Great idea. I haven't used a generator because of the noise issue but this looks like a good solution! Thanks
Hair Dryer 12V
- Thread starter Bad Obsession
- Start date
- Status
Well I'm diving in!
My honda 2000 is so quiet you won't know its running unless you are on my boat.
I also have a 1000 watt inverter. I run my small fridge, fan, 120volt fishing lights, soldering iron, vhf charger( yea' its 120 volts, smart folks at ICOM), recharge bat on "coleman hot water on demand" unit, and a laptop.
And I won't apologize for being addicted to modern technology.
I have a standalone smart charger that does a great job of bulking the battery bank in 20 minutes every other day.
shields up!
Sid
My honda 2000 is so quiet you won't know its running unless you are on my boat.
I also have a 1000 watt inverter. I run my small fridge, fan, 120volt fishing lights, soldering iron, vhf charger( yea' its 120 volts, smart folks at ICOM), recharge bat on "coleman hot water on demand" unit, and a laptop.
And I won't apologize for being addicted to modern technology.
I have a standalone smart charger that does a great job of bulking the battery bank in 20 minutes every other day.
shields up!
Sid
You're kidding us... right?
I'm with Gail R. I suggest you find a way to give her hats that match each potential outfit. Having perfect hair and sailing just don't work in the same sentence.
I'm with Gail R. I suggest you find a way to give her hats that match each potential outfit. Having perfect hair and sailing just don't work in the same sentence.
Yes, but he didn't say "perfect" hair.... he said dry hair in the cold weather....... big difference in the perception of marina queen and practicality.
Doesn't this go back to the sextant vs. chartplotter arguement, they both work... ones just easier and more convenient.
How do you heat the shower water in the morning ( before needing the hair dryer) on the hook? If we motored for a couple of hours before anchoring, we can use the engine heated hot water in the tank. But next morning, what do you do. Someone mentioned using a portable tankless propane heater and I was wondering if anyone has tied one of these into the potable water system so you could take a shower in the shower, while the portable tankless thing is hanging temporarily in the cockpit hooked up to the propane tank?
You nailed it, Gail. My wife enjoys the freedom from having to fuss when we're out or anchored, and we both like dressing up for a night out when we're in port and can use the marina facilities.
...another bullseye.
I won't begrudge anyone their generator, or the lavishness of their onboard creature comforts, but, sorry, I do reserve the right to consider someone running a generator at anchor for ...TV, or ice-cubes, or a toaster or a hair-dryer... as someone with seriously misplaced priorities.
Question - for those who need to run the gen to recharge batteries... why can't you do that while you're under way? That way, no-one's being disturbed at an anchorage.
Cruising isn't camping, I get that, but a remote anchorage shouldn't sound like a truckstop, either.
We sail to get away, not to bring it with us. To each their own, I guess.
The little Honda Generators are a real answer to the once in a while need for Electricity. Inverters are not great for Hairdryers as they will suck your batteries dry quickly.
One other idea is get her involved with a sports team or a cause that she really likes and buy her a hat!
Pirate Mike
One other idea is get her involved with a sports team or a cause that she really likes and buy her a hat!
Pirate Mike
Sounds like an oxymoron - for one, I don't appreciate anyone making a value judgment about my priorities.
The Honda measured noise level is 59 dB while that of my engine is measured at 77 dB at the transom (typical of most engine noise levels). Can't figure out why some find the lower Honda noise level more objectionable than the engine's... unless it is perception.
Regarding your q about recharging - we and many others don't always move the boat daily. We sometimes stay a while.
Running an 80 amp alternator at a reasonable RPM produces 20 amps nominal - equates to an engine run time of 10 hours to bring my battery bank up from 50% discharged. Is 10 hours preferable at 77 dB or 1-2 hours at 59 dB?
The problem, Stu, is that there are some people who insist their Honda 2000 generator is no noisier than an outboard or diesel, when in reality, it is definitely louder than the diesel and more annoying than the outboard. At least the outboard, while possibly louder, is generally a fleeting thing. Someone uses it to take the dog ashore and back, or to run something over to someone else's boat. But the generator running non-stop ALL NIGHT LONG or all morning long (which some poeple do) and spewing exhaust into my cockpit for hours is damned annoying.
I hardly think that heating up water on the stove and using a melita to make coffee, using the magma grill to toast bagels, lugging ice to the boat, or doing without a hair dryer is akin to camping in a tent. I have camped in a tent (started doing that at age five months and did it well into adulthood) and there is no comparison. I may be a primitive luddite low-life tent-dweller, but at least I know my choices are not infringing on someone else's enjoyment.
Face it. Your Honda generator is loud. Anyone who tells you otherwise is being overly polite.
BTW, that emergency starter gizmo is cool. Could have used that on one particular occasion when a noise filter inexplicably drained our batts. We ended up having to do a set of really short tacks to get out of the anchorage we were in.
It is probably rather easy for our Canadian friends to shrug off and condem the use of generators in boats. Here in some parts of the south we equate the use of generators with being able to run air conditioning. Anyone who has spent a summer night in the Gulf of Mexico with temperatures in the 90s, humidity at close to 100% and water temperatures hovering around 85 F knows what I'm talking about. In the summer months we usually look for marinas but sometimes the only choice is to get in anchorage. We usually try to get down wind from other boats and much more often than not are not the only ones running generators. I respect your point of view and kindly request you respect our needs and priorities.
