which size honda?

[socaldmax]

I'm glad a couple of posters mentioned battery charger efficiency and actual output of the Honda gens, because I seriously doubt you could run a 50A charger off of a Honda 1000. Mostly because it takes a lot more input power to get 50A out of a battery charger, and a Honda 1000 only puts out 800w.

A Honda 2000 puts out 1600w (13.3A) and couldn't come close to powering my Iota DLS-75 75A charger. It draws 18.2A with a max. inrush current of 40A. My Honda 3000 (2800w 23.3A) would run it, but there was no doubt it was a pretty heavy load.

Get the Honda 2000, the weight difference isn't much but the output is double that of the 1000.

[john61ct]

In reviewing my notes it seems a 30A charge output is the max the EU1000i will run without overload protection kicking in.

Larger chargers with the ability to derate / regulate their output are a good solution if you want to use the 1000, but have more power available on shore power.

The 2000 version should be OK up to 60A.

[Reefmagnet]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

I'm glad a couple of posters mentioned battery charger efficiency and actual output of the Honda gens, because I seriously doubt you could run a 50A charger off of a Honda 1000. Mostly because it takes a lot more input power to get 50A out of a battery charger, and a Honda 1000 only puts out 800w.

A Honda 2000 puts out 1600w (13.3A) and couldn't come close to powering my Iota DLS-75 75A charger. It draws 18.2A with a max. inrush current of 40A. My Honda 3000 (2800w 23.3A) would run it, but there was no doubt it was a pretty heavy load.

Get the Honda 2000, the weight difference isn't much but the output is double that of the 1000.

Originally Posted by john61ct

In reviewing my notes it seems a 30A charge output is the max the EU1000i will run without overload protection kicking in.

Larger chargers with the ability to derate / regulate their output are a good solution if you want to use the 1000, but have more power available on shore power.

The 2000 version should be OK up to 60A.

A Honda 1000 will run a 50A Sterling charger as it (the charger) is a very high efficiency device. An excellent combination. I've used this for a few years now. But it is correct that the limit is around 35A for most brands of charger.

On a small boat with limited battery A/H (I have around 360 A/H, for example) the charger only outputs maximum current for a relative short amount of time when charging.

[a64pilot]

My 2000 ran my Sterling 60 amp and other 110v devices, 32"TV, blue ray player etc on ECO mode.
If you can't make 50 amps D.C. With 900 watts of AC, then you have a seriously inefficient charger, bet the thing gets hot

[Frankly]

I have a Honda 2000 (serving as a house standby) for over 10 years. Because of the intermittent but long run time use, I added a remote fuel port to the side. Just an outboard connector that lifts the fuel hose from the built in tank to the remote. It has worked like a charm and I run the carb dry after each use. Getting the unit gas dry would make storing it below a lot safer proposition.

When we were out cruising sure saw a lot of these sitting on decks of medium size yachts. Tough environment for non marine hardware (cover helps but). Never heard of any boats blowing up, but would not feel comfortable with that unit below decks with that internal tank full.

[john61ct]

I bet it's not efficiency as much as that the top-notch chargers like Sterling are designed specifically for genset (marine) usage, and intelligently and smoothly self-derate their output when presented with lower amp inputs.

And with most <500A banks this would hardly be a noticeable issue, and only then for a short time for even 50% depleted banks.

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

My 2000 ran my Sterling 60 amp and other 110v devices, 32"TV, blue ray player etc on ECO mode.
If you can't make 50 amps D.C. With 900 watts of AC, then you have a seriously inefficient charger, bet the thing gets hot

No, it's not that inefficient. That brand, Iota, is actually recommended by ham enthusiasts as an excellent power supply for high powered HF transceivers.

I'm thinking it's more along the lines of other things - many mfrs list their max. output as the continuous output, when the unit produces considerably less continuously.

The other thing everyone is ignoring is just how loud any Honda genny is at anything over about 2/3 load. If you're drawing 700w out of a Honda 1000 or 1400w out of a Honda 2000, you're listening to a small engine revving it's guts out. I'd rather hear the gentle rumble of a 6kw genny.

[Nineteen]

Originally Posted by socaldmax

No, it's not that inefficient. That brand, Iota, is actually recommended by ham enthusiasts as an excellent power supply for high powered HF transceivers.

I'm thinking it's more along the lines of other things - many mfrs list their max. output as the continuous output, when the unit produces considerably less continuously.

