CPAP on the Boat
Posted by Uhuru2019@reddit | sailing | View on Reddit | 22 comments
Hi all. I am heading out on a bareboat charter in the BVI soon and I'm a bit stressed about power management on the boat, given my CPAP power requirements on top of everything else. On my own boat here in Vancouver I typically alternate between anchor and marina every other night so I can top up my batteries with shore power. In the BVI I will be at mooring buoys most of the time. Given this, and the consistent trade winds, I suspect we won't be running the engine much. Our charter boat is a Sun Odyssey 440, which will have much better house batteries than my old Hunter, but I'm curious if anyone has any strategies for managing power. Bonus points for BVI experience where docking isn't as common. I have purchased a DC adaptor for my CPAP battery because I've heard it's more efficient than charging from the inverter. I also know to turn the humidifier and tube heat off. Any other thoughts? Thanks so much for anything you can offer.
1millerce1@reddit
yeah, I've a huge one... get a travel cpap, not the one you have.. it'll save a LOT of energy and be far easier to travel with
duane11583@reddit
mine uses a ac to dc converter about 19vdc output(i dont remember exactly)
but amazon sells lots of this sort of stuff look up you unit
Blehblahblie@reddit
Consider getting a MAD (mandibular advancement device) from a dentist. For most sleep apnea it works just as well or better than CPAP and there’s zero power consumption and it fits in your pocket.
OldCarwash@reddit
I think you will be ok… a quick online search shows that they draw anywhere from 6 watts for a small travel device or 30 to 60 watts for a regular device with the heat and humidifier turned off which is not a lot.
Doing some napkin math for a 30 watt device and an 8 hour sleep (240 watt hours or 20ah at 12v). I suspect that the charter boat will have some beaten up batteries but probably something in the 200ah x 12v lead acid range. This provides about 1000 watt hours of usable power (90% charge down to 50% of 200ah at 12v).
Your charter company will probably tell you to charge for an hour in the morning and an hour at night so your CPAP is a small but not trivial 1/4 of the available power available for the night and probably only 15 minutes of extra charge time from the engine.
You can do a couple of things to mitigate your impact though… add a bit more charge time in the morning if you have it plugged in overnight. Charge your battery when the engine is running, be it charging the house bank, motoring between anchorages or just anchoring and in general just keep an eye on the boat house battery like every normal sailor and charge when needed.
Enjoy the BVIs, it’s an amazing place to sail, and eat and drink just try not to swim in the anchorage in the morning.
Uhuru2019@reddit (OP)
Thanks for the tips, especially the last one. I'm assuming you mean people are voiding their holding tanks nearby?
OldCarwash@reddit
Yes… I believe that most boats there still discharge directly overboard.
klaustopher@reddit
I have once relied on the boat power of a charter in the Med and was completely f’ed because the batteries werd toast. For my Resmed airsense 10 I now have a standalone battery that can power the device directly. Without humidifier and heated hose it holds for 2-2,5 nights. Then I bring my own 100W foldable solar panel to power the battery.
Battery: https://www.amazon.de/-/en/EASYLONGER-Powerful-72000mAh-Cigarette-Flashlight/dp/B0BKP22472 Solar: https://www.amazon.com/FlexSolar-Portable-Waterproof-Emergency-Generator/dp/B0DX25J31F
manhands007@reddit
Yep Easylonger 72000 mAh is exactly the one I use for my Resmed Airsense 10 on Boundary Waters canoe trips. It's all pretty bulky and kind of heavy for portaging in a portage pack, but WAY better than not having it at all, in my case. I'll get about 4-4.5 nights of 6 hrs each night on it, with no heat or humidity. I really want to try the MiniRes travel cpap with it.
