inverter or generator

jww · Post by **jww** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 11:53 am

i have a clean slate {nothing} was thinking of puting a invertor in instead of generator pros & cons it would be a 5000watt battery charged off 1 motor have seen this system used on overroad trucks & motorhomes motorhome runs a 16000btu a/c so maybe it is possible don't know thanks JW

buzzk · Post by **buzzk** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 12:40 pm

I never leave the dock without my generator running and I never cut it off until we come in. I've never had a invertor and have never seen the need for one. Some people like to anchor and not hear the generator running. With the generator under my rear deck the noise has never been a problem for me. If it were me I would get the generator and forget the invertor. Buzz

Donmystic1 · Post by **Donmystic1** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 1:36 pm

Just installed a new 7 kw Westerbeke and a 1800 watt inverter. The inverter keeps the refrigerator cold while underway and at anchor overnight w/o the gen set running. Also has outlets for charging cell phones while at anchor

ckuppens · Post by **ckuppens** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 4:15 pm

I would never buy another boat without a generator.

franklyprice · Post by **franklyprice** » Mon Nov 15, 2010 6:02 pm

I have never had an inverter but like the idea of one. On the other hand a generator is big enough to run everything all the time and uses so little fuel it seems like it runs on nothing. I do like the idea of running the refer. all night without the generator running also so am considering an inverter big enough to do that along with a generator.

ckuppens · Post by **ckuppens** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:25 am

the only concern I have ever had with the genny is the exhaust somehow venting back into thew cabin while I am sleeping. We run it a lot on the hook at night for the AC. The fridge stays plenty cold overnight if we shut the genny off.

Buy2ls · Post by **Buy2ls** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 6:46 am

If you don't have, get CO detectors. They can save your life!!

buzzk · Post by **buzzk** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 8:40 am

Chris, I've never had a problem but I do have two CO detectors. One in the vee berth and one in the cabin. Do you have gas or diesel? Buzz

ckuppens · Post by **ckuppens** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 9:06 am

Gas... the boat has an old system for CO I don't really trust. I have a home depot plug in I use in the galley. What do you guys recommend?

Post by **dougl33** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 10:43 am

I'd put one in the v-berth too. Mine's diesel so I'm really not concerned.

Buy2ls · Post by **Buy2ls** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 11:27 am

Doug are you not concerned because you think that the diesel exhaust does not have any COs? Be careful it does http://www.nizkor.org/faqs/leuchter/leu ... aq-19.html Under a light load with a some what of a cloged air cleaner they can produce CO sufficent to kill over a 5 hr period.

Post by **dougl33** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 12:43 pm

I'm not concerned because the CO2 that a diesel gennie puts out is neglible.

buzzk · Post by **buzzk** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 2:02 pm

Mine being diesel is nice not having to worry. But I still have the alarm. Buzz

jav · Post by **jav** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 5:02 pm

I have an inverter setup which is very nice and quite....but it has it's draw backs. 1- you need a really good true sine wave inverter to run everything well. 2) you need a very large battery bank to power a large load for any length of time... difficult to run an AC on one. 3) The batteries need routine replacing (every 2-7 years depending on use/abuse). My setup works well for me but if we did more overnights away from shore power-I'd opt for a gennie.

photo finish · Post by **photo finish** » Tue Nov 16, 2010 7:02 pm

In my opinion our boats are pretty safe for CO when on the hook . As much as we scratch our heads as to why Bertram put the genset in the cockpit where it can be exposed to the elements it seems to me it was done for this very reason.I have 2 CO detectors for peace of mind but am confident in the design and sleep well at night on the hook with the genny running. One of my detectors has a digital display that displays the amount of CO if any detected even if it is not at a level to sound an alarm. The first couple nights I ever slept on the hook I slept with one eye on the display but not anymore.