1st Overnight Trip

R

richard3rd

New Member
May 31, 2009
22
louisiana
Boat Info
1995 Wellcraft 2600 Coastal
Engines
Yamaha 250
Hey y'all, so I've gotten everything done on the boat; all the creature comforts are in place:
6gal. Water Heater
2500 BTU A/C & Heat Unit
Electric/Alcohol Stove
Tv/DVD Player
New Marine Head/Toilet
Updated 12v Pressurized Water System w/Shower
110/12v Refrigerator
900 Watt Microwave
New 110 Lightning
Electric Tea Kettle
All of the 110 items will be powered by my Honda eu2000 generator. (Before someone chimes in; the generator will placed on top of the hardtop, which is roughly 5-6' above everything else on the boat. It's mounted on top and secured with ratchet straps. The exhaust is more than high enough to avoid any gas/emissions going into the cabin) Obviously I won't be able to power all these items at once, but as needed. We've done a few dry run overnights in the driveway with the generator and everything worked fine, just have to remember that we can't run everything at once. So my question to all you experienced "overnighters" is what should we expect? Are there any items that we forsure need to bring? What items do we need not bring? Our 1st trip planned is to Cat Island off the coast of South Miss. it's roughly a 30/45 minute ride from the boat launch, so not to far of a run in case of an emergency. Just wanted to get some experienced input on what to expect. Thanks in advance!
 
If the purpose of the generator is to make hot water for showers etc you will probably run out quickly. We had a 28 footer with a 35 gallon water tank. If we only used the water for dishes and face and had washing for 3 we ran out after 3 days. The boat we have now holds 100 gallons and if we shower for 2 we run out is 4 days.
If you must use a generator put it so the wind blows the fumes away. IE place it on the swim platform and only use it when the wind blows. If you smell any exhaust you will probably die.
I would not use the generator. If you want a tank of hot water run the main engine and it will warm the water in the take. A 2000 watt inverter will power the microwave and any other appliance. If you have insufficient batteries or they get low the main engine can charge them quickly. We do not want to read about a family dying on a boat leave the generator home or only use it when you can put it on a dock down wind of you.
 
You need to get two battery powered CO detectors and put one in the cockpit and one in the cabin. If they go off, you have a life threatening setup. You probably will be surprised that they will go off. Do NOT run the generateor when anyone is napping or sleeping either.

Full disclosure, I have a Honda 2000. I do take it with me when I am going out for 3 nights or more. But I don't use it. Its there for emergency if the batteries for some reason get run down too low to start the engine. Up here we don't need A/C on the hook, and everything else runs off the inverter and golf cart battery bank. I cook with a BBQ and a butane burner and plan meals that way. I don't worry about running the water heater. We don't shower on the boat (that is what the lake is for) and the hot water can be heated up with the engine as Northern said.
 
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Carbon monoxide is heavier than air. Putting a generator on the cabin top could be hazardous to your health. Carbon monoxide detectors are essential safety equipment.
 
We carry a 1000 watt Honda just in case all the batteries go dead. I tried it out once on the front deck while anchored. You could smell the exhaust in the cabin. I put it on the swim platform in a wind you could not smell it.
 
for overnights of course fill the fridge , have warm clothing and ( at least now in germany ) in any case have some heaters on board.

i have also a portable 1200 watt genny - it powers the battery chargers , lightning and one small electric radiator heater simultany or only the microwave. it struggles to power the water heater... the most downside is the fact you have to refill gas every 4 hours when it runs full power.
 
We don't bring a gen set anymore. Switch off the start battery while on the hook and keep are elect consumption within reason. Fridge and plotter are the only things running while we are sleeping. Use the anchor drift and shallow water alarms on the plotter for piece of mind. Have never had the house batteries low enough that it would not allow a quick start in the morning.
 
You can conserve water on the hook by taking what we used to call a "Navy Shower". Quickly wet down, turn off water, apply soap and shampoo, scrub down, then quickly rinse off.
Use similar techniques for shaving and brushing teeth.
I had a handheld shower on my 300 Sundancer, and only used the water from the 40 gallon tank, even when at the dock. I did this to keep turning over the water in the tank so it always stayed clean, fresh, and odor free.
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I used the dockside water hook up.
The handheld shower was a natural for the method I outlined above.
Anyway, we would easily get a weekend of showers out of a tank of water.
 
+50 on the conserve water. 4 of us have stayed on a 360 Sundancer for 5 days still had a quarter tank of water. We took QUICK showers or washed in the water (a spring that was crystal clear) and didn't use the head for a piss...
 
Take a couple extra pillows and blankets. Sleeping on the boat may not be as comfy as at home. It may make the difference in getting a good nights sleep. Take something simple for breakfast too. Ready made breakfast muffins... waking up to a decent breakfast without a lot of effort is very relaxing while the morning is still calm.
 
Ace Hardware has six gallon plastic water jugs for less than $10.00 each. I carry two full ones for back up.
 
I too would caution against using the portable generator. You definitely need CO detectors on board.

I supplement my water supply by having several one gallon water bottles that I use for cooking and drinking water for us and our dog rather than using the on board water supply for those items. The 100 gallon tank we have lasts for several days that way with 3 people showering and rinsing off after swimming (salt water bays).
 
JVM225 said:
You can conserve water on the hook by taking what we used to call a "Navy Shower". Quickly wet down, turn off water, apply soap and shampoo, scrub down, then quickly rinse off.
Use similar techniques for shaving and brushing teeth.
I had a handheld shower on my 300 Sundancer, and only used the water from the 40 gallon tank, even when at the dock. I did this to keep turning over the water in the tank so it always stayed clean, fresh, and odor free.
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I used the dockside water hook up.
The handheld shower was a natural for the method I outlined above.
Anyway, we would easily get a weekend of showers out of a tank of water.
Click to expand...
Forgot to add that we always used bottled water for cooking and drinking. Never used the water in the fresh water tank for that stuff.
 
If you are after a list of items to bring and use we found the following. Meat with no bones. Vegetables that will keep without being cool. Orange juice in boxes. Canned vegetable and fruit. Bread that is firm not soft IE rye. Jam and peanut butter. Do not forget a couple of good flashlights. Small boats are just like camping but you do not need to carry the stuff every day from the boat to the shore.
 
JVM225 said:
You can conserve water on the hook by taking what we used to call a "Navy Shower". Quickly wet down, turn off water, apply soap and shampoo, scrub down, then quickly rinse off.
Use similar techniques for shaving and brushing teeth.
I had a handheld shower on my 300 Sundancer, and only used the water from the 40 gallon tank, even when at the dock. I did this to keep turning over the water in the tank so it always stayed clean, fresh, and odor free.
I can probably count on one hand the number of times I used the dockside water hook up.
The handheld shower was a natural for the method I outlined above.
Anyway, we would easily get a weekend of showers out of a tank of water.
Click to expand...


You can also conserve by bringing a small tub to wash all your dishes at the same time in the same soapy water, that way you only rinse with fresh.
 
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