TV's for boats, 12V or 110?
 

I have a 42 Sonic and I think my 15 flatscreen has packed it in.

Should I try to find a 12V replacement or just buy a regular 110 screen and use an inverter on my 12V source?

The TV would be used while at the dock on shore power. I have been told that the inverter will draw a lot more juice.

What should I do?

Thanks

toshiba makes a 12v lcd ( think it is 15") that is a tv with dvd player built in. It runs at 12V, so scrap the AC adapter and you are ready to go! It is perfect for a boat application. All of my cruiser driving friends have them.

RYAN JOHANSEN

Hey, thanks for the reply.

Do you know where they bought them?

I am just down the 401 in Kingston.

12 Volt TV
 

I would use an inverter only as a last resort. They aren't very efficient and can really draw a battery down quickly. They will even draw power when your TV isn't turned on if you forget to shut the inverter down. A 2 amp load on a 120VAC appliance is a 20 amp load on a 12 volt battery via an inverter. Then figure in the parasitic loss of the inverter and you have closer to 22 amps. All for a 2 amp 120VAC load.

Get a 12VDC TV. They work great and you have plenty of 12 volts all around your boat.

Not sure, but I just called one of them who said he saw the same one at future shop in whitby, thinks it was $399 for the 15" with the DVD player built in. Pretty slick deal, just have a look at the AC adapter before you buy and ensure that it's output is 12V and you should be golden!
Where do you do your boating? Lake Ontario? We do a couple of trips per year, and have always considered heading up that way. I do most of my boating on the Trent, cottage on Balsam Lake, heading up to Georgian bay next week!

I bought a Magnavox 17 inch tv/dvd combo. I searched and made sure that it was a 12 volt unit and spent extra money to find one with an external 12 volt transformer. It worked great at the dock while the battery charger was on, but out on the lake it only worked once in a while. It would come on and I would get sound but no picture. I tried different wiring scenarios and nothing was foolproof. There was just too much voltage drop - it needed over 12 volts to work. I ended up buying an inverter and putting the transformer back in line.

Maybe it was because it is a tv/dvd combo, but it caused a lot of headache and money.

H2X Boss:

We are on the St. Lawrence beween Kingston and Gananoque. Lots of great boating here.

I actually called Toshiba Canada and the customer service rep said the unit you described is 110. I have to go look at one as Best Buy has them in stock. Maybe it has a 12V adapter as you described.

Could not find a 12V flat screen by Google search.

Thanks for the input.

Many TV's are labeled as 110AC, but actually have the 110AC-12VDC convertor in the power cord, so they are classified as 110vAC.
Just look at the cord for the convertor, then at the input rating on the back of the TV.

I'm using a Sharp Aqios that runs off 12v. I hardwired it to the boat's 12v power for use while either in the slip on shorepower with the battery charger running, or out on the lake. No cords to mess with.

That looks great!

I've got the Toshiba 15" TV'DVD combo. Hooked it up straight to the 12 volt and did away with the adapter. It works great. Mine came from Best Buy.