How to ensure your boat's marine power source supplies the electricity you need

Think of the set-up as a simple sequence. The battery supplies DC power to the inverter; the inverter then transfers this power in AC form to your appliances.

Running down
While it's providing power, of course, the battery is running down. So you have to keep it topped up by running your boat's engine.

Inevitably, though, you'll operate appliances without wanting to keep the boat's engine ticking over. You might therefore want a suitable charger to bring the battery back to full power at the end of your trip.

In other words, for marine power that supplies your needs you want a battery charger as well as an inverter.

Inverter
The best types of inverters are True Sine Wave inverters. These give you low distortion and smoothly running appliances. If you're using a computer on your boat, a True Sine Wave inverter also helps you avoid any sudden crashes. It does this by keeping the power consistent.

The simplest way of judging a True Sine Wave inverter is by its wattage. A 600-watt model, for instance, will run satellite equipment and any basic electronics – the sort you might use for entertainment at home.

The more powerful inverters include 700, 1000 and 1500 watt models. These provide the scope to use microwave ovens, portable electric lights and power tools.

A company that deals in marine power supplies will give you the following advice if you ask what inverter suits you best:

• add together the wattage of the appliances you're likely to use at any one time
• add another 20% on top

Take the example of a computer and a microwave that you've brought on board. Say the wattage of the computer is 300and the wattage of the microwave is 800. Your total is therefore 1100 watts.

To be on the safe side add 20%. This is 220 watts. The total wattage then becomes 1320. In these circumstances, it's best to opt for a 1500 marine power model that comfortably supplies what you want.
For Marine Power Supplies - Visit Sunpower UK.