abby Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I am about to purchase 290 Chaparral with NO generator. I was a sailboat owner and have no experience with power boats. My goal is to spend weekends/weeks on my boat on anchor. Can I do that with NO generator? I have heard no electronics, stove, etc. will work if not hooked up to a dock or generator? Any feedback greatly appreciated as this is a BIG purchase and I am worried I won’t be able to do what I want on this boat. Thanks, Abby Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phillbo Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I do it all the time. We typically spend 4 days on the lake each trip. 2 things you need to keep front of mind. Conserve as much as possible and charge the batteries daily. We move around on the lake each day so the second is not an issue. Reminding the wife to turn off the lights when not in use is the tough part. No fridge ( we live out of ice chest and it works just fine) If needed on long trips for veggie storage we run it during the day while cruising and shut it off and leave it closed on the hook. Some use theirs on the hook but we have no need. No microwave ( we never use it even in a slip - bread storage) No stove top ( Never use it as well - we BBQ everything) It's doable if you manage it right and being a blowboater you should be good at energy management. Maybe add an extra house battery if you are concerned. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
rreale Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Make sure both batteries are good and well charged. Leave the battery switch on 1 or 2, NOT All. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drewm3i Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Where are you located? That will answer your question. Can always use a portable generator safely... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cyclops2 Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 Buy the boat ONLY with the generator & working AC & all the expected goodies. GET A MARINE SURVEYOR to fully inspect the boat. NEVER use a local surveyor. Very high risk they will favor the sale being done by a local on a not so great boat. Been there 2 times. Pay his travel & and review his findings over a meal . Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iggy Posted June 11, 2020 Share Posted June 11, 2020 I too have a 290 with no genset! I installed 3 house batteries which will last me about 24hrs with the fridge on. I am not dealing with ice and a ice chest. The boat is small enough with out adding to it. I do have a 50 watt solar panel that extends the batteries a few more hours. I also carry a 2200 watt inverter/generator and store that where the genset would go. I use it about 45 minutes each morning to charge up the batteries, make coffee and heat up the hot water. I run the generator on the swimming platform. Not great, but it works! The other thing I did, is I replace the stock water heater (it needed it anyways) that used 1500 watts with a better one that uses 750 watts. So I can make coffee and hot water at the same time. If the batteries are not to low, the charger can be on too. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Denny Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 Honda 2000 generator will run one major appliance at a time., plus it is a great back up as a battery charger, (been there done that).1750 power inverter, works great for short bursts. I have a friend that camps for long periods at a time, and he uses dry ice. You can do it very well with out all the amenities, which is the way it was done back in the day, but sometimes those Michigan and Canadian nights can get a little chilly and it is nice not to have to wake up to that damp cold feeling the next morning, when you climb out from under those covers. Denny. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cyclops2 Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 More camping bags. Please. Catalytic Converters on the generators would be the perfect way to make them safer. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drewm3i Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 If you are in FLorida, forget it...up north, you don't need a generator. The only thing you need a generator for (that solar can't accomplish) is running a/c continuously. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Denny Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 59 minutes ago, drewm3i said: If you are in FLorida, forget it...up north, you don't need a generator. The only thing you need a generator for (that solar can't accomplish) is running a/c continuously. Need something to run my microwave and my George Foreman grille. Gas grille is not practical for my set-up. Denny. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Johnfrmcal Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 18 hours ago, drewm3i said: If you are in FLorida, forget it...up north, you don't need a generator. The only thing you need a generator for (that solar can't accomplish) is running a/c continuously. ^^^^^^ Monumentally important. I was just in Florida, spent two nights on the boat at the dock with my wife and the AC ran NONSTOP. I can't even imagine trying to sleep in heat and humidity without AC. I'm not even sure I would go out on the hook in those temps even with generator and AC because the generator would have to run all night too. That's our vacation boat. Here in Northern California, our first cruiser was a Regal 292 that had no generator nor heat/AC and we were just fine, but Northern California is a temperature wimp's dream location. I still carried a Honda generator with us just in case we needed more power. As for cooking, I'm really partial to the butane burners, we have a 48' cruiser with all the amenities of home, and I still prefer to do all the cooking out in the cockpit with butane burners. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Denny Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 53 minutes ago, Johnfrmcal said: ^^^^^^ Monumentally important. I was just in Florida, spent two nights on the boat at the dock with my wife and the AC ran NONSTOP. I can't even imagine trying to sleep in heat and humidity without AC. I'm not even sure I would go out on the hook in those temps even with generator and AC because the generator would have to run all night too. That's our vacation boat. Here in Northern California, our first cruiser was a Regal 292 that had no generator nor heat/AC and we were just fine, but Northern California is a temperature wimp's dream location. I still carried a Honda generator with us just in case we needed more power. As for cooking, I'm really partial to the butane burners, we have a 48' cruiser with all the amenities of home, and I still prefer to do all the cooking out in the cockpit with butane burners. The #1 reason is, because the cabin gets too hot. Denny. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
drewm3i Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 19 hours ago, Denny said: Need something to run my microwave and my George Foreman grille. Gas grille is not practical for my set-up. Denny. To each his own, but i would use my cabin alcohol stove or gas grill over any appliances. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
cyclops2 Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 I have been running all the A C units at the St. Lawrence river for 1 week constantly. A boat on the water can be very humid anywhere in still air...……….. WE are having daily INSECT SWARMS !! No biters in them. Long live the AC Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Phillbo Posted June 12, 2020 Share Posted June 12, 2020 We avoid the lake in the summer. Too many people, too much wind and the wake boats are like knats.... Sept thru May for us. Nice cool days and we own the lake. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
jeffk Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 I am in miami. i have a 310 signature with a generator. About half the time i anchor i only plug in a fan. there usually a breeze and with the fan i am fine. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
JohnZ Posted June 14, 2020 Share Posted June 14, 2020 Our previous boat was a Regal 28 without a generator. While we could do overnights on the hook, we were limited by the weather for comfortable sleeping. Not having A/C for those nights was a big deal. Electronics, radio, even fridge ran on the 12VDC without problem. The generator became a must-have on the list when shopping for the one we eventually boaught (330 Signature) Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Noelb Posted June 27, 2020 Share Posted June 27, 2020 You will need a power generating source, the fridge alone draws about 4 amps which will quickly deplete your house battery. I installed a 190watt solar panel mounted from the arch to the rear Bimini cross bar and that solved my battery drain issues. Don't use a smaller panel, 190 watts supplies about 9 amps, you will need 4 to run the fridge during the day and 4 to recharge your battery from running the fridge overnight. BTW I have a 270 with a genny and A/C in central Florida. I don't want to listen to the genny running all the time recharging batteries and the breeze and small fan keeps cool enough overnight. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Boater222 Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 We have a 260 with one start battery and one house battery...can the fridge tank the batteries after only a couple hours? Is it possible to add another house battery? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Iggy Posted June 29, 2020 Share Posted June 29, 2020 13 hours ago, Boater222 said: We have a 260 with one start battery and one house battery...can the fridge tank the batteries after only a couple hours? Is it possible to add another house battery? I have 3 house batteries. So yes. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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