Microwave Oven for Boat

[CarlF]

If you have 800ah of batteries and a 3000 watt sine wave inverter I would think you'd be fine. I have the same size battery bank and inverter (Victron) and have one that is both a microwave and convection oven. I use it a lot:

http://www.amazon.com/Sharp-R-820JS-...9824844&sr=8-6

It's a little bigger than a really compact microwave - but not much.

It draws about 12 amps (110v) as a microwave and about 13 amps as a convection oven. When used as an oven, the power draw is much less after it's up to temperature. Motoring, at the dock, or with a genset the battery draw is a non-issue. It's a much better oven and broiler than my propane oven and it's really cut down how quickly I go through the propane tanks.

Carl

[SV Demeter]

WOW thanks for all the responses. OP here. I have an older Freedom Inverter but the entire electrical system has been redone and I am confident in the ability of the inverter and system as a whole to handle a microwave. I routinely run small power tools, a shop vac, and have run a heat gun, and just to test things out ran the 1500 watt element in my hotwater heater.

Thanks for all of your comments. It sounds like a small 700-800 watt unit will do just fine for our purposes. Ive been on a few boats that had them and gotta say hot popcorn on the 2am watch was pretty nice.

Anyone running breadmachines? I like the idea of not running that bloody oven and heating up the cabin so much if I dont have too. How many watts does the breadmachine pull and how long do they need to run?

[Auspicious]

Cooking styles are slow to change. If you use a microwave ashore you are likely to want to use one aboard. If you didn't use one much ashore adding one to the boat won't help.

I put a small microwave on my boat (800W I think) that ran fine off Mastervolt 2kW sine-wave inverter, shore power, and genset. The reality was that I simply didn't use it much, just like ashore, so I took it back off to get the storage space back.

I reheat in the oven or in a skillet just like I always did. I make coffee in a percolator and hot water in a kettle. I simply have no need for a microwave. That's my cooking style. If a microwave is integral to your cooking style you won't be happy without one.

[thinwater]

Originally Posted by SV Demeter

WOW thanks for all the responses. OP here. I have an older Freedom Inverter but the entire electrical system has been redone and I am confident in the ability of the inverter and system as a whole to handle a microwave. I routinely run small power tools, a shop vac, and have run a heat gun, and just to test things out ran the 1500 watt element in my hotwater heater.

Thanks for all of your comments. It sounds like a small 700-800 watt unit will do just fine for our purposes. Ive been on a few boats that had them and gotta say hot popcorn on the 2am watch was pretty nice.

Anyone running breadmachines? I like the idea of not running that bloody oven and heating up the cabin so much if I dont have too. How many watts does the breadmachine pull and how long do they need to run?

I have a Freedom inverter and the microwave does not run very well (compact microwave, draw is not at issue). It does run.

But strangely we don't use it. In the summer we grill or are cooking a big pot or skillet; no micro-food on cruise. In the winter, a burner seems more friendly (even though we have heat). Mostly, we keep disposable dishes in it.

Of course, if we carried popcorn I might change my mind!

Anyway, I'd go with the smallest unit.

[SV Demeter]

Originally Posted by Auspicious

Cooking styles are slow to change. If you use a microwave ashore you are likely to want to use one aboard. If you didn't use one much ashore adding one to the boat won't help.

I put a small microwave on my boat (800W I think) that ran fine off Mastervolt 2kW sine-wave inverter, shore power, and genset. The reality was that I simply didn't use it much, just like ashore, so I took it back off to get the storage space back.

I reheat in the oven or in a skillet just like I always did. I make coffee in a percolator and hot water in a kettle. I simply have no need for a microwave. That's my cooking style. If a microwave is integral to your cooking style you won't be happy without one.

Pretty much what I was thinking. I use one quite a bit at home but mostly for convenience items like a cup of water for tea, popcorn, steaming veggies, defrosting frozen items, kids oatmeal, reheating leftovers. Some of these things I would not do aboard like the tea or defrosting but most of the others I will. My family is moving aboard next fall so we are trying a lot of these things out on weekend cruises now. I found a small 110v drip coffee pot that I run off the inverter because I never could get used to percolator or french press coffee. Now I need to find a hand cranked bean grinder cause I cant justify the electric one, just yet anyway...

[Auspicious]

Not to be argumentative, simply to compare styles.

Originally Posted by SV Demeter

mostly for convenience items like a cup of water for tea, popcorn, steaming veggies, defrosting frozen items, kids oatmeal, reheating leftovers.

kettle, sauce pan w/ foil lid, long-leg steamer, plan ahead and take things out of freezer earlier (or steam), sauce pan, sauce pan.

Percolators are easy.

[terra57]

We have one. We don't use it when at anchor unless we are running the engine/generator anyway. We use it some when at the dock. To be honest, since we don't have a big freezer and food to thaw out and microwave, it does not get much use. I think propane is cheaper but that depends on where you are. If I needed the space it would be the first to go. Before we left the dock, living in the marina full-time, it was useful.

[anotherT34C]

Anyone ever try a wavebox?

[Dhillen]

We often used a bread maker underway on our last boat and it worked fine. But we didn't use it for baking as the amp load would be huge and for a long time. We found the bread maker useful for mixing dough and letting it rise. Then we'd pop it in the oven.
On the other side of the coin, needing dough by hand is great too. Keeps the fingernails clean!
Dhillen