Tips for a newbie using a generator?

[Rob]

My mistake. I meant to say that the Fresh Water/Anti freeze pump failed. There's not a rubber type impeller in that pump! It has a metal vane impeller pressed on to a pulley driven shaft. The bearing was shot and sloppy allowing the impeller to grind to a halt within the pump. That little pump cost me $400 and a couple of hours of my precious retirement time.
Sorry for the mistake, I changed my posting.

It is true that it would have failed whether I was on the boat or not.* It was honestly a near miss as that belt burned nearly in half with lots of dripping melted material and smoke.*
Thanks, Rob

-- Edited by Rob on Wednesday 9th of February 2011 11:46:11 AM

 

[RickB]

Hmmmmm, hadn't been losing coolant or tightened the belt much before that?

 

[windmill29130]

What is so valuable in that refrigerator that one needs to run a genny all week while you are gone to keep it cool!

 

[Rob]

No maintenance had been done on the Generator other than lube oil and pincle zinc*about 150 hours prior to pump failure. The belt had not been adjusted for a couple of years or 500 hours or so. No loss of coolant even after pump failure.

By the way it was a whole lot easier getting a new pump here in Puget Sound (North Harbor Diesel in Anacortes, Washington) then it would have been in Alaska. North Harbor had my parts within 24 hours!

Rob Hays
"Lady Anne" Willard 40 PH
La Conner, Wa./Girdwood, Ak.

 

[Moondance]

I put in an AC only fridge that was about $400. It serves my needs right now. It will fit in s 24w x 52 h space. Made by Summit FF874. Now, after I bought mine they have an icemaker model FF874IM.

 

[Forkliftt]

Thanks Moondance. I will research.

 

[FF]

"I would prefer a straight 120 VAC home unit but I haven't found one that would fit."

A new RV unit is no better than an old RV unit.

Ask in your neighborhood for a old fridge , that is being replaced and use the compressor.

The many Danflos conversions for sail ice boxes , as suggested , are more efficient and easy to install , if battery life is a concern.

 

[rwidman]

koliver wrote:You guys shoud read the old posts on fridges.
I'll repeat myself here, briefly.
AC/DC fridges are made for the RV market, not the marine market. They are AC with a built in inverter. The conversion losses going from DC to AC are huge.

I don't believe that's entirely true.* A reading of a marine suppliers catalog will reveal refigerators that use seawater for cooling.* That would be pretty inconvenient for use in an RV.*

The loss of efficiency converting 12 volt DC to 120 volt AC with an inverter is about 10%-15%.* A small marine refrigerator will draw 3.5 amps when actually cooling.* Obviously, larger ones draw more current.*

The best research is not on boating forums, it's in the catalogs and the manufacturer's websites.

*

 

[Forkliftt]

FF,
That is something I thought about yesterday, possibly buying a small house unit and pulling components out of it. Does anyone know if you can swap out possibly the compressor, controls and power source and then use the existing coils?

 

[Flyguy1967]

Rule 1 turn on generator without AC load
Rule 1A turn off AC load and THEN shut down generator

 

[Forkliftt]

Carl,
I was thinking the same thing. Wonder what it attaches to?

 

[Per]

since we are already going in that direction..
what is good practice for long battery life?
my boat neighbor who is very experienced told me he leaves the shorepower off for a week or so to run down the batteries.
apparently this prolongs battery life?

 

[Tonic]

Per wrote:

...
my boat neighbor who is very experienced told me he leaves the shorepower off for a week or so to run down the batteries.
apparently this prolongs battery life?

Unless he has a few hundred Ni-Cad batteries, that's BS.* Lead acid batteries do not have a memory and he is probably shortening the life, not prolonging it.*

From http://www.windsun.com/Batteries/Battery_FAQ.htm
"Lead-Acid batteries do NOT have a memory, and the rumor that they should be fully discharged to avoid this "memory" is totally false and will lead to early battery failure."
All other battery sites I could find say some similar.

 

[SOMERS]

It is my opinion that a generator is an absolute *requirement* for every large boat *we purchased a 30 ft boat new with out the generator option Big Mistake ! we eventually installed a small generator in a small space. The installation was time consuming and complicated.
I recommend the biggest *generator you can reasonably fit in and service.


That was the best thing we ever did.
Here i will start my list of items requiring 120 VAC.



If you chose Battery charger from my list you get a *9.99


Water heater
Hair dryer
TV
Stereo
Micro wave
Battery charger
120 VAC Electric tools
Drill
Electric jig saw
Sanding Machine
Inspection Light
Portable vacuum cleaner
Washer dryer combination
Air compressor
Electric fan.
Portable Room heater
120 VAC *lighting
120 *VAC Wall outlets
Electric toothbrush and why not !
Electric * Skillet.
Electric * Kettle.


Non electric Donald & Mavis
Mainship 400.
Andromeda

 

[Carey]

SOMERS wrote:

It is my opinion that a generator is an absolute *requirement* for every large boat (THAT YOU PURCHASE) NOT ALL OF US HAVE THE SAME NEEDS. *we purchased a 30 ft boat new with out the generator option
Big Mistake ! we eventually installed a small generator in a small space. The installation was time consuming and complicated.
I recommend the biggest *generator you can reasonably fit in and service.


