Modern boats are becoming increasingly complex electrically and electronically. Customer expectations call for all manner of home-like creature comforts on board. Things like flat-screen TVs, sophisticated audio systems, onboard computers, air-conditioning, and light-dimmers are the new-boat norm, increasing the demand for AC-power systems that can deliver clean, undistorted power with a minimum amount of electronic or magnetic interference.

Photos by Ed Sherman

Testers used a Fluke meter connected to a laptop to evaluate waveform and to assess the level of harmonic distortion that the true-sine wave inverters produced.

That’s where inverter-chargers come in. In the April 2005 issue, Practical Sailor compared six 2,000-watt DC-power marine inverter-chargers. Nothing has changed since then in regard to how they work. What has changed is that today, there are more players offering this equipment, and the level of sophistication in the devices’ monitoring and…