, TV etc but probably not a hairdryer or kettle, unless you go for 2000w +, and half a ton of batteries.

My most bestest loveliest toy is a 3kva water cooled diesel generator, but think circa £7K to have one fitted. We usually cruise for three weeks away from shore power in the summer, and it is an absolute godsend. Failing that, you could do worse than invest in a suitcase type gennie (Honda, Kipor etc - let the fight commence..).

BBQ - I have a Weber portable, charcoal only please, or you may as well use the cooker.. :)
Cobbs are supposed to be good, but I have no personal experience.

TV - I use a portable satellite set up. Full HD, all 12v. The dish is permanently installed on my radar arch, and is really not intrusive (it's quite small..). I have had exactly zero success using one of those horrid flying saucer type aerials, although some swear by them.

Two cabins worth of duvets... you really don't want a sleeping bag in your new Sealine luxury motoryacht, do you??

+1 for the Bush TV No Regrets mentions. I have the older non-ipod version, but the built in DVD and 12v power is great.

Coffee - usually instant, but I do have a rarely used coffee maker on board, one of the push-the-plunger down types..

More boringly, ALWAYS have spare impellers and oil for the engines. A drivebelt is also good to have. You might also want spare fuses and bulbs.

Lastly, this should be a mega year for boating (Queens thing, Henley regatta / festival, Olympics, 80's rewind etc etc...)

ENJOY!!!!!!!!!! :)
Click to expand...

Brilliant thanks.

Bedding..... will be duvet for hubby and I, with sleeping bags for kids. I have found some that won't make it look like a camping trip.. http://www.leisureoutlet.com/campin...gs/royal-umbria-blue-luxury-sleeping-bag.html

TV.. Hubby has found this one.. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/270920865071?_trksid=p5197.c0.m619

Coffee.... Kenco millicano on sale at £3 at asda.. :D Stove top we allready have for a posh coffee when hubby requires. Xmas list for pump machine.:D

BBQ... Still undecided.. Cadic is favorite so far, but may look for a smaller option as storage may be an issue.

Now a generator has been mentioned...:rolleyes: Theres only so much shopping online a woman can do... :D I have found a Portable Honda EU 10i inverter generator at a good price so far.


All this experience and advice is greatly appreciated by the way. I know it will save us making expensive unnecessary purchases. Well I hope so... LOL:D

Really excited about our first year on the Thames, lots of trips to plan..
 
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EU 10i is ok, but if you can it is much better to stretch to the EU20i. It is such a handy machine, as well as summer boating it is useful if you don't have power on the hard in winter, or in a power cut. And it will run your hair straighteners :)
 
Advice heard and taken with thanks....

I was joking about the hair straighteners for me, but if my daughter sees this I will need to buy a power station.... :eek:
 
Hair straighteners take a ridiculous amount of power! I was on a boat a couple of years ago with some ladies who though they were essential, a 2000W hairdryer worked but the straighteners blew everything!

No, it wasn't me using them! :D
 
Forget about a spending spree - just get what you really NEED , like sleeping bags and duvets, and then use the boat a bit before you start buying more stuff. For instance, disposable BBQ's at £5 a throw are surprisingly good value and no mess to clear up either.

Most of us will readily confess (well, the honest ones) that our boats are full of all sorts of gadgets and gizmos under bunks etc - all things we were absolutely convinced were essential but which turned out to be "error purchases".

Use the boat a while and you'll soon decide whats a NEED as opposed to a WANT !

Not saying don't buy things you want if you can afford them but don't rush into buying things before you've got a little used to the boat and how you want to do things.
 
boatone said:
Forget about a spending spree - just get what you really NEED , like sleeping bags and duvets, and then use the boat a bit before you start buying more stuff. For instance, disposable BBQ's at £5 a throw are surprisingly good value and no mess to clear up either.

Most of us will readily confess (well, the honest ones) that our boats are full of all sorts of gadgets and gizmos under bunks etc - all things we were absolutely convinced were essential but which turned out to be "error purchases".

Use the boat a while and you'll soon decide whats a NEED as opposed to a WANT !

Not saying don't buy things you want if you can afford them but don't rush into buying things before you've got a little used to the boat and how you want to do things.
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I would agree with that however...

In these times of desperate need and after much research and number crunching our new mission statement for the office reads....

Nobody needs a boat...

This in it self is quite worrying given we publish nothing but boating titles....even in the Superyacht Sector they have decided to keep the jet over the yacht..

Come back money, please........
 
RichardShead said:
I would agree with that however...

In these times of desperate need and after much research and number crunching our new mission statement for the office reads....

Nobody needs a boat...

This in it self is quite worrying given we publish nothing but boating titles....even in the Superyacht Sector they have decided to keep the jet over the yacht..

Come back money, please........
Click to expand...

And for Gawds sake sort out the Red diesel shambles....!
 
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