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john61ct · 07-04-2019, 10:11

My overall goal is to avoid AC inside the boat as much as possible.

Also oriented toward smaller and cheaper.

Hence our different approaches.

**s/v Jedi** · 07-04-2019, 15:26

Quote:

Originally Posted by john61ct

My overall goal is to avoid AC inside the boat as much as possible.

Also oriented toward smaller and cheaper.

Hence our different approaches.

Yes of-course, I want everything as simple and as small and cheap as possible as well... but nit at the cost of safety. Eliminating an isolation transformer does not take AC out the boat... just the safety

CarinaPDX · 07-04-2019, 15:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Eliminating an isolation transformer does not take AC out the boat... just the safety

Yes, absolutely correct! An iso transformer solves a number of safety issues and should be on every boat with AC IMHO. This is not the place to cut corners...

Greg

Mr B · 07-04-2019, 15:56

I have found 12 volt gear is cheaper than 240 volt gear,
My 12 volt TV was 1/2 the price of a 240 volt one,

**s/v Jedi** · 07-04-2019, 20:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mr B

I have found 12 volt gear is cheaper than 240 volt gear,
My 12 volt TV was 1/2 the price of a 240 volt one,

Have you tried the 12V coffee makers, hair dryers, fans, A/C's etc? Or the propane ovens, cooktops, heaters etc? know how much moisture and, for oven and cooktop, how much unwanted heat they introduce into the boat?

AC was proven to be better than DC by Nikola Tesla, no need to do that again

Mr B · 08-04-2019, 04:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Have you tried the 12V coffee makers, hair dryers, fans, A/C's etc? Or the propane ovens, cooktops, heaters etc? know how much moisture and, for oven and cooktop, how much unwanted heat they introduce into the boat?

AC was proven to be better than DC by Nikola Tesla, no need to do that again

Hahahahha, I thought having a TV was extravagant on my part, I am on a boat, Not a 30 room mansion,
I am just replacing the gear that came originally with my boat,
The prices were just an observation,

john61ct · 08-04-2019, 04:21

Hair drier lol.

I know some people think such things are "necessities", but my use of

smaller simpler cheaper

did I thought imply some "sacrifice", reduction in 'Murican style consumption excess.

But, whatever floats **your** boat, different use cases, different solutions.

svDrifter · 08-04-2019, 14:27

Quote:

Originally Posted by SaltedEgg

Hey all,

I just bought a Westsail 32 that is wired for 110v. I purchased her in Thailand and plan to do some bottom work there before sailing her back to Malaysia, where I live and work, for a year. The marina in Malaysia that she will be at gets very little breeze so I'll be running an air conditioner, plus other electronics for the year. After that year, I plan to cruise for 2 years in the pacific living on the hook the whole time. Currently, there are many 110v power tools aboard such as grinders, drills, sanders, etc. that I'd like to use. My questions are:

What are your initial thoughts?

Should I get a step down transformer. If so, where do I start?

Should I rewire her to take 220v? Thoughts on power tools?

Bring on the wisdom

A true "cruising boat" (in the W32 category) was never intended to have a "shore power lifeline". If your'e truly intending to "cruise for 2 years in the Pacific, living on the hook the whole time"... then why not work your way into that lifestyle now. Start converting everything that's currently AC into DC. There are some incredibly good 18V cordless power tools on the market today that can be charged directly from your 12V house bank. Forget the hair dryer... get a haircut that's reasonably short, allowing you to maintain it without a hair dryer. (Or dry it ashore until you cast off.) I understand the air conditioner while at a breezeless dock. But it will NOT be practical (if even possible) to use one while on the hook. So just plan on leaving it in the hands of dock mate, when you cast off.

If you need something to get you by for the air conditioner and some small AC appliances during your "adjustment phase", I would suggest asking others in the marina how they cope with the 220/115v issue. But, by all means, don't start tying yourself to a system that is totally inappropriate for the cruising lifestyle you say you intend to work toward. You will be much happier having done so, once you're on the hook.

If you wanna' be a sailor... be a sailor. If not, just rent an apartment.

Capt Jack
Westsail 32 "Drifter"

Powerabout · 08-04-2019, 18:28

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lancerbye

He is talking about Thailand 220volts, which if it is the same as the Philippines there is no neutral, just 220 across two lines with sometimes a ground and the voltage will vary from 180 to 240 volts. When living over there I found a good investment to be an ac voltage regulator which had 3-220v sockets and 1 120v socket. It is a self adjusting auto transformer.

No ( luckily) only the Philippines has that wacky 2 phase 110 60hz

So punters end up wiring 220v devices with 2 hots and the neutral where the earth should be, a bit dangerous.
I did a project there in an office with equipment shipped from USA that will run USA or UK power but wouldnt work and found out companies make custom UPS's just for the old parts of Philippines where its 2 ph 110 as newer parts are 1ph 220.
Lots of safety devices sense the hot neutral and no earth so they just disconnect them...truly asia!

In the USA where they run stoves, welders etc at 220, the plug has 4 pins, which makes perfect sense.

