I am considering buying an xPower 300 Portable Power Statioin from West Marine. It is a combination 21 Ah AGM battery, a 300W inverter, and a smart charger. It would be used for items such as cd player, tv/vcr, George Foremen Grill, etc. It looks like it would be very convenient to take to lake every weekend to power items, then bring home and recharge. The motor on my Hunter 20 is a pull start anddoes not have an alternator. I use a battery for all lights. Anybody out there have any reviews/comments on how good these portable power stations are, how long they will power small appliances, how many recharges, etc? Thanks
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Gary
With 21 AH you may be able too burn and hamburger and then you are going to eat in the dark. I doubt that you will be able to run a Geo. Foreman off a 300 watt unit. You need to do some calcs on your applicances and then size your batteries. These units usually need more power to get an appliance to start.
With 21 AH you may be able too burn and hamburger and then you are going to eat in the dark. I doubt that you will be able to run a Geo. Foreman off a 300 watt unit. You need to do some calcs on your applicances and then size your batteries. These units usually need more power to get an appliance to start.
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Gary
Thanks
Steve, Thanks for info, this is exactly what I am trying to find out before purchasing. How well would a small unit like that handle stuff like tv/vcr and/or cd player...Can I assume not very well. I could go without the GF grill, but my kid can not go without music and movies. There is also a bigger 1 for sale in West Marine. 40 AH AGM battery and 600 W inverter. Says it operates 115 V AC or 12V DC. I am a wiring retard and this is my attempt to buy a self contained unit that I can take with me on Fridays, bring home on Sundays, and have power for the weekend. Any thoughts are much appreciated. Thanks. Gary
Steve, Thanks for info, this is exactly what I am trying to find out before purchasing. How well would a small unit like that handle stuff like tv/vcr and/or cd player...Can I assume not very well. I could go without the GF grill, but my kid can not go without music and movies. There is also a bigger 1 for sale in West Marine. 40 AH AGM battery and 600 W inverter. Says it operates 115 V AC or 12V DC. I am a wiring retard and this is my attempt to buy a self contained unit that I can take with me on Fridays, bring home on Sundays, and have power for the weekend. Any thoughts are much appreciated. Thanks. Gary
Gary, again.
Gary: First thing I would recommend is an AC/DC TV. You can then just plug the TV into a DC outlet (formerly known as a cigarette lighter). There is no reason to have AC powered products like CD and TV aboard the boat anyway. DC is a better power source. When you use inverters you will consume more power than running directly off of DC. You can find a AM/FM/CD player at West Marine of $140. A AC/DC TV for less than $200. Now what else do you need to use the inverter for? Check out these battery capacities that you are talking about. Most deep cycle batteries are in the 70-105 amp area. If you do not have a battery charger, you would be better off getting one of these. If you are going with a AGM or Gel Cell you will need a smart charger (stay away from Guest). Statpower make the best smart charger. Depending on the size of your boat you are going to need to size the battery bank to the size of the power that you want to consume.
Gary: First thing I would recommend is an AC/DC TV. You can then just plug the TV into a DC outlet (formerly known as a cigarette lighter). There is no reason to have AC powered products like CD and TV aboard the boat anyway. DC is a better power source. When you use inverters you will consume more power than running directly off of DC. You can find a AM/FM/CD player at West Marine of $140. A AC/DC TV for less than $200. Now what else do you need to use the inverter for? Check out these battery capacities that you are talking about. Most deep cycle batteries are in the 70-105 amp area. If you do not have a battery charger, you would be better off getting one of these. If you are going with a AGM or Gel Cell you will need a smart charger (stay away from Guest). Statpower make the best smart charger. Depending on the size of your boat you are going to need to size the battery bank to the size of the power that you want to consume.