The other thing everyone is ignoring is just how loud any Honda genny is at anything over about 2/3 load. If you're drawing 700w out of a Honda 1000 or 1400w out of a Honda 2000, you're listening to a small engine revving it's guts out. I'd rather hear the gentle rumble of a 6kw genny.

Hi
You are probably right about the 6kw genset with wet exhaust but alot of us don't have the real estate....
The 2kw Honda fits that bill for us and as long as you pick your time you are not a bad neighbor.
I persnonally hate waking up to the rumble of wet exhaust generators in a crowded bay whilst everyone makes breakfast with electic appliances. Gas is much quieter👍
Cheers
Tom

[Dockhead]

I had a Honda 1000i for a few years on my boat. I bought it when I was having problems with my generator which I couldn't diagnose (turned out it was a perforated heat exchanger cause by my failure to change a zinc I didn't know existed ).

I didn't like it very much. It ran well, but put out a lot less power than I expected. 900 watts top, and it was screaming its little lungs out to make that. I can regulate and limit the power my Victron inverter/charger takes from shore power, but the settings didn't go low enough (!) to let me use power boost with the Honda.

It rusted a lot in storage in the lazarette -- it's definitely not made for marine use.

The carb gummed up if you left it for long with fuel in the carb.

I finally sold it at a significant loss.


I would advise the OP to go with the 2000 watt one. And to be very careful about where he stores and runs it. Don't store it inside the hull volume -- gasoline vapors can make a bomb in a boat bilge. Don't run it where exhaust can waft into the boat interior -- carbon monoxide. A tethered dinghy is a good place to run it. Buy a CO detector/alarm.

Or much better, as Socaldmax suggested, buy a real diesel generator. Not necessarily a 6kW heavy duty one. There are good smaller lighter cheaper ones available from Phasor and NextGen

[Chuck34]

Believe me, I'm not knocking Hondas as they make a great generator. However, anyone in the market for that size/type generator needs to look at the Generac as well. It has a few features the Honda lacks and is giving Honda a run for the money.
It's definitely worth looking at.

[socaldmax]

Yes, the Generac IQ2000 is very quiet.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hdUSO8kFKVQ

[socaldmax]

Originally Posted by Nineteen

Hi
You are probably right about the 6kw genset with wet exhaust but alot of us don't have the real estate....
The 2kw Honda fits that bill for us and as long as you pick your time you are not a bad neighbor.
I persnonally hate waking up to the rumble of wet exhaust generators in a crowded bay whilst everyone makes breakfast with electic appliances. Gas is much quieter👍
Cheers
Tom

I agree, propane is much better for cooking. I also think large solar panel arrays and huge battery banks are the way I'm going to provide and store power, but I realize most sailboats just don't have the real estate for large solar arrays. It doesn't hurt to have a 2000w backup genny, just in case.

[zboss]

We have had our Honda 2000 out on the deck with a custom cover for over two years and it shows no sign of aging, except the exhaust pipe/spark arrestor. We also added an hour meter to assist with timing oil changes and maintenance.

https://www.nccc.cc/misc/Honda_EU_20..._22_2010-b.pdf

We never drain the carb and it may be 3 to 5 months between using it. Only once has it failed to start and that had nothing to do with the carb - bad gas with water after sitting so long.

The 3000 watt inverter you have is not too large IMO. Good for running large power tools like power saws, 1/2" drills, grinders, and so forth.

If you do leave it on deck, use a lock, a cover, and figure out a way to strap it down.

Also, you can use the Honda 2000 with a variety of fuels using a conversion kit:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-EU2000...oAAOSwDNdV5ETR

[Chuck34]

Like I said earlier, I'm not knocking Hondas...just saying Generac is worth a look.
That being said, FWIW, my marina neighbor uses his Honda 2000 to run his 16,000 BTU AC unit. I was floored it could handle that large an AC unit. I asked if I could try it on my 16k unit as well. I ran the Honda for a couple of minutes to warm it up, turned on my AC fan for a minute and then kicked in the compressor. The Honda bogged down a little just for a few seconds then came right back up and ran my unit just fine. Obviously, I turned off everything else before running the AC.

[a64pilot]

Have you seen a Generac? I ask as it looks much larger and in that video where they were measuring noise, the Honda clearly was not in Eco mode, and it looked old.

Price is better though, you can find them for about 300 less than a Honda