Cabin Cruiser what operates away from dock and what doesn't

[Troylaplante]

Eventually going to move from a bow rider to a cabin cruiser and have several questions, I could not google answers anywhere and am hoping I may get answers here. These answers will assit me in finding the boat I should be looking for.
Our main interest is over nighting and having a few drinks at anchor. I am fully aware of Ontario laws however while they say you must have this and that, they do not state it must be working. So to be safe finding a boat where it is working seems to be the best way to go. One of the boats I was extremely interested in said the microwave and hot plate only works on shore power? Which got me wondering for boats without a generator how do these systems work? Or is all cabin cruisers shore power or generator only? I did read that some boats have inverters so realistically do they run power from the battery to inverter to boat ammenities? If so how long would that last? Would I have to run the engine to ensure the battery was charged. How would a battery/inverter handle an air cond system, water heater, fridge etc???

I basically do not want a boat where I have to be at a dock with shore power in order to legally have a beer. We boat in many areas and do not dock at a marina. I am sure whether a new or used boat is purchased it would be explained however I would like to know what I am looking for before I start bothering sellers to find out their boat is not what I want.

Thank you and any additional information would be great

 

[rbh]

Anything that requires AC should be run on either a gen set or shore power as your house batteries behind an invertor will take a kicking each time you try and use something like a toaster, coffee maker ETC

Look into the boating act as what constitutes a boat at anchor and if you are drinking at anchor I think all you require on top of the other regs is a head, a porta potty should cover it.

 

[H20Rat]

To add to rbh, anything with a heater element or a motor will take A LOT of power if you run it off an inverter for any length of time.

 

[gddavid]

The short answer is you can find dc (or propane/compressed natural gas fueled) units of everything you need to meet Ontario's requirements. Air conditioning is pretty tough to do without a generator but not a requirement.

It can totally depend from boat to boat how the electrical systems are set up. For your purposes most everything you need can be accomplished with a 12v dc powered device. Boats with both ac and dc electrical systems can be configured in a variety of different ways, you are correct that an inverter can supply ac power however the inverter is a power hungry device that will consume a lot amp hours and can run a substantial battery system down. They are best reserved for short term use like running a small kichen appliance that is unavailable in DC configuration (food processor or something). Inverteres are definitely not best for continued operation like running an AC system or an electric range. The good news is there are a number of smarter ways to do things, for example you can have a refrigerator that can run off AC or DC so you can run it off of your batteries away from the dock or use shore power (AC) where you are at the dock. Some boats will have an icebox with a cold plate in it rather than a more conventional refrigerator. Cold plates can be powered by DC compressors or belt driven compressors connected to the engine.
Some newer boats rely on alot of AC only powered devices like electric ranges and microwaves in the galley because in reality the average boater spends most nights on board at a dock. Electric units are really simple to and cheaper to install and they figure people will just spring for a generator if they really need to use it on the water. AC powered units are also more idiot proof, I mean resistant. Manufacturers are trying to pack as many features for a given price point as possible to sway your attention from the competition, they know that first time boat owners are not thinking about power management when strolling around boat shows. It is more expensive to fit a boat out with redundant systems capable of multiple energy sources based on what is available. If you are really interested in seeing the most efficient way to operate look at a serious cruising sailboat. The will use diesel fuelled hydronic heating systems, propane gymbal mounted range/stove units, ice boxes with cold plates using belt driven and dc powered refrigerent compressors, hot water heaters with engine coolant heat exchangers.

 

[Troylaplante]

Thank you for your comments, Just to confirm cooking with a microwave or a cook top would still work? Just not advisable due to the draw on the battery?
Also you mentioned 12 volt appliances however the boats I have seen have 110 plugs? Is there provisions on boats for 12v plugin's?

 

[Thalasso]

You mention cooking in the microwave. Rather then that get yourself a Magma Grill and mount it on the stern of the boat. I have a microwave and stove top on my boat that's never been used because i use the grill. I even have a generator.

 

[Thalasso]

Delete

 

[Troylaplante]

Definitly would prefer to cook off a grill for sure and it is on my list of must have, however I am trying to figure out what will work and what won't on a cabin cruiser without shore power and without a generator. So until I purchase a generator would I be able to use the amenities?

 

[Ned L]

Unless you have one heck of a big inverter I wouldn't count on being able to use a 'cooktop' (electric stove) or microwave off of it. --Those shoud be considered shore power or generator items only (same with AC). A microwave will also requrie a pretty good size generator. At our house the microwave is the only thing that we cannot use off the emergency generator (220V well pump, electric range, oil fired boiler are all fine) .
As a generalization, no there are not "12V outlets". A "cigarette lighter outlet" is pretty much what it would be, and you might have one of those. How many things do you have that will plug into that (maybe a cell phone charger?)

 

[agallant80]

Inverters won't work well or at all for A/C, water heaters, cook plates, or microwave. Do what everyone else does. Put a generator in the boat or get a portable suitcase style one like the Honda 2000 and put it on the swim platform. Get a few extra CO detectors if you do that.

Yeah, yeah, yeah I know......Safety Nazi's chime in.

 

[bruceb58]

You basically can't use a microwave or electric stove away from shore power or gen. For example, a 1500W microwave would be drawing close to 150A off an inverter.

 

[Chris1956]

A lot of cruisers have alcohol/electric ranges. The alcohol burners can be used anywhere, with the electric reserved for when you are plugged into short power. They also have 115VAC/12VDC refrigerators. These will run for days, if you have a set (4 or so) of house batteries.

I would think you could get away with a small microwave oven and an inverter, because you normally only "nuke" food for a short time. You will need to watch the power peak, however. Air Conditioners are out of the question to power with batteries, as you want them on all the time, and they use lots of current.

I have seen boats with generators on the swim platform. I do not know how the Coast Guard would like that kind of set-up.

 

[airdvr1227]

On my rig the only 'appliances' that work when not connected to shore power are the electric head, refrigerator, and water pumps.

 

[Thalasso]

Get yourself a portable Honda generator EU2000i set it on the swim platform and call it a day.

 

[Troylaplante]

Thank you so much definitely have a way better understanding now. Kind of annoying that with the technology today boat manufacturers have not incorporated generators in all cabin cruisers. Instead people have to resort to using portable generators. Also really makes me understand why a lot of cabin cruisers just sit at a dock constantly.

 

[Thalasso]

Thank you so much definitely have a way better understanding now. Kind of annoying that with the technology today boat manufacturers have not incorporated generators in all cabin cruisers. Instead people have to resort to using portable generators. Also really makes me understand why a lot of cabin cruisers just sit at a dock constantly.

Technology isn't so much the problem as the room needed below to install the generator. You don't normally see generators until you get into the 26ft and up boats.It starts to get crowed below.