On the hook without an inverter?

[Cheechako]

You will need to replenish the electric losses from overnight. One way or another. You don't have to do it at night though. Replenish every day, give it a rest at night. Refrig is the big user. Many will be in the 100 amp hours each day range more or less. Probably run the genny in the am before you get on to other things. Maybe am and early pm depending on how well it charges.
Although solar, wind, and other things are very popular now and work well, many many people have recharged with engine or the gen set over the years. In 40 years that's all I had other than one boat that came with a Wind Gen also.

[SteveSadler]

I'm surprised you don't have 12v frig. Get the water cooled frig so it's silent. I have to turn ours off at night it's fan is so loud! I leave the freezer on as it's water cooled. With solar panels and a few batteries, we have more than enough.

[captlloyd]

Originally Posted by Hudson Force

My answer might sound weird to you, but the question sounds weird to me. From 1971 until 1995 we had shore power at the dock, but we still cruised often including trips to the Bahamas. We didn't have an inverter, generator, refrigeration, power windlass or anything beyond a couple of 12VDC circuits that we used only for an anchor light and engine starting. Most of the time while it was dark, we were sleeping. We had crackers, canned meats, even some canned breads. We bought local produce and ate local seafood. Our drinks were at cabin temperature. During the dark time before sleeping we were in the deck hammocks with our young children spotting satellites in the beautiful true dark of the wilderness and sharing stories.
I will admit to having a good 12VDC refrigeration system, diesel generator, wind generator, solar panels, and AC options at anchor during our more recent 25 years of cruising, but we didn't actually enjoy cruising more.
We did adapt better to that dark than the heat, but we were anchored facing the breeze selecting places out of the current and kept wind scoops on our hatches.

I just love it ! Kind of like camping but on the water with soft bunks to sleep in. In this day and age who would have thought you could get by without an electric fridge and A.Conditioning. Years ago we had a local tv personality who quipped that his idea of roughing it was staying in a motel with only black and white tv.

[bensolomon]

You should easily be able to stay a night at anchor without an inverter or generator. It's how sailboats are designed. You will have to replenish batteries, though. So, either solar, wind , or running the engine (motor sailing or just moving spots).

[model 10]

We actually use 2 inverters. There is a small quiet one that handles all the chargers and kitchen gadgets and a bigger one with a cooling fan that does power tools.

[Nikki S]

Hmmm.... met some guys a couple of years ago that spent 4 years sailing from Europe to Australia with no fridge- they ate well by cooking traditional conserve recipes.
We have solar + inverter but often turn our fridge/freezer off at night anyway because otherwise it freezes the vegetables.... I hate running the genny- only do so when we need to make water or “emergency charge” which is rarely, even before we had solar - a bit of motoring each day seemed to keep the fridge cold enough. Coincidentally the genny has been broken down for since Feb - going to fix it in a couple of weeks but....

[RaymondR]

For just weekend and short term a big, well insulated ice box and block ice works quiet well.

[coastalexplorer]

During the years I have been involved with reading Cruisers forum...it has appeared to me that the greater number of Members' are owners or charterers of predominately some type of Sailing vessel?


Did anyone else google search what sort of Vessel that AdagioBolder has listed as his new acquisition?



a 2005 Jefferson Rivanna 50 SE

is a virtual floating house with a walk in engine room two monstrous diesel engines and a gen-set that would not even fit in the majority of our boats?


So perhaps it it not surprising that all the practical advice being offered here by true sailors is so very irrelevant to the question?

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by AdagioBoulder

We are about to spend the upcoming season on our new, to us, boat in Florida at Ft. Pierce City Marina getting used to the life. We intend to cruise the Florida coast and also take a trip to the Bahamas. Newbie question: Is it possible to spend some time overnight on the hook without an inverter and without running the gennie at night? How do you do it? Store refrigerated items in the Yeti, etc? How do you handle other electrical needs?

Depends on how your boat is set up, and depends on weather.

What fridges do you have? AC/DC? Or AC only? If former, the fridge issue is solved. If the latter, two choices: inverter, or turn the things off at night. A decent well-insulated fridge won't warm up tooooo much at night. Need to assess that with a thermometer, though, to see if it's working OK. If not, adding an inverter when you get a round tuit isn't a horrible expense.

"Other electrical needs" also depends on how your boat is set up. Interior lights will likely be DC. What else do you need? TV? Device charging? Getting into inverter territory. AC? Electric cooking? Heating water? Those usually need the genset, although sometimes you can run a microwave/convection over on an inverter.

