A Really Cool Small Generator

[Dockhead]

I'm not in the market, but ran across this:

Phasor Marine Generators LP1-2.2KW


Now that is cool! Unlike all the other one-lunger generators I've seen, this one runs at 2000RPM! Water cooled! This looks really excellent.

Unless you need to air condition multiple cabins all night from generator power, something like this will run almost any boat, provided you have a peak-shaving charger/inverter.

[Wrong]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I'm not in the market, but ran across this:

Phasor Marine Generators LP1-2.2KW


Now that is cool! Unlike all the other one-lunger generators I've seen, this one runs at 2000RPM! Water cooled! This looks really excellent.

Unless you need to air condition multiple cabins all night from generator power, something like this will run almost any boat, provided you have a peak-shaving charger/inverter.

Something similar to this, maybe the same thing was and perhaps is still being sold by Downwind Marine in San Diego. Saw it there in 2000 or 2009.

[Lake-Effect]

Looks nice . Looks expensive

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Looks nice . Looks expensive

I don't think so. The 3.5kW version, which is undesirable IMHO because it runs at 3600 RPM, only costs $4600. I bet this will be cheaper, because the generator part is much smaller.

It will be by far the cheapest low-speed generator you can buy. The next cheapest would probably be the 5kW Kohler which costs $9000, I believe.

Of course it's a one-lunger and not continuous duty rated. It will not be as smooth as the three-cylinder Yanmars or Luggers in bigger low-speed generators.

But still looks like a terrific solution -- light, compact, inexpensive. 2kW is plenty for just about anyone other than someone who needs to do a lot of air conditioning at anchor.

[sailcruiser]

Originally Posted by Lake-Effect

Looks nice . Looks expensive

Agreed but not as bad as I expected. One dealer has the 2kW for $3850 (US) and 3kW for $4195 (US). They are apparently the same engine that run at different RPM.


There may be cheaper and more expensive but this was the first I found with a price list.
http://www.echo-marine.com/generators.htm

SC

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by sailcruiser

Agreed but not as bad as I expected. One dealer has the 2kW for $3850 (US) and 3kW for $4195 (US). They are apparently the same engine that run at different RPM.


There may be cheaper and more expensive but this was the first I found with a price list.
marine generators, phasor, yacht and industrial

SC

$3850! That's a hot tip! For a 2000RPM water-cooled genset. Which on top of that is tiny and only weighs 210 pounds (compare to my Kohler at 586 pounds wet - almost triple). Outstanding.

[sailorboy1]

I don't know, it seems to not get a lot over a Honda portable 2KW unit for 4 times the price.

[Cheechako]

That's the same horizontal piston Kubota based engine that is used by others for 12V gen set (Aquamarine, Ample Power etc) Good little engine. Nice that someone is building an AC gen set that doesnt have to scream at 3600 rpm! Someone else builds a gen set that runs at 1800 dont they?

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

That's the same Kubota based engine that is ued by others for 12V gen set (Aquamarine, Ample Power etc) Good little engine. Nice that someone is building an AC gen set that doesnt have to scream at 3600 rpm!

Also the numbers don't quite add up. Ie power versus available horsepower

Dave

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by Don L

I don't know, it seems to not get a lot over a Honda portable 2KW unit for 4 times the price.

Honda portable is also a good solution, but this is a water-cooled diesel-powered real marine generator. The Honda is quiet for what it is, but it will still be making a racket and be in the way set up on deck somewhere, and its useful life will be about 1/10 of something like this.

It will cost more than 4x the price of the Honda, because unlike the Honda, you have to install it, through hulls, water lift muffler, wire it in, etc., etc.

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by goboatingnow

Also the numbers don't quite add up. Ie power versus available horsepower

Dave

Sure they do. 4.5 horsepower at 2000 RPM and 2.2 kW of maximum power. About 2 horsepower per kW, like most generators.

My Kohler is a little more efficient, with 11.6 horsepower at 1500 RPM, and 6.5kW of power (continuous rated), but it's a bigger displacement (1000 cc), torquier motor and so doesn't need so much of a margin.

[capngeo]

I have one...... I am not really happy with it. With ~3800 hours' experience, I believe I am familiar enough to offer the following:

The belt drive system has a lot of shortcomings; the longest belt life I ever saw was ~150 engine hours. The issue (I believe) is the enormous flywheel on the engine side, and high inductive start loads. The genny head is a 7kw unit (IIRC) and will pull a lot of power during peak loads, so much so that it strips teeth off the belts because the big flywheel wants to keep turning. Alignment is also hyper-critical, as even a slight misalignment of the pulleys results in dramatically shortened belt life. The unit is LOUD... very loud even with muffled exhaust. Vibration (even though the engine is "balanced") is in excess of that expected in a quality marine generator.

Would I buy another as a replacement? NOT EVEN AT HALF PRICE!

[Dockhead]

Originally Posted by capngeo

I have one...... I am not really happy with it. With ~3800 hours' experience, I believe I am familiar enough to offer the following:

The belt drive system has a lot of shortcomings; the longest belt life I ever saw was ~150 engine hours. The issue (I believe) is the enormous flywheel on the engine side, and high inductive start loads. The genny head is a 7kw unit (IIRC) and will pull a lot of power during peak loads, so much so that it strips teeth off the belts because the big flywheel wants to keep turning. Alignment is also hyper-critical, as even a slight misalignment of the pulleys results in dramatically shortened belt life. The unit is LOUD... very loud even with muffled exhaust. Vibration (even though the engine is "balanced") is in excess of that expected in a quality marine generator.

Would I buy another as a replacement? NOT EVEN AT HALF PRICE!

Wow, you sure burst my bubble!

It sure is great to get real world experience, which varies so much sometimes from the pretty theory on the website!!!

Yours is the low-speed 2.2kW one, right?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by capngeo

I have one...... I am not really happy with it. With ~3800 hours' experience, I believe I am familiar enough to offer the following:

The belt drive system has a lot of shortcomings; the longest belt life I ever saw was ~150 engine hours. The issue (I believe) is the enormous flywheel on the engine side, and high inductive start loads. The genny head is a 7kw unit (IIRC) and will pull a lot of power during peak loads, so much so that it strips teeth off the belts because the big flywheel wants to keep turning. Alignment is also hyper-critical, as even a slight misalignment of the pulleys results in dramatically shortened belt life. The unit is LOUD... very loud even with muffled exhaust. Vibration (even though the engine is "balanced") is in excess of that expected in a quality marine generator.

Would I buy another as a replacement? NOT EVEN AT HALF PRICE!

Good info. I didnt even realize it was a belt drive. Kubota makes (made?) two versions of that engine, one with a heavy flywheel and one without. The one with the heavy flywheel was 8 hp I believe and without 6 hp. Old data though, not sure what they make now. I used to buy the 6hp version engine for $850 new from Kubota. They were smooth engines so must be something going on with the gen setup making the vibration.
Isnt the "real world" feedback on this forum great!

[valhalla360]

I'm still thinking a portable inverter makes a lot more sense in that size range. By the time you add in installation, you are probably looking at 6-8 times the cost and no way is the diesel lasting 10 times as long unless you are assuming the portable is dunked in the water after a couple hundred hours. If the AC is off, it throttles back and is no more noisy than the built in units. If the AC is on, we close up the boat, so we don't hear it anyway.

If you never run the AC, you are probably better off with a good solar/battery system for light loads. You can get a real nice setup for $4k.