Dieselpusher2021
Veteran Member
Hi, I'm looking at a boat that's never had a generator. I understand it will need a seacock, exhaust and wiring. I'm guessing $12-14k. Any imput or suggestions.
Thanks
Thanks
$25k makes no sense, unless they got an inept yard to do it. Your estimate of $12-14k would be pretty close. A buddy did that about 6 years ago for less than $10k with a brand new 7.5KW Onan.
I might sound stupid but why not cut back on your electric consumption ? Do you really need it ?
I've found generators to be expensive to buy run/maintain and noisy however well they're insulated.
Think 'Out of the box'. First and foremost reduce your consumption, fit solar panels an updated charging system and use an inverter and yes, we do have a fridge, separate freezer, washing machine etc.
Hi, I'm looking at a boat that's never had a generator. I understand it will need a seacock, exhaust and wiring. I'm guessing $12-14k. Any imput or suggestions.
Thanks
I don't think anyone has mentioned the need to fabricate a bed for the generator. With a replacement this wouldn't be an issue, but with a new install, that's one more labor intensive project.
In my experience doing any manner of boat projects, pulling wires, cables, and hoses is VERY time consuming. I once spend an entire day getting a small cable from a cabinet on one side of a door to a cabinet on the other side of the door. And no beer was involved. I think it was Sunchaser who listed a bunch of these wire and cable runs, control panels, power selector switches. Even locating a place the draw fuel, return fuel, an external filter, and all the associated valves and fittings could be several hundred dollars and 1-2 days of work.
Hiring it out, and assuming it's done around an already planned haul out, I think you are looking at $20k+ It's just a lot of work, and work that's difficult to do in a finished boat.
Just for kicks, here's how I would roughly budget my time if I were doing big chunks of this project myself, which is how I would probably do it.
- Locate the generator, relocate existing stuff that's in the way. Fabricate a bed including grinding back paint or gel coat, cutting forms, and glassing in to form a solid bed. If you have decking already where you want to place the generator, you could just bolt down to that. But you risk creating a big amplifying drum for the generator noise, so I personally would be looking to make a really solid foundation. This is probably a full week of work all by itself.
- Locate a spot for the control panel, preferably near the boat's breaker panel. Hopefully you won't have to relocate anything else to make room, but I'm seldom that lucky. Cut a hole and install the panel. Figure out a path to get the control cable harness from the generator to the control panel. Actually, do this in conjunction with locating the panel, because if you can't get the wires through, it's not a good location. This would be a day if all goes well, and 2 days if it's harder. Note that you could punt and only have generator control right at the generator itself. Easy to wire, but harder to operate every time you want to use it.
- Figure out how you are going to tie in the AC power. You will need some sort of power selector switch that can handle the full boat power load, and figure out where to locate it, preferably by that same breaker panel so it's all convenient to use. Like the control panel, find a location for the switch and pull the wires through. Also figure out how you are going to handle neutral to ground bonding and wire that up too. One more day, and maybe some economy in pulling wires etc if co-located with the control panel.
- Figure out the fuel system. When to draw fuel, where to return, fittings and valves required, racor external fuel filter and fittings. Then in stall everything, pull the supply and return fuel hoses. 1 day, and maybe 2 if finding space for things is harder.
- Raw water supply: Where to locate the thruhull, shutoff, strainer, and how to route hoses through everything and to the generator. Install all of it. 1-2 days.
- Exhaust: Locate the muffler and separator, acknowledging that you will probably have to relocate a bunch of other stuff in the process. Locate the above water exhaust location, and the below water water outlets from the separator. Install thruhulls, shutoffs, and install hoses. 1-2 days
- Get the generator on board, get it into location and bolted down. 1 day.
- Install a start battery somewhere, and wire that to the generator. Do all the other hookups to the generator (raw water intake, anti siphone valve, exhaust, AC power, control harness.) Add coolant and oil, if required. 1 day
- Once back in the water, fire it up and see how everything runs.
So for me, it would be a solid 2 week job, and maybe up to 3 weeks. Now I'm no strapping young lad and don't work as fast. But I also have more than half a brain, so may spend less time scratching my head and drooling - maybe.
I might sound stupid but why not cut back on your electric consumption ? Do you really need it ?
I've found generators to be expensive to buy run/maintain and noisy however well they're insulated.
Think 'Out of the box'. First and foremost reduce your consumption, fit solar panels an updated charging system and use an inverter and yes, we do have a fridge, separate freezer, washing machine etc.