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Holiday on the Hawkesbury River
Holiday on the Hawkesbury River
Using the Ecoflow Delta 1600 on a Mid Sized Boat
Timing: August 2020
Location: On the Hawkesbury River/Broken Bay - 40km North of Sydney
Boat : Mid-sized Motor Boat with a 12v/Gas cooking system on board.
Waterfall at Refuge Bay - One of the popular places on Broken Bay to stay overnight
Holiday Details
With good weather promised we decided to head out on the Hawesbury river for a few quiet days of winter cruising. The Ecoflow Delta 1600 proved to be an excellent addition to the power system already available on board. So I'm supplying a few details on how we use the Delta and hopefully this will provide some information and inspiration for other Boaters. Anything covered here is of course also useful for anyone with a Caravan/Van/Mobile home.
Limitations of current set up
The boat while well equipped both has a basic power/gas set up. While many people cope quite well with a 12v system and bottled LPG gas for cooking, this does have limitations, and can in some cases limit the time spent away from shore power at the Marina or 240v connection at the Caravan Park . The ability to bring some convenient appliances from home and use them free camping or at anchor does make things easier and more enjoyable.Equipment Used
Here's a photo and list of 240v electrical appliances that we use on board to make life more convenient and more comfortable. The Delta comfortably runs all of these as needed. I have provided details of the wattage that the various appliances draw. This gives an indication of the wide range of power needs that the different appliances have - some surprisingly low for the job they do. With careful selection a range of equipment can be selected that will meet your needs.
- Snack and Sandwich Toaster - Sunbeam 640w
- Compact Kettle - Companion - 900w - 1100w
- Hand Blender - Bellini - 400w
- Induction Cooktop - Nuwave Pic Flex - 900w and 1500w settings
- Electric Teapot - Healthy Choice - 50 to 800w variable power settings
- Small Fry Pan - Maxim - 800w
- Coffee/Spice Grinder - Sunbeam 150w - 165w
- Toaster - Sunbeam - 920 - 1000w
- Small Blender - Nutribullet - 700w
- Power Tool Battery Charger - 120w
- Small Vacuum Cleaner - Panasonic 720w
- Coffee Machine - Delonghi/Nespresso 1400w
- Microwave Oven 40L - Panasonic - 1450w
- Power Tool Sander - Makita - 160w
- Power Tool Heat Gun - Steinel - 1600w (mid setting)
- Television/DVD player - TEAC - 240w
DC Charging
In addition we also used the Delta to charge various electronics and to operate the 12v portable fridge. These are done using the DC (Direct Current) Output connections. There are 4 USB A and 2 USB C connections as well as a 13.4v regulated barrel connection just like a normal car cigarette lighter outlet. The 4 USB A connections prove very popular with guests on board, as everyone wants to charge their mobile phone.
- Computer - Apple Macbook - 35w - Using the USB C Connection
- IPhone - 10w - Using the USB A connection (Noting
- Portable Wifi Speaker - JBL Go - 5w
- Portable Fridge - Bushman 45L - 25w - 45w
The flexibility offered by the Delta 1600 in a lightweight portable package is a very welcome to life aboard. As indicated by the name the Delta has 1600whr (watt hour) battery capacity and is able to provide substantial operating time for many of these appliances. We are sure that the Delta would no doubt be of similar benefit to the many people that enjoy life aboard or indeed in their Caravan or Mobile Home.
Solar Recharging for the Delta
We used the Clean Portable Power 200w Suitcase panel. In full sunny conditions the panels produced 155w but even in partial cloud and less than full sun that panels produced useful continuous charge output. Over several days of general use including cooking a meal each day the panel kept up with our power needs. For longer term travel 2 panel suitcases connected in Parallel/Series would provide double the charging input and this would definitely supply a lot of power.
12V Recharging for the Delta: At night we connected the Delta to the 12v outlet on the boat - this provided 130w input per hour and provided a top up while the sun wasn’t shining. The boat has quite large house batteries recharged by the alternator from the boat engine. By using the house batteries in conjunction with the Delta proved to be quite effective
Summary: The Delta is now considered a long term part of the Boats power systems and I would encourage others to give this type of portable power solution some consideration due to the additional freedom and flexibility offered.