Uhuru2019@reddit (OP)
FIRE! Thanks for this
smittyplusplus@reddit
OP I have a similar thing from the same brand, just used it on a cruising weekend last weekend. Can charge during the day if/when engine is running. https://a.co/d/08XUtWc4
sailingmusician@reddit
FYI you could potentially have trouble flying with this. I’m not sure. A friend of mine has a travel cpap that he used while doing hiking trips. You could look into that
ccgarnaal@reddit
Had the same experience with a rental in the Mediterranean. Batteries barely lasted 2hours with fridge and nav instruments. I actually bought 2 new truck batteries in the first port. Replaced them and told the owner and rental agency to reimburse me.
I gave them the bill for the batteries and my time. And told them I would discount labor if they paid up fast.
They were not difficult about it. I was just the first unlucky cliënt of the season I guess.
tdVancouver@reddit
I just came back from sailing in Grenada. Flew out of YVR. I bought two of these. Maximum size that can be carried on a plane. Although they were never checked. Zopec Explore 4000 Battery. Each morning captain would turn on generator to charge his batteries and I would charge mine. I turned off humidity and one battery was more than enough for one night. I would check with the boat operator as they might not have a big battery bank. There are also some roll up solar panels that might help charge.
sailslow@reddit
I have the AirMini and I can run it about 9 to 10 hours on a “20,000 mAh” power bank, which is small enough to fly with. I believe you can take 2 of them in your carry on, as the limit is 199Wh.
It was easy to recharge with a PDI 12V USB adapter. I just got back from a week of cruising and anchoring out in Mexico on a friend’s boat. The little battery makes it super handy on other boats because I don’t have to worry about whether there is 12V power in whatever berth I end up in. And it can be recharged either when the engine is running or the sun is up and solar is producing. A 20W folding solar panel will easily recharge it during the day.
Honestly though, I wouldn’t worry. We lived on the hook for an entire season with my old CPAP that was a power hog and did just fine. That thing burned through about 30-35 Ah a night. If a charter boat in the BVIs doesn’t have an extra 35Ah of capacity there is something wrong with it.
Junior_Might_500@reddit
I am using mine with a 12V lifepo that I haul around. Also got a 12v plug adaptor for the board 12v. Doing barebonecharter with that anchoring 3 nights in a row.... No issues
Sweaty-Seat-8878@reddit
resMed mini and a stand alone camping battery pack with a solar panel charger is an easy lift for a week or so
toromio@reddit
I used an AirSense 10 on the Odyssey 440 by also running the generator at night. It’s not uncommon. If you have the AirMini you can get a USB-C adapter and run it off of a very specific battery (I use this for backpacking). Each battery lasts one night and could be recharged during the day.
MadtownV@reddit
We just run the diesel in the AM and PM for a bit to top everything off. Not ideal in terms of noise but it’s a charter and only a week so we just make do. In the scheme of costs a little extra diesel is the least of our worries.
MacGruuber@reddit
Have you considered a travel size CPAP? The Resmed Air Mini has a battery option. I don't know about the Trancend Micro, but it's worth a look. They're not cheap, but might be worth it for you.
HTDutchy_NL@reddit
The model and age of a boat tell absolutely nothing about power capabilities.
It could have a very basic 12v setup with tired batteries.
It could also have modern lithium batteries, solar panels, generator and AC inverter.
This is really something that only the charter operator can help you with. Find out what your power requirements are per night and if the boat is able to keep up with that requirement.
ez_as_31416@reddit
If I were you I'd detail the power requirements (amps/hour, number of hours needed) and send them to the charter operator and see what they suggest. Even if they have solar, you will be running the engine to raise and lower the anchor, you may need to simply keep it running longer to top off the house bank.
flyingron@reddit
I just skippered a bareboat charter with a crewmember who was using a CPAP (Lagoon 46) for us.
He worked fine on his backup battery for the first few days. In addition, the USB plugs in the cabins are all on the DC side. However, he wasn't able to get the pack charged up, so I just ran the generator at night later in the trip for him (I turned off the air conditioning so it minimized the load and fuel burn).
If you got access to real AC power either on shore or shorepower for the boat, you probably can recharge the CPAP powerpack. His lasted several nights before we had the relent tot he generator.