That was the best thing we ever did.
Here i will start my list of items requiring 120 VAC.



If you chose Battery charger from my list you get a *9.99


Water heater THAT WOULD BE ABOUT THE ONLY JUSTIFICATION IN MY BOOK.
Hair dryer * NOPE
TV * NOPE
Stereo * DC WORKS FINE
Micro wave * * NOPE
Battery charger * * *NOPE. WE CAN GO A WEEK ON OUR BATTERIES
120 VAC Electric tools * * WE DO THAT STUFF AT THE DOCK
Drill * * TRY NOT TO USE IT AWAY FROM *THE DOCK, BUT IT'S CORDLESS, AND CAN BE CHARGED VIA THE INVERTER.
Electric jig saw * * WE DO THAT AT THE DOCK
Sanding Machine * * SANDING? WHAT'S THAT. IF I HAVE TO DO IT, I'LL DO IT AT THE DOCK.
Inspection Light * * FLASHLIGHTS
Portable vacuum cleaner * * ONCE IN A WHILE WE'LL DO THAT VIA INVERTER.
Washer dryer combination * * DO THAT AT HOME OR LAUNDRY
Air compressor * * WHAT'S THAT?
Electric fan. * * NOPE
Portable Room heater * * PROPANE
120 VAC *lighting * * 12V
120 *VAC Wall outlets * * ONLY AS NOTED USING THE INVERTER
Electric toothbrush and why not !
Electric * Skillet. * * PROPANE
Electric * Kettle. * * PROPANE


Non electric Donald & Mavis
Mainship 400.
Andromeda

I MADE THESE NOTES NOT TO SAY THAT MY WAY IS THE WAY, BUT TO SHOW THERE ARE ALTERNATIVES. Every bigger boat does not need a generator. The only area in which I sometimes consider a generator is production of hot water. As it is, we use solar showers, and supplement the solar with kettle heated water from the propane stove. One kettle or less is all that's needed to bring it up to temp in our typically gray, cool boating season.


-- Edited by Carey on Thursday 10th of February 2011 08:46:31 PM

 

[sunchaser]

Carey, your notes are OK for kayakers but not the rest of us wusses. Interestingly, many blue water cruisers get by just fine not running their gensets if they have big alternators and or cruise generators.

 

[Marin]

The GB we chartered didn't have a generator (it did have an inverter) but since we were on the move at least part of every day with a charter we had no need of a generator. The GB we bought has a 7.5 kw generator--- a very old one--- so since we have it we use it during cruises on days we don't make a run with the boat. Air conditioning is not needed up here, so I'm basically with Carey and his list of notes.

I can conjure up circumstances when a generator could be very beneficial--- if one lets the house and start batteries go flat for some reason, for example. And we need it to run our big AC salt water washdown pump for hosing off the anchor and rode when we retrieve them. But for most coastal cruises of a few days to a couple of weeks I don't think a generator is an essential item. If one was going to take a longer trip--- say up the Inside Passage into SE Alaska for a few months--- and the boat didn't have an installed generator I'd be inclined to take along a decent Honda to use in case the boat had a main battery problem.



-- Edited by Marin on Thursday 10th of February 2011 11:15:39 PM

 

[Flyguy1967]

So finally got my signature sorted out and changed the photo.* She's a Ponderosa 42 that we purchased in June and have been working on ever since.*

Funny story about the ports.* Bought them from Daddyo's advert on this site*with the idea that they would be direct replacements for the deteriorated OEM plastic ones.* Only problem, the hull was too thick and had to go special order from New Found Metals, which was what Daddyo replaced his with.* Still have them...

 

[FF]

Great story from a friend that ran his 40 Nordy to the south pacific. He would have generator hours from 5pm till bedtime about 11pm.

He ran EVERYTHING , water maker washer ice maker you name it.

Some of the rag baggers had a very snotty attitude , they didn't use power as much as he did , so with a lower "carbon footprint" (ALGORE Coolaid* dupes ) they were quite superior people!

When there was a gathering on the beach , as he finished a drink, he would toss the remaining ICE on the sand and simply get fresh ice from his cooler.
The sailors went pale and almost fainted!!

It takes so much hassle to actually make ice with solar and noisy wind generators , there eyes went red with envy.



-- Edited by FF on Friday 11th of February 2011 04:50:56 AM

 

[rwidman]

Per wrote:what is good practice for long battery life?
my boat neighbor who is very experienced told me he leaves the shorepower off for a week or so to run down the batteries.
apparently this prolongs battery life?

You will get far better information on battery care from your battery manufacturer than on a boating foum.* In general, deep cycle flooded cell or AGM batteries should not be discharged more than 50% of their capacity.* If that is what he has on his boat, he is harming, not helping his batteries.

*

 

[sunchaser]

As R Widman says, and I will amplify, do not take all forum "must do mantras" as the gospel. Having said that, my flooded cell house batteries are in their 8th year and on the charger 100% of the time. They pass load tests OK but I'll likely change them out this spring in preparation*for the upcoming cruising season. Replacement cost is about 1/2 - 2/3of AGMs.

