small portable genset suggestions

[S/V Illusion]

Anyone have experience or knowledge about the comparative features and quality of the Honda2000 vs competitive brands? I'm planning to buy a small genset to charge the battery bank, run the AC, coffee maker, microwave, etc., all of which run up a big drain on my 450AH bank while on the hook.

I've already dealt with the gasoline storage issue for the outboard motor so that's not an issue for us and running the diesel to recharge is not my personal preference.

Have seen what looks like knock-offs of the H 2000 but not sure how good or quiet they are or worth the minimally lesser cost.

[Vasco]

The Honda EU2000i is tried and true. A great little generator. Go with the Honda, only maintenance is change the plug every two years and clean the carb if it's been laid up for six months as mine is every summer. As you say the others aren't that much cheaper.

[bill good]

g'day, some thoughts on size. my battries are 400amp & I have been using the smaller 1000w honda for sometime now & it is good for my use.(1000w could charge 70amps into the battries if your battery charger can supply this amount. Mine is putting 45amps back. Sounds like your needs. It was selected for the ease of lifting & the size of the battery charger I have. the honda has auto cutoff for excessive loads so it is necessary to match the load of battery charger to the gen.since my charger flat out was under the 1kv that is all I needed. any load above the 1kv is thru the inverter which can take over2kv peak. nb use the AC outlet & not the DC to charge the batteries as the AC load is all the power avail but the DC is much less. also I have heard of electrolises on the DC side. This will not be a problem on the AC. (I saw the 2kv hondas in spain for 550euros just to upset you last month!!) Just remember to ensure the charger & load is within the spec for the overload cut out of the gen you select!!

Honda has the good name & I would pay the difference for something I dont have to fix all the time. regards Bill Goodward

[viking69]

i bought a piece of chinese crap 2kw genset and lasted about 3 hours then would not run again. warrenty was as good as useless. went and bougt a1kw honda and it has been awsome. starts first pull. uses bugger all fuel and has never let me down. Go with the tried and true brand.

[Morgan Paul]

The Honda EU2000i is tried and true.

I agree with Vasco. I bought one early this year for about 980 Dollars. Runs great starts on the first pull every time.

Paul

[ssullivan]

Originally Posted by viking69

i bought a piece of chinese crap 2kw genset and lasted about 3 hours then would not run again. warrenty was as good as useless. went and bougt a1kw honda and it has been awsome. starts first pull. uses bugger all fuel and has never let me down. Go with the tried and true brand.

Didn't I try and steer you all away from Chinese gensets in another thread?

Don't buy them. Mine lasted 100 hours for $1000. (it was a diesel) It threw a rod.

There are no parts, no service and no warranty, plus they are built out of inferior metals. (Kiwi and Aussie gensets excepted... sounds like you get the good stuff, we get the garbage here in USA)

[S/V Illusion]

I'm convinced! Thanks for the responses

[Pete the Cat]

I used a Yamaha 1000 eui on a 7100 mile two year trip from California to Maine through the Panama Canal to charge 440 ah of batteries with no problems whatsoever--except electrolysis. I am not sure I am wired correctly and maybe I caused it. I think the 2000 Honda is big heavy and expensive. I think I paid $600 for mine and it is quieter, lighter and worked great.

[s/v 'Faith']

My Honda 100EU is running right now, powering my laptop and charging my batteries as I type this.

I probably spent 8 hours online searching boat forums and RV forums trying to decide of the ~$100 chineese gnerator was worth trying. The replies all wound up saying the same thing the posters above say... avoid them. There is a 'Kipor' that looks like the honda / yamaha, and some say it is better then the cheaper junk, but the price is about the same as the Honda / yahaha. I would have bought the Yamaha if I had found it when I needed it, as it is slightly lighter, and very slightly quieter.. (like 2db).

I am happy with my Honda, the $680 I paid for it has been recouped already by saiving me a couple nights in marinas when my solar panels did not keep up (also great for the laptop as the inverter puts a big dent in the budget).

[hellosailor]

"My Honda 100EU is running right now, powering my laptop and charging my batteries as I type this."

IIRC, I've posted linls to oscilloscope tracings of the Honda gensets here and elsewhere. (Google for them.) The Honda is a great BATTERY CHARGER but IIRC the DC waveform from it is so nasty, that trying to run DC equipment on it qualifies as extreme abuse. The kind of abuse that is likely to kill your DC equipment.

Of course, if you have a big enough battery bank and are wired in such a way that the battery bank swaps (eats & filters) that nasty DC produced...you might get away with it. But look for the oscilloscope tracings, and make Real Damn Sure this is something you want to use on DC electronics.

[AnchorageGuy]

Honda specifically says not to use the unit for running 12 volt systems. We are all talking about using it to run 110 volt appliances and running battery chargers to keep up the batteries. I don't think anyone has suggested using the 12 volt output for running anything on the boat. We have been using the 1000 for over two years and a 600 prior to that with no issues on either the 12 volt or 110 volt side.

[billyehh]

Well, I bought a Chinese generator this summer and am going to ship it to my boat in Grenada. If I had known about the problems, I would have thought twice. However, it was about 40% of the cost of Honda 1000eu and is almost as quiet. I'll post how it holds up when I get there in November to work on the boat for next January's cruise.

[delmarrey]

I have a Yamaha 1000 but vote for the Honda. If I'd known before hand I would have bought the Honda 2000 They had just came out. Some Honda's showed up at work just after I bought the Yamaha and they were so much lighter and more quite I was kicking myself.

And as above, I only use it to charge the batteries and run the 110V from an inverter.

[Tomaz473]

Originally Posted by bill good

. . .I saw the 2kv hondas in spain for 550euros just to upset you last month . . .

As far I know Spain have 220V and not 110V electrical system.
So, if you buy anything in Europe make sure it supports your voltage.
If you have a dual voltage charger and only use the genset for charging boat batteries (and your AC from an inverter) it may be OK, but if you want to use it for something like a power drill or coffee maker, Microwave - make sure you have a voltage match.

On the other hand: it might be that those Hondas were 110V - and coming to Europe as result of wrong shipment. It would also explain the low cost.
Normally US have lower costs than Europe for almost everything.

[ssullivan]

On the "land boat" I just finished building (custom RV) I'm using a Troy-Bilt 5000 Watt gas generator to power the chargers. It's running well so far, but I only have about 20 hours on it. ha ha So no longevity report.

However, I like it becuase it uses a standard Briggs and Stratton lawmower engine. Nothing more simple to fix when it breaks.

Just another one to consider. it was $700.