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ssullivan · 25-02-2006, 13:31

Photos if the new entertainment center we just finished. Kai... note the Sharp Aquos.

It's powered via a dedicated inverter with a switch to turn it on and off located next to the outlet. The outlet is also powered by the inverter for vacuming or whatever . 200 watt Sony amp, 100 watt speakers, Playstation2, Sharp Aquos LCD TV.

http://cruisersforum.com/photopost//...sort=1&thecat=

CaptainK · 25-02-2006, 15:27

Nice system Sean.

How much did that set set you back?

Just curious, cause I'm looking at options for my future boat.

Coming up this spring, if everything falls into place?

25-02-2006, 15:33

Looks great Sean, and yep, that's the same one we have. FWIW, K, it set us back about $1200. We did notice a difference in the picture between standard TV and LCD, but after about a week, I do not notice it anymore. I can not really describe the difference, but it is very obvious when you first change over.

CaptainK · 25-02-2006, 16:10

Thanks Kai for the info.

Yeah, I'm just looking into options here.

But also due to being in a marine environment. I decided also to go economically as possible.

Home electronics and the marine environment don't mix too well?

ssullivan · 25-02-2006, 17:51

CaptainK:

You know... Wheels said something a few threads back that keeps coming up in my mind. He said to me: "You are over reacting about how harsh the marine environment is... you have a big boat." or something like that....

I had never thought of it before, but you know what? I think he's onto something.

The bigger the boat, the less rot and decay I see inside. I have no clue why this trend is true, but I believe it.

When working on megayachts, everything was a standard household item. Their plumbing, their appliances, their TVs.... everything. One boat we were on was from 1990, and all the TVs, etc... were original equipment. Not only weren't they corroded, they were perfectly clean and looked like they were on dry land.

So maybe... just maybe... the size of your boat might allow you to get household electronics and not worry about it.

I have noticed a big difference between the boat I have now and my old 30 footer. I brought a Mac PowerBook out on my old 30 footer and it stopped working after only a week out. Now, I have had this Mac iBook on this boat for half a year.... and no problems at all. (The PowerBook dried out when I returned to dry land and worked well after)

Maybe that's an advantage to a larger boat? I don't know... but it seems to be true.

25-02-2006, 18:09

In the past 8 years, we have had no more problems with our eletronic equipment on the boat than we had with it on land. The use of an LCD TV is strictly a matter of space limitations. We could never get a 22" TV on our boat otherwise. For a smaller boat you can still get a 12 volt 13" TV for about $100. It should work fine. The only item that has given us problems relating to moisture is the VCR. THe heads do not like moisture.
Even the desktop computer we have has not had any problems relating to moisture. The printers, and copier also seem to do fine. We have had a few things fail while stored for long periods of time, but they can usually be cleaned up and made to work again. DVD players and recorders do not seem to have any problem either.

CaptainK · 25-02-2006, 20:26

Well Sean.

I'm sure that what you mentioned, about electronics on a larger boat maybe true. And comparing that to what can happen in a smaller boat.

You see Sean. I am looking at this Catalina 27, that I intend on purchasing! And while a person ponders what a boat needs. I'm running all sorts of scenarios inside my head. On what I should get. And what not to get?

Myself, I'm a simple man. I like to "keep it simple." As long as I have a AM/FM radio. Later on I'm thinking of getting satellite radio? Get a cheap color TV. Cheap DVD player. I'm happy with that, due to the environment?

Now a 27 footer verus a megayacht. There's a big difference between these two? And yeah, after what you said. I can see some difference!

Lodesman · 25-02-2006, 20:37

Sean - probably not the size of boat that makes the difference; it's air-conditioning - dries out the air. I bet most big boats have a/c too.

Kevin

CaptainK · 25-02-2006, 22:59

Would dessicants help? Or a dehumidfier?

SailWiz · 27-02-2006, 04:49

Captain K, I spent last summer in Miami. The humidity is always 80% or better in the summer. I sailed to St. petersburg and when I got here everything seemed damp, even my bedding. I couldn't figure it out. I went out and bought a de-humidifier and Damp-Rid to try and get rid of the problem. Then it dawned on me that last summer my Cruisair hatch mounted a/c was running all summer long. Its only a 5000 BTU unit but it takes most of the humidity out of the air.

Best of luck, Wiz

CaptainK · 27-02-2006, 10:34

Thanks alot Wiz.

Yeah I was told that even if it starts to rain or it's damp out on a summer day. Close the ahtches and run the AC to chill the cabin down. Let the de-humidifier do it's job.

Thanks!

Jentine · 27-02-2006, 16:44

How do you convey the heat to the extreme ends of the boat? Do you use fans?

ssullivan · 27-02-2006, 19:38

Jentine... I think you're asking about the Little Cod in the corner of the picture?

I have one single 12V fan that is in the galley. It's the summer fan for cooling off the cook.

I just twist that fan so it shoots right across this picture, and hits the Little Cod.

This is all it takes to move the 28,000 BTUs around the boat. See, what happens is without the fan, it tends to heat in layers, but heats evenly throughout the boat. It will be 90 degrees near the headliner, comfortable near the middle and cool at your feet all over the boat... even in the V and Master. When you turn on the fan, it just mixes up the air layers and makes that boat-wide heat more evenly distributed in a vertical sense.

It's toasty warm at all times in here. In fact... it's in the low 20's right now, and I'm in a T-shirt, thin sweat pants, and cotton socks right now writing to you. I'm not sure how to convey to folks just how great the stove is, but I tried in those old wood stove threads.

Wood even heats you 3 times! Once when you cut it, once when you split it, and once when you burn it. ha ha ha