170122 · 09-04-2019, 05:10

A good marine inverter a good set of batteries and a dual voltage battery charger will do the trick, but it is costly!

Wiring for 220v 50hz is about the same as the wiring for 115V 60 Hz, breakers can easily be upgraded, battery chargers are now mostly dual voltage.. line L1 and neutral, microwaves and outlets are not expensive to replace,
tools will work with a radio shack international converter.
the water heater can be upgraded to 220v by changing the element, not a big deal. The last problem is the air conditioning, if is a good unit, you can step down the power from 220v to 110v 50hz by using a transformer, it will have a tendency to freeze up due to the fact they are made to run on 60 HZ, but it will run. The second solution is to replace the unit for a 220/230V 50/60 hz, available on eBay, don’t go too big, we cool here in Florida a 48 sail Beneteau down to 70F outside 90F with just 7000 BTU.. very quiet, copper evaporator, military grade condenser self contained unit. B30 CuNi 70/30, 3.1A to run including the pump. We used to have a Cruisair 16000 before, was taking over 6A on 230v and was not cooling and drying our boat as this one does. Very easy to install. What else do you have on your vessel?

**s/v Jedi** · 09-04-2019, 05:59

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mabruteam

A good marine inverter a good set of batteries and a dual voltage battery charger will do the trick, but it is costly!

Wiring for 220v 50hz is about the same as the wiring for 115V 60 Hz, breakers can easily be upgraded, battery chargers are now mostly dual voltage.. line L1 and neutral, microwaves and outlets are not expensive to replace,
tools will work with a radio shack international converter.
the water heater can be upgraded to 220v by changing the element, not a big deal. The last problem is the air conditioning, if is a good unit, you can step down the power from 220v to 110v 50hz by using a transformer, it will have a tendency to freeze up due to the fact they are made to run on 60 HZ, but it will run. The second solution is to replace the unit for a 220/230V 50/60 hz, available on eBay, don’t go too big, we cool here in Florida a 48 sail Beneteau down to 70F outside 90F with just 7000 BTU.. very quiet, copper evaporator, military grade condenser self contained unit. B30 CuNi 70/30, 3.1A to run including the pump. We used to have a Cruisair 16000 before, was taking over 6A on 230v and was not cooling and drying our boat as this one does. Very easy to install. What else do you have on your vessel?

Do you have info on the model A/C you are using from eBay? A link may be?

SaltedEgg · 10-04-2019, 23:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by svDrifter

A true "cruising boat" (in the W32 category) was never intended to have a "shore power lifeline". If your'e truly intending to "cruise for 2 years in the Pacific, living on the hook the whole time"... then why not work your way into that lifestyle now. Start converting everything that's currently AC into DC. There are some incredibly good 18V cordless power tools on the market today that can be charged directly from your 12V house bank. Forget the hair dryer... get a haircut that's reasonably short, allowing you to maintain it without a hair dryer. (Or dry it ashore until you cast off.) I understand the air conditioner while at a breezeless dock. But it will NOT be practical (if even possible) to use one while on the hook. So just plan on leaving it in the hands of dock mate, when you cast off.

If you need something to get you by for the air conditioner and some small AC appliances during your "adjustment phase", I would suggest asking others in the marina how they cope with the 220/115v issue. But, by all means, don't start tying yourself to a system that is totally inappropriate for the cruising lifestyle you say you intend to work toward. You will be much happier having done so, once you're on the hook.

If you wanna' be a sailor... be a sailor. If not, just rent an apartment.

Capt Jack
Westsail 32 "Drifter"

Why are we talking about hair dryers? It's called sunshine

I'm with you Capt. Jack. I'm really trying to find a work around to the aircon issue. Living in an apartment is southern Malaysia is very cheap, 300$ usd for a brand new place with AC. I'd hate to pay for the birth and an apartment as I'm pretty frugal. Unfortunately, the consensus seems to be a split cord with one running to the battery charger and another running to an AC breaker. Like you said, this seems like a lot of work and money for 12 months of aircon when I have little to no intention to use it again. Plus I'd need to hire a qualified electrician to look at my work. You've really helped put this into perspective.

I need to do a lot more research on 12v/18v/20v power tools. In Malaysia there are lots of Bosch power tools, and a decent amount of Makita and DeWalt. Any advice on which brands and models?

Mabruteam mentioned getting a step down converter for the power tools at Radio Shack. Being able to use the 110v tool in Thailand would be a massive stress relief. Can anyone give advice on this? Are the step down converters that easy to come across?

SaltedEgg · 10-04-2019, 23:13

I just reread that last bit and thought it might be a bit confusing. I'm living in Malaysia so buying power tools here will not help with my immediate needs as the boat is currently in Thailand. The 110v power tools are on the boat. I'd very much like to do some work on the hull while she is on the hard in Thailand before sailing her back to Malaysia. Being able to use the power tools currently on the boat is my dream. A cheap converter that allows me to use the 110v power tools feel like a fantasy.