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Dan
Inverter
I used a 600 watt inverter this past Christmas to power 6 strings of Christmas lights. I ran them for about 2 hours on my 105 Ah house battery. That was enough to discharge the battery to the point that it would not run anything anymore. I would think that those little batteries would not power much for very long. I hope this helps you. I think you would be better off with all DC powered items if possible. I have a Clarion 4" LCD TV that I use onboard. Runs on 4 D cells. I am still on the original batteries that the store left in it and I have used it for about 3 hours total now. I also use my inverter to power my laptop computer for navigation but that draws very little power.
I used a 600 watt inverter this past Christmas to power 6 strings of Christmas lights. I ran them for about 2 hours on my 105 Ah house battery. That was enough to discharge the battery to the point that it would not run anything anymore. I would think that those little batteries would not power much for very long. I hope this helps you. I think you would be better off with all DC powered items if possible. I have a Clarion 4" LCD TV that I use onboard. Runs on 4 D cells. I am still on the original batteries that the store left in it and I have used it for about 3 hours total now. I also use my inverter to power my laptop computer for navigation but that draws very little power.
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Gary
Helping a great deal
Steve, Thanks again. I am now convinced that I was heading in the wrong direction with the batt/inv/charger combo method. This is our 1st sailboat (we live in pontoon, runabout, and houseboat country). Our boat is small, Hunter 20. We will basically be spending every weekend (1-2 nights) on her this summer on Lake Cumberland. The TV, music, lights, and fans are only power necessities. I will get a Magma grill to mount on rail for cooking. No cranking power needed, since motor is pull start. I was just trying to avoid having to wire batteries to switchbox, to lights because I have absolutely no knowledge of how to do that stuff. Guess I should take boat to a marine dealer and see if they handle that work, although I would rather learn so I am not in this situation again. There are no sailers in our area, but maybe I can find a buddy that's good with electronics. Being novice sailers in a small boat I would like to make wife and daughter somewhat comfortable on our weekends on the water. Thanks again, keep the info coming if you don't mind. It is sinking in. I have changed my "must buy list" to ac/dc tv, am/fm/cd player, speakers, battery, battery charger...did I mention that my wife and I were poor school teachers. Gary
Steve, Thanks again. I am now convinced that I was heading in the wrong direction with the batt/inv/charger combo method. This is our 1st sailboat (we live in pontoon, runabout, and houseboat country). Our boat is small, Hunter 20. We will basically be spending every weekend (1-2 nights) on her this summer on Lake Cumberland. The TV, music, lights, and fans are only power necessities. I will get a Magma grill to mount on rail for cooking. No cranking power needed, since motor is pull start. I was just trying to avoid having to wire batteries to switchbox, to lights because I have absolutely no knowledge of how to do that stuff. Guess I should take boat to a marine dealer and see if they handle that work, although I would rather learn so I am not in this situation again. There are no sailers in our area, but maybe I can find a buddy that's good with electronics. Being novice sailers in a small boat I would like to make wife and daughter somewhat comfortable on our weekends on the water. Thanks again, keep the info coming if you don't mind. It is sinking in. I have changed my "must buy list" to ac/dc tv, am/fm/cd player, speakers, battery, battery charger...did I mention that my wife and I were poor school teachers. Gary
I wish I was a POOR school teacher!
Don't think that this is going to be rocket science. Before you spend a bunch of money on this boat, look into something that is a little larger with all of these types of amenities. If you want to do some of this stuff on this boat, then look into a solar panel to charge up the battery bank. That may be more practical than installing a charger. Just be sure that if you have AGM or Gel batteries that the charger is NOT going to cook them. Don't worry, everyone needs to start somewhere. At least you are school teachers and can read. Not all can do this! PS: I wish I got 3 months off during the summer. I wish I got 3 months off anytime! Good luck!
