HomeBoat gearVictron Launches Lighter, Solar-Free Multi RS for Boats That Don't Need the Panels

Victron Launches Lighter, Solar-Free Multi RS for Boats That Don’t Need the Panels

Victron Energy has added a new option to its Multi RS inverter/charger line-up, and this one is built for boats and installations that don't need solar built in.

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The Multi RS 48/6000 is a 48V, 6kVA high-frequency inverter/charger. It’s essentially the existing Multi RS Solar with the onboard solar charge controllers stripped out, which drops the weight to 11.2kg, a kilogram lighter, without touching the footprint or the core performance figures.

Why leave the solar out

Not every boat or fixed installation wants or needs an inverter doing double duty as a solar controller. Plenty of owners already run their own MPPT chargers. Others are pairing the system with a PV inverter instead, or skipping solar entirely. The plain Multi RS is built for that crowd: lighter, a bit simpler, with none of the inverter or charging performance given up to get there.

That doesn’t rule solar out altogether. The unit still pairs with external solar chargers on the DC side, or with a separate PV inverter feeding into the AC output, with Victron’s frequency-shift power control handling the balance automatically.

Built for shore power, generators, and going without either

On a boat, the Multi RS covers three situations. In backup mode, it steps in automatically the moment grid or shore power drops out. In off-grid mode, it runs happily with no external power source connected at all. And in generator mode, it manages run time and tops up from the battery bank whenever the generator on its own can’t keep pace with demand.

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Two features do most of the practical work here, and both carry over from the rest of the Multi RS range. PowerControl sets a ceiling on how much current can be drawn from shore power or a generator, and routes anything spare into battery charging so neither source gets overloaded. PowerAssist handles the trickier moments: when shore power or a generator can’t quite cover a demand spike, the unit blends in battery power to make up the shortfall, then uses whatever’s left over to top the battery back up once the load eases off. For boats running on a modest shore connection or an undersized genset, that’s the difference between tripping a breaker and just quietly getting on with it.

The numbers

The Multi RS puts out 4600W continuously at 46VDC, rising to 5200W at 52VDC when measured at 25°C, and it can handle peaks of 9kW for three seconds or 7kW for four minutes. Efficiency runs as high as 96.5 percent at a 1kW load. Left switched on and idle, it draws just 20W. On the charging side, it can pull up to 88A from AC power at 57.6VDC.

It measures 462 x 425 x 127mm, identical to the Multi RS Solar, and is rated IP21 for protection with fan-assisted cooling across a working range of -40°C to 65°C. Connectivity runs through VE.Can, VE.Direct and Bluetooth, so it talks to a Cerbo GX, the GlobalLink 520 for remote monitoring, or a phone running the VictronConnect app.

Availability

The Multi RS 48/6000 is available now through Lusty & Blundell’s showrooms in Albany, Whangārei and Tauranga, and through its network of marine dealers around the country. Full specifications and pricing can be found on Lusty & Blundell’s product page.

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Chris Woodhams
Chris Woodhams
Adventurer. Explorer. Sailor. Web Editors of Boating NZ

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