Inverter: 12v to 120 v ?

I

Intuition

Member
Joined
Jun 4, 2009
Messages
16
Fluid Motion Model
C-248 C
Vessel Name
Razzberry JAMM
On the R25, what is required to achieve 120v ac from the 12v dc batteries through an inverter? is this feature standard in the R25? or would it be an owner addition?
 
Hi,
I believe that our R-25 was the first Ranger with an inverter. We bought it and had the factory install it, since then I think it is standard. Ours was not as user friendly as the only outlet was in the lower birth and very difficult to access. I would not have a boat without one.
Bob
 
The answer to your question is dependent upon what you plan on powering with 120 volts. There are many inverters on the market that are sized to different loads and the price and 12 volt requirements change with each.

On our Ranger 25, our 120 volt needs are very simple. We charge our cell phones, charge AA batteries, and charge the laptop. Everything else is 12 volt. Our needs only required an inverter that could supply about 8 amps of 120 volt current. The inverter we have is a small unit, that plugs into a cigarette lighter and cost about $35. We are really happy with it.

We chose not to expand into the world of 120 volts with appliances and entertainment media. This is kept our world much simpler, less to buy and maintain, and less maintenance issues. If you are thinking of using your home appliances, TV, etc on the boat, you may need a considerable sized inverter and then the battery bank size to handle it. All of this is quite possible and many boaters have done it. With the right size of budget, you can probably accomplish anything.
 
John and Laurie, are you sure you mean 8 AMPS @120V? Seems very high and at that output would draw 80 AMPS from your cigarette lighter, probably blow all sorts of fuses. Maybe you mean .8A or 800 MA?

Charlie
 
We have a 150 watt inverter we got from West Marine that plugs into the 12 volt outlet.
150 watts is 1.25 amps at 120 volts
That means the drain on your batteries is 12.5 amps at 12 volts, assuming the item plugged into the inverter uses the full 150 watts.
If you do the math you will find that using an inverter more than 150 watts is going to:
First, blow the fuse if you plug it into the 12 volt outlet.
Second, deplete your batteries pretty quick if you use it for any length of time.

The 150 watt inverter is fine for a SMALL television and charging cell phones etc.
If you plan to use more than 150 watts for long periods of time, you are going to need more batteries.
 
Intuition":380v4rz6 said:
On the R25, what is required to achieve 120v ac from the 12v dc batteries through an inverter? is this feature standard in the R25? or would it be an owner addition?
Click to expand...

We bought our R25 July 2009 and the inverter was an option at the time. I was able to negotiate an 1800 watt inverter free upgrade into the pricing without too much ado and the factory installed the inverter. The inverter is vertically mounted on the port side in the cockpit's step stowage compartment.

The inverter is wired to three 120v outlets -- one underneath the cabin's dining table and located on cave wall, one in galley area and one other place which I don't recall at this moment. 😉

To operate the Inverter I do the following

1. Turn inverter switch on (switch located on the inverter box)
2. On inverter panel (next to the Clarion radio set) set switch to ON
3. On AC distribution panel move slider/toggle switch to block the SHORE position and flip ON the GENERATOR breaker switch. (I do not have a generator).
 
This whole issue sounds like the "making coffee" subject.
Bob
 
So, how do you make coffee on your boat.........
 
I suddenly feel like I'm stuck in a bad episode of The Twilight Zone! (Theme playing in background)
 
Which bad episode is that? Maybe, the one where the devil almost tricks a hillbilly into entering hell by pretending to be helpful and condiderate? or perhaps, The one where the helpful relatives of a dying tycoon are forced to wear masks that expose how they really feel ? ... those would be my 2 choices. Couldn't be the "Shatner" one, where he sees a gremlin on the airliner's wing...
 
Oh come on guys. Humor is ok provided you're not mocking someone. Karma, I make coffee the old fashioned way: inverter, generator or shore power.
Bob
 
My little tug has one house battery and one engine battery. It also came with a small inverter. I thought that on our first overnight last week I would bring a coffee pot along. We have a small one that we use as a backup. I checked the inverter and it is rated at 350 Watts. I checked the coffee pot and it is rated at 700 Watts. So we decided to do without. I guess it would run my cell phone charger, but I have a 12 volt charger so that is not necessary. My tug also has a shore power 30 amp power plug mounted through the cabin wall. It connects to one 15 amp duplex receptacle, a bit of overkill. Why not just run an extension cord from the dock. We did not get a power cord with it. Have not seen the need for one yet.

As far as coffee goes, guess we will just rough it until we can afford that new 27.
 
Awww right, just to stir the pot (pun intended) go get a propane stove, the small one on gimbals with the propane tank hanging underneath as a counterbalance... It will boil two cups of water quickly, or heat soup, or fry a couple of pork chops in a small pan...
 
That's a nice little stove dr. d but it would be difficult if at anchor with any kind of sea running to balance anything on top of it... I didn't see any pot holders or anything. Not sure how deep the sink is on a 21EC, maybe you could put it in there??

Charlie
 
Charlie, at sea I would prefer the Forespar gimbaled unit which will tolerate a fair amount of rolling... In just some mild movement, the cheap unit I mentioned can stand in the sink more or less safely if you stand there and hold the pan...

If it is really rough you eat a tablespoon of instant coffee, dry, and wash it down with a swig of grog////
"arrrr, that'll put hair on your chest, me heartys" 😱

In my case I also have just added the EU2000I generator which will run the electric stove in the boat
All the recent around the world girls will tell you that in a rolling seaway you simply don't get to eat hot anything...

I'm an early bird and I do need my hot tea to get going... So I have ways to heat water, shore power/generator/propane...
 
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