Don't think that this is going to be rocket science. Before you spend a bunch of money on this boat, look into something that is a little larger with all of these types of amenities. If you want to do some of this stuff on this boat, then look into a solar panel to charge up the battery bank. That may be more practical than installing a charger. Just be sure that if you have AGM or Gel batteries that the charger is NOT going to cook them. Don't worry, everyone needs to start somewhere. At least you are school teachers and can read. Not all can do this! PS: I wish I got 3 months off during the summer. I wish I got 3 months off anytime! Good luck!
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Gary
Don't forget
Steve, Don't forget Christmas, fall, and spring breaks!!!! Actually I do teach in the summers, but only Mon-Thur 2 morning classes at a local community college. I wish I had bought a slightly larger boat. We had visions of trailer sailing, and thought that this would be good size to haul and to learn to sail on. Now we have decided we would like to put it in a slip at local lake (big lake, 63,000 acres). Thanks again for all help. I just need to find someone to teach me this wiring,so I am not in this predicament again. Gary
Steve, Don't forget Christmas, fall, and spring breaks!!!! Actually I do teach in the summers, but only Mon-Thur 2 morning classes at a local community college. I wish I had bought a slightly larger boat. We had visions of trailer sailing, and thought that this would be good size to haul and to learn to sail on. Now we have decided we would like to put it in a slip at local lake (big lake, 63,000 acres). Thanks again for all help. I just need to find someone to teach me this wiring,so I am not in this predicament again. Gary
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Dick
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Gary
Thanks
Will check it out tomorrow. That's alot better then the ones I saw on Best Buy and Circuit City websites.
Will check it out tomorrow. That's alot better then the ones I saw on Best Buy and Circuit City websites.
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Rick Webb
Do They Still Teach "Shop"
One of those guys should be able to help. On my 23.5 I have two batteries and the 9" TV/VCR that was mentioned and it works fine. They kids use a walkman for their CDs. There are a number of books available on wiring for your boat. I think the two big things to keep in mind are to fuse all the wires including the battery cable close as possible to the battery and to run two wires a positive and a negative to each item you wish to power. After you do all of that get with the Coast Guard Auxiliary or the power squadron to do a Courtesy Inspection. They should be able to give you an idea if you did it the way it ought to be done. They also have classes available to help all of youlearn more about how to stay safe out there. In fact a couple of school teachers would be a great asset to the group and there might even be someone to help you with the wiring. If you need help getting in contact with them let me know.
One of those guys should be able to help. On my 23.5 I have two batteries and the 9" TV/VCR that was mentioned and it works fine. They kids use a walkman for their CDs. There are a number of books available on wiring for your boat. I think the two big things to keep in mind are to fuse all the wires including the battery cable close as possible to the battery and to run two wires a positive and a negative to each item you wish to power. After you do all of that get with the Coast Guard Auxiliary or the power squadron to do a Courtesy Inspection. They should be able to give you an idea if you did it the way it ought to be done. They also have classes available to help all of youlearn more about how to stay safe out there. In fact a couple of school teachers would be a great asset to the group and there might even be someone to help you with the wiring. If you need help getting in contact with them let me know.
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Doug Cross
Did not say it would not work!
Doug: No one said that the inverter would not run the TV. We warned him about running high draw items like the Geo Foremam. When you run an inverter you will draw approx 5-10% more juice than if you run a DC powered appliance. I do not know the science behind it but if you look at most every computer they are internally powered by DC power not AC. The power is much cleaner. With DC powered applicance available there is no reason to purchase an AC appliance to do the job. If you need an AC appliance then that is another situation. PS: We run our laptop off the inverter because we cannot find the original DC power cord to do the job.
Doug: No one said that the inverter would not run the TV. We warned him about running high draw items like the Geo Foremam. When you run an inverter you will draw approx 5-10% more juice than if you run a DC powered appliance. I do not know the science behind it but if you look at most every computer they are internally powered by DC power not AC. The power is much cleaner. With DC powered applicance available there is no reason to purchase an AC appliance to do the job. If you need an AC appliance then that is another situation. PS: We run our laptop off the inverter because we cannot find the original DC power cord to do the job.