We don't usually need AC (aircon) when we're away from the dock, except in July/August around here (and June-Sept this yeqr <sigh>) because breezes are (usually) better outside of a marina.

All that said, you'll likely need to run your genset maybe daily or twice daily to recharge batteries anyway, and your battery banks may or may not be designed for long periods at anchor...

And there's a whole lot of "it depends on how your boat is set up" involved in all this. Since it's new to you, start getting familiar with what you've got... how it works... and then you can maybe puzzle out improvements or at least ask more questions that might focus on the individual bits and pieces you want to solve.

FWIW, we find an inverter useful for powering light AC loads: early morning coffee (pre-genset morning schedule), popcorn or other snacks (or sometimes reheating something), TV/stereo, and most of our wall outlets (for charging laptops, phones, tablets, etc.). But then we also run the genset 2x/day to cook (electric galley), heat water, and charge batteries. As you get more familiar with your boat and how you want to use it, you can decide whether an inverter might float your boat or not. Not horribly expensive, in the grand scheme of things boating.

-Chris

[sailormed]

Originally Posted by coastalexplorer

During the years I have been involved with reading Cruisers forum...it has appeared to me that the greater number of Members' are owners or charterers of predominately some type of Sailing vessel?


Did anyone else google search what sort of Vessel that AdagioBolder has listed as his new acquisition?



a 2005 Jefferson Rivanna 50 SE

is a virtual floating house with a walk in engine room two monstrous diesel engines and a gen-set that would not even fit in the majority of our boats?


So perhaps it it not surprising that all the practical advice being offered here by true sailors is so very irrelevant to the question?

You are so right!!! We are not living on the same planet. On the hook without an inverter on that boat must be impossible. The generator is there to save fuel vs the 2 x 450 hp engines.

OK possible yes, but not without a major rethinking/refitting of all consumers, fridges, cooking, airco, hot water etc......

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by sailormed

On the hook without an inverter on that boat must be impossible. The generator is there to save fuel vs the 2 x 450 hp engines.

OK possible yes, but not without a major rethinking/refitting of all consumers, fridges, cooking, airco, hot water etc......

Not at all a problem. Just depends on how the boat is set up. And often boats like that are set up from the gitgo with all that stuff selected for a given market (style of boating). No rethinking/refitting involved... just start the generator and get on with life. Genset fuel consumption, generally tiny in the grand scheme of large power boats, is only a minor detail.

-Chris

[AdagioBoulder]

Thanks for all the ideas! Our plan at this point is to hire someone to help us by doing an energy audit, load calculations, and to design a system that will include solar, larger house battery bank, probably a new & more efficient refrigerator, and??? Where there's a will there's a way.

[AndyEss]

Originally Posted by AdagioBoulder

Thanks for all the ideas! Our plan at this point is to hire someone to help us by doing an energy audit, load calculations, and to design a system that will include solar, larger house battery bank, probably a new & more efficient refrigerator, and??? Where there's a will there's a way.

Please keep us entertained, I mean informed, about progress on your big boat buck dropping project.
I for one believe F Scott Fitzgerald was correct, and would get a kick learning about how a very well heeled boater rolls.
I anchor in the Mogote, and there are plenty of derelict or abandoned boats in our happy fleet.
This might be a fun thread.

[AdagioBoulder]

Originally Posted by AndyEss

Please keep us entertained, I mean informed, about progress on your big boat buck dropping project.
I for one believe F Scott Fitzgerald was correct, and would get a kick learning about how a very well heeled boater rolls.
I anchor in the Mogote, and there are plenty of derelict or abandoned boats in our happy fleet.
This might be a fun thread.

[Macblaze]

Originally Posted by AdagioBoulder

We are about to spend the upcoming season on our new, to us, boat in Florida at Ft. Pierce City Marina getting used to the life. We intend to cruise the Florida coast and also take a trip to the Bahamas. Newbie question: Is it possible to spend some time overnight on the hook without an inverter and without running the gennie at night? How do you do it? Store refrigerated items in the Yeti, etc? How do you handle other electrical needs?

Look at things from a different angle? We can get 4 nights at anchor without solar, generator or inverter. That's with a full fridge and freezer, charging up the cell phones and judicious use of lights. 450 amp/hrs of lead acid so about 65 amps/day