On Fri, 21 Mar 2008 13:37:30 -0700 (PDT), Richard Kollmann
wrote:

It is interesting to know how other boaters are selecting equipment
and managing electrical power on cruising sailboats.

If you have a generator and/or heavy duty alternator, skys the limit.
On our trawler we power a small apartment style fridge from a sine
wave inverter that runs all the time. The inverter also powers
computers, some high efficiency lighting, and in cold weather an
electric blanket. The inverter has a dedicated 440 A-H house bank
which gets recharged either from the engine alternators or one of the
generators. Daily DC usage is probably around 400 amp-hours per day.
Generator time averages 3 to 4 hours per day at anchor, less when
underway. The generators provide power for the 110V holding plate
compressors on the big fridges and freezer, as well as cooking and
battery charging. Underway we can run one holding plate compressor at
a time from the inverter and engine alternators.