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Gary
Decided
Maintenance man at work says wiring is no problem and that he would help. Thanks for info on Geo Foreman being such a high draw appliance. Going with magma grill for cooking, 2 deep cycles wired to switchbox with DC plug in, may still stick an inverter in just in case. WalMart AC/DC TV/VCR was deal at $129. You guys have been a huge help, I'm sure I'll be asking questions constantly...I'm getting very anxious, we are 13 days from putting boat in water and embarking on our maiden voyage. Okay, I know it is just a lake in KY and that a "voyage" may be a slight exageration...But this is our first sailboat, we have never sailed!!!!!! Thanks again to all. Gary
Maintenance man at work says wiring is no problem and that he would help. Thanks for info on Geo Foreman being such a high draw appliance. Going with magma grill for cooking, 2 deep cycles wired to switchbox with DC plug in, may still stick an inverter in just in case. WalMart AC/DC TV/VCR was deal at $129. You guys have been a huge help, I'm sure I'll be asking questions constantly...I'm getting very anxious, we are 13 days from putting boat in water and embarking on our maiden voyage. Okay, I know it is just a lake in KY and that a "voyage" may be a slight exageration...But this is our first sailboat, we have never sailed!!!!!! Thanks again to all. Gary
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Ron Scott
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Jim Loats
What else do you need an inverter for?
is the question that Steve asked. I am considering an small inverter so that my Sweetie can grind her coffee beans in the morning! She is a purist and likes her coffee ground FRESH!!! Has anyone seen a 12vdc electric coffee grinder? None of the manual ones seems worth a hoot. ---- I found an AIWA CSD-FD91 boom box that sounds good, has a remote and needs either 110vac or eight D-cells. Now, 8 x (1.5) = 12 volts. So I went inside the back and hooked up a power cord where the batteries would connect. On the boat, I just plug it in to the lighter. I use it here at the office in the winter. Fun thread!! Jim Loats S/V Grizzly Bear P.S. Practical Sailor just reviewed inverters, I think.
is the question that Steve asked. I am considering an small inverter so that my Sweetie can grind her coffee beans in the morning! She is a purist and likes her coffee ground FRESH!!! Has anyone seen a 12vdc electric coffee grinder? None of the manual ones seems worth a hoot. ---- I found an AIWA CSD-FD91 boom box that sounds good, has a remote and needs either 110vac or eight D-cells. Now, 8 x (1.5) = 12 volts. So I went inside the back and hooked up a power cord where the batteries would connect. On the boat, I just plug it in to the lighter. I use it here at the office in the winter. Fun thread!! Jim Loats S/V Grizzly Bear P.S. Practical Sailor just reviewed inverters, I think.
Would think that a coffee grinder would be fine.
Jim: I would not think that the coffee grinder would take much juice. There is really nothing much better than fresh ground coffee in the AM. My sweetie had taken the approach that she would take the fresh ground coffee to the boat each weekend (made life easier). Then we found these individual coffee packs 1.75oz at Costco. We just take 8-10 of these to the boat and leave them aboard in a container (it is not fresh ground, but it's good). This keeps realitively fresh coffee aboard all the time. We have also found that using a kettle with hot water and a melita filter holder makes making coffee at the dock or at anchor easy. We use one of those insulated carafe's so the coffee stay hot for a long time.
Jim: I would not think that the coffee grinder would take much juice. There is really nothing much better than fresh ground coffee in the AM. My sweetie had taken the approach that she would take the fresh ground coffee to the boat each weekend (made life easier). Then we found these individual coffee packs 1.75oz at Costco. We just take 8-10 of these to the boat and leave them aboard in a container (it is not fresh ground, but it's good). This keeps realitively fresh coffee aboard all the time. We have also found that using a kettle with hot water and a melita filter holder makes making coffee at the dock or at anchor easy. We use one of those insulated carafe's so the coffee stay hot for a long time.
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