Inverter and AIS worth the money?

[The Garbone]

AIS is great but the only way to really keep the family safe is keeping a good watch.

[sck5]

I was very glad to have AIS when we crossed the gulf stream amid various large freighters and cruise ships. After that we turned it off. Once in the Bahamas you are likely to sail only during daylight and usually in water shallow enough that large ships can't go there anyway.

Having said that, I spent quite a few years sailing Chesapeake Bay. I can't imagine how I used to do that at night without AIS. Apparently, I am still here and didnt hit anything in my boat but it is way way better with AIS.

As for an inverter, yes I want one for all the computers, unless your family is less technology dependent than mine. And solar panels too because nothing ruins the ambience of a beautiful anchorage like a diesel engine.

[barnakiel]

If you can afford having a dedicated 'boat computer' then simply choose a model charged via the USB. 12/24V to usb step down chargers are very easy to get and inexpensive.

Some modern lightweight netbooks (tablet factor based) use USB 5V charging rather than the 19V that is more common older, heavier devices.

b.

[Caliber40]

I bought a Raymarine transceiver for less than a $1000 installed..wouldn't like going off shore without it.

Few cruising boats not have an inverter....like everything else once you get one it will become " how did I do without"

[lesterbutch]

I have small inverter I used before we upgraded all our electronics and its
handy, but it only cost about $50 U.S. The AIS on the other hand is invaluable
Particularly when crossing in less than ideal conditions. I am anal when it
comes to keeping a log book so I looked up a couple of crossings,which
we always do at night. On average during the 18 hours it takes to cross,
(@ a 5 Kn average speed), we would encounter between 30 and 50 ships!
On some occasions I have had to slow down and go around behind ships
to be safe! Is AIS worth the money? You figure it out.

[FionaJC]

I fitted a 1000W (UK 220V 50Hz) inverter as I figured that it was a good compromise on current draw and useful output. I run a 1000W vacuum cleaner, a 500w drill and a fridge off it. I run the laptops and computers off the 12v and we charge with 220w solar and an engine powered alternator. I have a 2000w Inverter genny for the real grunt and when we are shore powered we have a 40A 12v charger. Never had a shortage of power. All the TV & satellite kit is 12v. WE also have AIS and its bloody annoying in port as it goes off non stop. but as said earlier it tells you the intentions of the bigger ships. My next purchase will be the transponder as we often go cross channel to france and the shipping lanes are really busy.

[KP44]

I have AIS from my VHS radio and connected to my chartplotter, radar, sounder. I normally only receive AIS so I can contact any AIS target via VHS and make sure I am visible. At some point we might convert to receive/send AIS if we are traveling to crowded areas.
The cost was no more than a good VHS radio.

An inverter is great. It does nothing for safety, but it runs your 110v AC things even when shorepower is 250v AC.
Just be sure your shorepower battery charger will accept 90v - 250v AC 50-60 hz.

[moseriw]

Definitivly yes, including transponder

[KP44]

Originally Posted by The Garbone

AIS is great but the only way to really keep the family safe is keeping a good watch.

Well-said. We sailed safely for decades without.

[AJ_n_Audrey]

Depends on how often you will be on shore power. My inverter / charger was fried by lightning, and I replaced with a charger only to save money. I can charge phones and iPads from an Anker or two (Google it), and I don't use a laptop much unless I have wi-fi, i.e., am at a marina on shore power, in which case I don't need an inverter. AIS, at least receiver, is a must. Recently while crossing the Gulf Stream at night in the rain, AIS showed me two commercial vessels in my vicinity. It's really too cheap not to have as a safety measure.

[01kiwijohn]

If safety is your main concern, you can get a really good VHF/AIS for a couple of hundred bucks. ( I use a Yaesu GX2350 here, in the foggy Pac. NW).
Inverter is nice, if you have need for 120 volt, higher wattage items. Otherwise use a small unit from and auto store for charging laptops and such.

[Tom and Maje]

We use our inverter a lot, and I wouldn't cruise without AIS. I've never had a passage when I didn't talk to lots of really big boats that needed to know I was out there.

Maje

[Monepit]

Unlike a lot of others I understand the cost. I have installed many inverters. They aren't cheep if done right. Yes you can go to harbor freight and buy an inverter for 100 bucks but it's not the same. A good inverter charger costs between $1200 and $2000. You want enough battery's to do some good so plan on $600 for batteries minimum. It takes about 8 to 12 hours to do a good install. With this setup it is seamless. When you unplug, or shut off the gen everything still works. Plug in or start the gen and the batteries charge. Totally seamless. An inverter will pay for itself quicker than anything else. The first year I had my boat without the inverter I put 400 hours on the gen. After the inverter I put 100 hours per year. Most generators burn a gallon an hour. 300 hours times $3.25 per gallon. That's around $1000 in fuel savings plus 300 less hours on the gen plus the price and quiet. In my opinion that's a no brainer.

[Elie]

An AIS is almost mandatory when traveling in the sea lanes... I rather use an independant model with its own good display and transmetter.
As for an inverter, I'm not so sure. They demand very big electrical wiring, consume a lot of battery power just to run, generate heat and some times burn altogether. For much less then your planed expense, maybe you should consider buying instead a small(2000 watts) modern portable generator, like the Honda EU 2000i. almost silent, use very little fuel, good quality sinewave AC, il will also serve as a good backup for your alternator when connected to your battery charger. After usage, you simply store it, and forget about!...At 2000 watts, it is powerfull enough to drive an electric heater, an air dryer, and all sort of small appliances.

[travellerw]

Originally Posted by SailsTeam

That's DC. You need a step up regulator but they are only a few bucks on ebay/amazon and you save 40% on power usage running on DC instead of converting DC to AC then back to DC. Almost everyone who owns a car has one for their phone.

Unfortunately that is no longer true of many modern laptops. Mac, Dell and Lenovo all have a chip in the power supply that is verified by the laptop. If the power supply can't be verified, it won't charge the battery. You now need a certified charger.

HOWEVER, certified 12V chargers can be had for about $25 on Amazon (at least for Dell and Lenovo). So yes its more efficient and much cheaper to charge your laptop with one of those (to keep it accurate they are actually a Buck/Boost converter, not a transformer). We have 3 hard wired into our boat for our Dell Laptop.

As to the original question the OP asked. With a family aboard we have found countless things the kids want to plug in and charge. We just couldn't have 12V chargers for all their gadgets.

Another thing we use our inverter for is the Vacuum cleaner. A daily chore for the kids is to Vacuum the entire boat and we run it on the inverter (excess solar, why not).

Finally, we use the inverter for HOT water.. Yup thats right, we heat water using our inverter. We have a 600W element in our water heater that we run off the inverter when we are producing excess energy. We have a small water heater (5gal). 1 hour of running the element gives us 2 "warm" showers and warm water for dishes!

With all that said.. The OP asked about safety... An inverter is going to add ZERO to safety of the boat. As to AIS.. I love it, but I wouldn't say its "Required" to go to Bahamas! Nice to have, yes.. Required, NO.