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02-08-2008, 00:18
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#1
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,156
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Cheap generator alternative to Honda EU2000i?
Woot.com is offering a $300 Onan generator that has outputs nearly identical to the Honda, which I have not been able to price at less than $900.
Problem is, the Onan weighs 99 pounds vs. 46 for the Honda and runs a bit louder - 68 db vs. 59 db.
I can live with the additional db, but at 99 pounds, this Onan generator is probably not workable as a portable unit on a boat. It's also more bulky, obviously, so storage is more of an issue.
Does anyone think it could work on a boat, other than permanently installing it on an aft deck?
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02-08-2008, 00:28
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#2
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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Completely different beasts and can not or should not be viewed as equivilants. Although I am surprised the Onan is cheaper.
Kipor have a copy of the Honda for half the price. Seafox has one and it has run reliably without any problems for a season now. Very quite and is the inverter model, which means the revs vary with load.
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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02-08-2008, 00:41
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#3
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,156
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Wheeler
Completely different beasts and can not or should not be viewed as equivilants. Although I am surprised the Onan is cheaper.
Kipor have a copy of the Honda for half the price. Seafox has one and it has run reliably without any problems for a season now. Very quite and is the inverter model, which means the revs vary with load.
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Thanks, Alan. Can you elaborate on the first statement? Note that the Onan is normally $500-600. I will probably get one for power outages at home, which seems to be what it's designed for.
I found the Kipor inverter model/Honda copy available from Amazon in the USA for $800, not that much less than the Honda.
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02-08-2008, 03:57
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#4
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CF Adviser Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Virginia
Boat: Island Packet 380, now sold
Posts: 8,942
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[quote=speedoo;188961]...Problem is, the Onan weighs 99 pounds vs. 46 for the Honda and runs a bit louder - 68 db vs. 59 db.
I can live with the additional db,.../quote]
Because the decibel scale is logarithmic, 68 db is about eight times the sound intensity compared to 59 db. Not just "a bit louder". I've owned two generators with Honda engines. High quality, and worth it.
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Hud
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02-08-2008, 08:40
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#5
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2003
Location: East Coast & Other Forums!
Posts: 917
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Hud..you are right about intensity (SPL) and decibels but in terms of perceived loudness a 3db increase is just noticible by most and a 10db increase is perceived as a doubling of loudness. (Disclaimer...assuming the same frequency noise band.)
So ...I would say that the Onan is nearly twice as loud which is no small thing.
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02-08-2008, 09:26
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#6
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Registered User
Join Date: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,156
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Thanks Hud and cam. That's of course very good to know. I got one of the Onan's (sold out this morning) but for home use only. I'll go with either the Honda or the Kipor for the boat.
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02-08-2008, 14:25
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#7
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Senior Cruiser
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Marlborough Sounds. New Zealand
Boat: Hartley Tahitian 45ft. Leisure Lady
Posts: 8,038
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Quote:
loudness a 3db increase is just noticible by most and a 10db increase is perceived as a doubling of loudness.
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Yes that is true, but perhaps one other slightly true point should be considered as well. In the case of a Genset, much of the sound is mechanical vibration and should be considered more in terms of Power. 3dB increases is equal to double the power. Much of the noise is transmitted through the hull. So you have close to 8 times more power creating vibration through the hull which results in the noise being heard more easily through out the boat. The boat material will have some bearing on how efficient the noise will travel through the medium. Glass probably not so easily, but steel and Ferro, it travels very easily.
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Wheels
For God so loved the world..........He didn't send a committee.
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02-08-2008, 19:41
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#9
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Cruising NC, FL, Bahamas, TCI & VIs
Boat: 1964 Pearson Ariel 'Faith' / Pearson 424, sv Emerald Tide
Posts: 1,531
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I would skip the Chineese generators
I do not own one, but looked long and hard at them before i bought my Honda.
The RV guys had a lot to say about these Chinese built generators. There were several documented instances of very short service lives, and other problems (low output, excessive oil consumption). You might try a search of the RV / camper forums.. I no longer have the links.
I choose to pass on these, as well as the kipor (also Chinese). The Kipor (also marketed under a different brand) is a copy of the Honda, and appears to be a much better unit then the cheaper ones... but they cost almost as much as the Honda or Yamaha 1000.
If I were buying one for camping, or some shore side use only I might try to Chinese ones.. but I would not use them on a boat unless you do not plan to use it long (for instance, if you were cruising, and had a wind gen failure and just needed something to get you by). I doubt they would last long in a salt water environment.
Just a couple pennies worth....
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02-08-2008, 19:47
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#10
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Registered User
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Cruising NC, FL, Bahamas, TCI & VIs
Boat: 1964 Pearson Ariel 'Faith' / Pearson 424, sv Emerald Tide
Posts: 1,531
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Here is some info from an older discussion here.
Read this thread;
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...boat-9389.html
Follow the link posted in post 22... follow the link to read the RV guys experiences (some are with the 3000w uint, same mgf though).
Good luck!
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02-08-2008, 21:48
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#11
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Eternal Member
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: North of Baltimore
Boat: Ericson 27 & 18' Herrmann Catboat
Posts: 3,798
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Ya get what you pay for......to avoid being called xenophobic......I try to avoid buying anyhting Chinese......
You would be surprised how much of the food on our grocery shelves come from China.
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07-08-2008, 19:58
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#12
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Registered User
Join Date: Jul 2008
Location: Aboard, Pago Pago, Am Samoa
Boat: Hughes 38 Thalia
Posts: 54
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Hi I would avoid the cheap Chinese generators, there's a good reason they are under $150. but if you figure you could use one for a year that's not my experience in watching people throw away unrepairable units. Good luck George
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07-08-2008, 21:07
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#13
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2004
Location: Sunshine Coast, Qld, Australia
Boat: CyberYacht 43
Posts: 5,174
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I'll bet the Chinese can fix them...
Those "cheap" Chinese generators would represent a large amount of money to most in China. I'll bet there are lots of village "mechanics" who know how to fix them.
Exactly what makes them "unfixable"?
I now buy cheap Chinese power tools. Sure they break, but fixing them myself is quicker and easier than taking them back to the shop.
And when they work they work surprisingly well.
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07-08-2008, 21:38
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#14
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Registered User
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Newport, OR/Pocatello, ID
Boat: Newport MKII 30 - Solution
Posts: 192
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The Harbor Freight generator is actually a two-stroke.
__________________
Eric
N30
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07-08-2008, 22:03
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#15
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Registered User
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Windsor Ontario
Boat: Beneteau 36
Posts: 79
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Group :
Can anyone let me know where the lowest price for the Honda EU2000i would be ??
Thanks in advance.
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