Christmas Boat Parade - need power

[Ron Burgundy]

I am considering joining the annual Christmas boat parade on Dec. 16th. I assume that a power inverter is what I need to power my Christmas lights. Is there any other option, or is this it? I'm on a tight budget so if anyone has recommendations for a reasonably priced power inverter I would appreciate it.

[blackberg]

running 12v lights is another option

-bb

[WILD MAN]

I got one of these last week it is doing good so far and it was only $20
http://www.tractorsupply.com/150-watt-c ... er-1021918

[blackberg]

what you are going have to do id add up all the wattage that the ligths you want are going to use, and buy a converter that is higher than that, or buy a converter and add lights till it stops working

that 150watt one is too small for lights, something like this will be better

1200watts

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003R7 ... B003R7EGO4
-bb

[WILD MAN]

blackberg is proably right I haven't tried to run lights with it just charge my cell and laptop

[blackberg]

More info:

so C7 lights, the medium sized ones are usually 5w each bulb, so 100 of those are 500watts.
but they are some that use upto 10watts per bulb, so 100 of those can use 1000watts.

the mini lights are usually about 40 watts (+/- 10%) per 100,
so theoretically you can run over 2500 of those mini light bulbs in any combination you want: light strings of 25/50/100/200 lights each up to 2500 individual lights total.

I dont know what kind of battery or generator setup you have as that will be the other limiting factor.

LED lights are much more efficient but are much more expensive.

If you are on a budget they are a no-go.

-bb

[Ron Burgundy]

I have two batteries, one needs to be replaced, on a perko switch. I was just thinking of putting lights around the perimeter of the railing, and probably around the perimeter of the bimini. I would like to put a Rudolph statue thingy on the front, but not sure on that yet.

I think I could get away with 4-5 strings of icicle style lights. I can probably squeeze the LED lights into the budget. I'm just trying not to get stuck with a couple hundred dollar inverter, but it looks like I can get one for less than $100 that would work.

Do the inverters just connect to the battery terminals?
Is it a bad idea to hook up an inverter to a starting battery?

[Bamaman]

Ask around to see if any of your friends has a generator you can borrow.

Or, go to Home Depot and rent one for 4 hours.

Most of the boats in our Christmas Lake Parade have powerplants that would light a small city. They're usually houseboats and full hulled cabin cruisers. Rarely does a pontoon boat show up lit up. It can get pretty windy/wavy this time of the year even at night.

[blackberg]

most likely it will come with a cigarette lighter plug, so if you have one of those on your boat thats it, but nothing prevents you from cuting it off and tying it to the battery directly


-bb

[curtiscapk]

ron send me a pm I can talk you through any xmas light issues and inverters.

I know they're big I am too lazy to resize.

[Ron Burgundy]

Nice lights Curtis, or should I call you Clark? ...pm on the way

[Ron Burgundy]

Ask around to see if any of your friends has a generator you can borrow.

Or, go to Home Depot and rent one for 4 hours.

Most of the boats in our Christmas Lake Parade have powerplants that would light a small city. They're usually houseboats and full hulled cabin cruisers. Rarely does a pontoon boat show up lit up. It can get pretty windy/wavy this time of the year even at night.

Didn't even think about renting, or borrowing. Thanks for the idea. I'll see what the rate is. The parade only goes through the man made channels which are very sheltered from the wind. There can be 4-6 foot waves out in the Gulf, and barely a ripple on the channels. It's open to all kinds of boats, but I will still be watching the weather and can pull out if I need to.


Here is a photo of the Gulf Harbors sub-division.

[curtiscapk]

clark,? what you talking bout?????

Oh wait I have 25k lights same as clark!

[dockholiday]

I picked up a 400 watt Cobra with both the cig adapt or it can be hooked directly. Seems to be a well made unit.
Also pick up a 1500 watt and it needs to be hard wired to the battery. Think the 400 watt is max for the cig adapt.
The 1500 came with some wires for attaching to battery but the are pretty short. You can use a set of jumper cables (heavy gauge) to attach to inverter and battery, probably cheaper than buying the longer cables. Paid about 100 for the 1500 watt and around 40 or so for the 400 watt. This is where I bought the 1500 www.donrowe.com
Just call them and tell them what you have in mind. The guy I talked with really knew his products. Plus they seemed to have competitive pricing with most on the net.
doc

[GregF]

I could loan you a couple of inverters but batteries will be the problem. 1 KWH is about all you can count on out of a car battery and your boat alternator is not going to be a lot of help. They are really only good for keeping the battery up and running a few things on the boat, usually 9-16a on a mid range.
I would see if one of your neighbors has a little Honda generator. They are quiet enough so you don't think you have a lawn tractor on the deck and put out a KW or so.