Crazy high generator hours: any ideas why?

[smac999]

people run gens 24/7 in Florida for air con...

having the gen hours way more then engine hours on a southern sail boat seems normal to me.

[skipperpete]

I’m curious to know what make of genset the boat actually has. A small Fischer Panda or a Volpi 2 pole generator at 5,400 hrs is getting close to a potentially terminal event but a Northern Lights or Kohler 4 pole genset should be ok with those hours. 5,400 hours at 3,000 rpm is far less palatable than 5,400 hrs at 1500 rpm.

[Sailorichiban]

Hello All,
What brand of generator is a very good question.
Lifespan can vary wildly depending upon depending on operating parameters, hence the brand can be useful in determining likely longevity.
Can you post a picture of it?
One of mine had high hours, the cause was powering Aircon and making ice during hot weather . As well as making heat ( reverse cycle) during moderately cold weather.
Good luck to all!

[will_q]

Thanks to all for the awesome feedback, all great info. The generator is a Nothern Lights 6kw - here are a couple of pics






Thanks again to all, every comment is helpful

[Sailorichiban]

Hello,
Northern Lights is a respected brand.
The key is the maintainance they receive, if well maintained ,typically they will have a long service life.
Regular oil and filter changes, belt adjustments, etc. hopefully have been preformed and recorded and hopefully are available.
If the maintenance records are available, they would be useful in providing peace of mind.
As with all mechanical things , unless one has a working crystal ball, the future is difficult to predict…
In any case, the best of luck in all things!

[skipperpete]

That’s an excellent brand of genset and I’d suggest that the reason it’s been run fairly often is that they make so little noise, nobody gets fed up with the sound level or vibration. At those hours there are a few things that need to be done as part of routine maintenance. The carbon brushes probably need replacing and maybe a seawater pump rebuild is in order too. The mixer elbow will very likely need replacing or at the very least, descaling and inspection and I’d take a close look at the condition of the rubber engine mounts.

[Jeannius]

Originally Posted by will_q

Thanks to all for the awesome feedback, all great info. The generator is a Nothern Lights 6kw - here are a couple of pics






Thanks again to all, every comment is helpful

That's exactly what I had. Lasted 11000 hours of use and abuse by charterers but with regular service. Great generators.

[will_q]

Thanks to everyone for the valuable comments.

We have an offer in and survey scheduled for next week & will be taking a good look at both engine and genset hours (among all the rest, of course).

Cheers

[Jweyndling]

People from the USA who charter boats will often run the generator all
Night every night for air conditioning. That number of hours is pretty normal for a boat that’s been in charter 5 years

[aqfishing]

Originally Posted by will_q

Thanks to everyone for the valuable comments.

We have an offer in and survey scheduled for next week & will be taking a good look at both engine and genset hours (among all the rest, of course).

Cheers

We have a 2020 Leopard 40 with Moorings. We plan to keep her and cruise on her when she comes out. It’s a great yacht, I highly recommend the owners version.

All the comments about charterers running aircon all the time is 100% correct.
Also the Northern lights are very good as mentioned. You could give it an (major?)overhaul and then not have to worry about it for some time. A good mechanic and a proper oil sample test would give you a good idea.

Good luck with your offer!

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by will_q

The puzzler is that the generator hours were sky high at almost 5,400 hours when released from Moorings last year. I am no math whiz, but that would seem to come out to an average of about 20 hours per week of generator use, 52 weeks a year for 5 years straight. It seems odd.

I feel you are looking at it all wrong. High run hours mean it has been run regularly. Noting worst on a boa generator than not running it or only short runs. If this generator runs good be happy!

[OneBoatman]

Quite probable that the generator was run most or all of the time anyone was aboard and/or that charter co staff was lived aboard during the worst of the covid pandemic. While the boat could need a new or upgraded AC unit along with a new generator that is not necessarily a reason to reject the boat if it meets your needs and has most of the other redeeming features you want. That is pretty much par for the course for any ex charter boats and many privately owned boats as well. Most important would be the size and number of hours on the engines, is the hull and rudders free of damage evidence, proper electronics and autopilot, the condition of rigging and sails, winch sizes and locations and condition of running rigging, windlass and anchor tackle. You undoubtedly will need to plan on spending ~10-12% of its cost annually for routine maintenance plus whatever items you may want to add, plus the cost for your mooring or dockage in your home port if you have one, you probably need to acquire a tender, and of course tax and documentation.

[sailcrazy]

From another perspective.....we've been sailing in the NE Carob fpr the past 9 seasons. We've seen lots and lots of charter boats, some with very qualified crew and handled in a "owners" way. And we've seen many, many more that have been handled by obviously very inexperienced-and/or who give a dam, its just a rental and we're off in a week-way. Most rental boats seem to be very ..."ridden hard and put away wet" sort of way, with just enough mx to keep them going. Unless it's a really really good deal, I would not touch it with a 10' pole, especially if the broker is being a little evasive! OK, I'm off my soap box!

[mountaindweller]

We have a 2022 Leopard 42 in charter in the BVI. It had 4000 hours on the genset before reaching the 2 year mark. What we've learned is a lot of charter guests, literally start the genset leaving the base and then run it 24/7 with aircon going for the entire weeklong charter!

As others have mentioned, Northern Lights are quite good and I wouldn't be concerned with 5K on the genny.

As a side note, I can tell you that charter boats coming out of Belize are typically very well maintained. The base has a reputation for excellent maintenance and our experiences there echo that. Additionally, charterers need to submit a resume' to the Belizean Port Authority and need to have formal certification and experience to be approved. Not fail proof, but typically more qualified/experienced skippers chartering there.

[Flagfish]

Oh, the broker’s not concerned? Oh, ok.