I'm with Gail on this one. I actually own a Honda EU 2000 and it will NEVER be used on my boat unless I need to run tools bigger than my inverter will handle and then that will only be on my own mooring for a short period of time.
I have been on the receiving end of obnoxious Honda users before and swore I'd never do that to anyone. Trust me they are not quiet when your sitting in a idyllic Maine cove with zero wind and rocky granite shores that the Honda reverberates off of... Neither are folks who run the engine at 11:00 at night.. Obnoxious is putting it mildly..
Of course very few people in Maine use generators so when they do they stick out like a sore thumb..
If you want to run a hair dryer you might consider a low wattage one and a cheap inverter and you'll be fine. It will be a decent load but not one than can't be compensated for. A short run with a Honda to dry hair is one thing but some Honda owners think they are quiet enough to be left running all night long..
I have been on the receiving end of obnoxious Honda users before and swore I'd never do that to anyone. Trust me they are not quiet when your sitting in a idyllic Maine cove with zero wind and rocky granite shores that the Honda reverberates off of... Neither are folks who run the engine at 11:00 at night.. Obnoxious is putting it mildly..
Of course very few people in Maine use generators so when they do they stick out like a sore thumb..If you want to run a hair dryer you might consider a low wattage one and a cheap inverter and you'll be fine. It will be a decent load but not one than can't be compensated for. A short run with a Honda to dry hair is one thing but some Honda owners think they are quiet enough to be left running all night long..
Weak but OK in a pinch
I just asked Herself about the 12V hair dryer that she has. It is ok in a pinch, a bit weak but if she has to dry her hair while on the hook or with the marina umbilical disconnected or out of order, it works. She has used it 2 - 3 times in 8 yrs. I suppose, if necessary, we could switch on the 1K watt inverter and use a 'real' dryer but....why?
I just asked Herself about the 12V hair dryer that she has. It is ok in a pinch, a bit weak but if she has to dry her hair while on the hook or with the marina umbilical disconnected or out of order, it works. She has used it 2 - 3 times in 8 yrs. I suppose, if necessary, we could switch on the 1K watt inverter and use a 'real' dryer but....why?
Are you suggesting others should appreciate the steady drone of your "priorities" over an otherwise quiet anchorage?
The brand I am most familiar with doesn't appear to be available any longer. It was a product my late wife used ten years ago. There are a few others out there, but I don't have first-hand experience with them, but here are links to a couple:
Rinse No More Rinseless Shampoo.
Oopsy Daisy Rinseless Shampoo for Kids
Some other brands are commonly available through medical supply stores, which is where I used to get the stuff my wife used.
Rinse No More Rinseless Shampoo.
Oopsy Daisy Rinseless Shampoo for Kids
Some other brands are commonly available through medical supply stores, which is where I used to get the stuff my wife used.
Benny, you appear to be either geographically or politically challenged. Note that my port of hail is Freeport, ME. That is Maine. I'm pretty sure Maine is still a part of the U.S., but I suppose from the deep south, it might seem like it should be in Canada.Again, note my port of hail is Maine. While not quite Canada, it's north of most of you. We have three days of summer here; the rest of the time it's not that warm. Yet most of us manage to survive having wet hair for an hour (or in my hubby's case, three minutes)Scptt B said:
No! Why immediately jump to insults?
You know what I mean by what I said in which there is no implication of anyone running a genset except when others are typically running their engines for the same purposes.
It's hardly a quiet anchorage to me when you have your engine running and that noise bother me but I understand it is sometimes required - shall i get annoyed at you for running your noisy engine for FAR longer periods than I use my genset?
This should not be a contentious issue and I would ask others to be as considerate of my needs as I try to be of yours.
Your needs? Or your wants? Unfortunately, it is a contentious issue because so many of the people who run their generators think it's perfectly okay to run them morning, noon, and night. They turn them on, and either leave the boat so they don't have to listen to them, or they retire down below and crank up the DVD to drown out the hum. Not saying you are among this lot, but many people operate this way.
We were in Northeast Harbor Maine (not Canada) during one cruise and two humongous trawlers from Massachusetts grabbed a couple nearby moorings and proceeded to run their generators for hours. A quick straw poll of the neighbors indicated this would not be acceptable if it continuted. It started to get dark, they were still running them, and one of our party rowed over and asked if they were going to turn them off for the night. Nope, they had to freeze two weeks worth of meat.
So we talked to the harbormaster, who also asked that they shut them down for the night. They refused. Eventually, they were put on docks with shore power for the same price as a mooring. Yes, they were that arrogant that they managed to get dock space PLUS shore power for the mooring price.
At least it was quiet and we didn't have to sacrifice a potato.
OTOH, one time we were tied to the public dock in Camden opposite a big megayacht with two gensets. We were enjoying our "we're here beer" (actually, I think it was a rum drink) when the skipper greeted us, apologized for needing to run generators at all, and explained his plan for mitigating their impact. They'd run the big one during the day (when we planned to be out sightseeing anyway) and switch to the smaller, quieter one on the opposite side of the boat for the night. Of course, neither was the trusty red Honda and they were set up so as to minimize the noise level. We didn't even know they were running, but what we were most impressed with was the skipper going above and beyond to explain everything to us before it became an issue.
If more of the people who "need" to run a generator would at least be considerate about it, the issue would not be so contentious.
- Status