 

[Codger2]

Marin wrote:"If one was going to take a longer trip--- say up the Inside Passage into SE Alaska for a few months--- and the boat didn't have an installed generator I'd be inclined to take along a decent Honda to use in case the boat had a main battery problem."

It took me several years & 6 boats to arrive at this conclusion. With propane on
board & managing my electrical requirements, A Honda EU2000i would serve me
well.

*

 

[Larry M]

SeaHorse II wrote:

It took me several years & 6 boats to arrive at this conclusion. With propane on
board & managing my electrical requirements, A Honda EU2000i would serve me
well.

*

That make sense to me.* Last summer in the Sea of Cortez, we saw about 1/2 the sailboats all had*the Honda 2000.* They had figured out that with the DC water makers and refrigeration, solar* wasn't enough.* Some*ran them at night to power a 5,500 BTU air conditioner.* It would run all night on a gallon of gas.* You can even parallel 2 if you need the extra power.* For a little over $1,000, why not. The only issue we saw was*that the US warranties were not valid in Mexico.

Larry/Lena
Hobo KK42
Puerto Medero, Chiapas, MX*

*


-- Edited by Larry M on Friday 11th of February 2011 10:24:04 AM

-- Edited by Larry M on Friday 11th of February 2011 10:25:07 AM

 

[Per]

"A Honda EU2000i would serve me
well."

there was an earlier post in this thread addressing the issues of external, not for marine use gasoline generators.
i highly recommend reading as the information was very insightful.

a note on propane..
i see a lot of post on propane, to run cooking appliances and refrigerator.
the only thing i run propane on is my BBQ and even that i am leery, propane is highly flammable and it can go wrong so fast, on a boat with limited escape options, just not something i am going to consider (yes i have a fire extinguisher right next to my bbq).

FF: i do have an icemaker, but dont use it much for obvious reasons.
i am guessing my boat was a live-aboard and then its great to have ice, but mooring with icemaking is for me not a necessity, i am actually consider taking out the icemaker to make more room for food storage.

 

[Marin]

Per wrote:


i see a lot of post on propane, to run cooking appliances and refrigerator.
the only thing i run propane on is my BBQ and even that i am leery, propane is highly flammable and it can go wrong so fast, on a boat with limited escape options, just not something i am going to consider

Propane is another one of those controversial subjects.* Given that so many boats have propane ranges (refrigerators with their "always on" pilot lights not so much) and that so few have any sort of propane problems I see propane as a non-issue IF the system is intelligently designed, properly installed, and properly used.* We have a propane range in the galley as well as an external propane barbecue and have no qualms about them whatsoever.* But we take specific steps to make sure the propane always stays where it's supposed to stay.

I hear far more about boat fires from electrical problems than propane problems.* So you can lie awake at night worrying about burning yourself up because of a propane leak or because of an electrical short.* It's a pick-your-poison sort of deal

*

 

[Pineapple Girl]

Per if you weren't in So Cal I'd offer to take that old ice maker off your hands. Ours croaked within days of our buying the boat.* We have repurposed the cupboard already, though.*

 

[Per]

Marin wrote:

*
Per wrote:

*

I hear far more about boat fires from electrical problems than propane problems.* So you can lie awake at night worrying about burning yourself up because of a propane leak or because of an electrical short.* It's a pick-your-poison sort of deal

*

*

you hit it on the nail..
i have conducted fire escape drills with my family to make sure we all know how to get out asap.
my concern is if the fire is in the main saloon, we would need to escape through the hatch, much to my relief we were able to all get through the hatch in less than 2 mins.

*


-- Edited by Per on Friday 11th of February 2011 03:11:55 PM

 

[markpierce]

Larry M wrote:

...*Last summer in the Sea of Cortez, we saw about 1/2 the sailboats all had*the Honda 2000.* They had figured out that with the DC water makers and refrigeration, solar* wasn't enough.* Some*ran them at night to power a 5,500 BTU air conditioner.* It would run all night on a gallon of gas.*

Gawd!* The noise!

*

 

[SOMERS]

Hi Carey*it would seem that you certainly have all your bases well covered.


I do realize that we all have different needs and we all tackle them in one way or another.


I am new to trailering so i have allot to learn.


We just purchased our Mainship 400 trawler it was preowned and came with a generator and all that goes with it however the stove is propane.


You are absolutely right there are are many ways to skin a rabbit.


Must say that *do i like your boat *you hull shape is well proven.
Enjoy
Donald

 

[ktischler]

Steve,

We had to replace our refrigerator a couple of years ago. Our available space is just about identical to yours. We found a Summit FFAR10 that fits perfectly. Of course, this is a 10 cu ft. unit that is refrigerator only. No problem, as we planned on putting a 5 cu ft chest freezer in the cockpit anyway. Gave us a lot more freezer space for our long cruises.


http://www.summitappliance.com/catalog/model/FFAR10


The thing works great. Almost too good, in fact. Took us a while to get the thermostat tweaked to the right setting. It kept freezing everything! Found that about 4.5 on the knob is perfect, holds right at 34 degrees.