Generator for boat

[conachair]

Originally Posted by Pete7

We sold the honda genny when we installed solar.

Pete

After adding more solar don't think mine has been on for a while, wouldn't dream of getting rid of it though, too handy for running power tools for maintenance on the hook and for too many overcast days in a row.

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by conachair

After adding more solar don't think mine has been on for a while, wouldn't dream of getting rid of it though, too handy for running power tools for maintenance on the hook and for too many overcast days in a row.

Power tools run off our inverter, the only thing we don't have is hot water after 24 hours of the engine being shut down. The 20i was great but also heavy, we could get away with the 10i next time I think, but then we are a low impact boat and never far from civilisation in NW Europe. Also I find using solar is a bit like sailing with the wind, its using natural resources, slowly turning into a tree hugger.

Pete

[Sandero]

I suppose the answer to this depends on the boat your getting / using and your electrical needs.

I have rather large AGMs and two 75 watt solar panels laying on the deck (they can be secured if need be... I have also a smart charged high output alternator and engine drive refer... so I run the engine a few hrs a day... certainly coming and going from an anchorage until minimum raising and lowering sails. Engine noise below is not pleasant... but on deck it's OK... I exploit the use of the engine to pump in power to the batts...

I have a 1500 watt inverter when I need line voltage AC power. This is very rare... the occasional power tool or to recharge tool batteries. My on board computer runs on 19v dc thru a buck transformer. We don't watch TV.... use the large 19v monitor as our media screen for netflix and youtube...

If I had a noisy generator I likely would have no use for it. THey mostly run on gas which is another reason not to have one. Large yachts have below decks diesel gens... smaller than their large engines.... I doubt you have this sort of boat.

[svHyLyte]

Originally Posted by Dockhand

Again looking at a different boat. Some I have found have generators, which at times could come handy, I know I could go with solar too.
Question, is a generator a must have for cruising up or down the East coast and Bahamas, or is solar the way to go?

We have a 4.2KW generator installed for the purpose of running our 16K air conditioning and charging batteries while we're "on the hook". However, unless one is in a very sheltered location where there isn't much air flow, open hatches/ports generally keep the boat quite comfortable, even in the summer months. Accordingly, we generally only run the genny for a few hours in the late afternoon to cool the boat down, top up the batteries and run the water heater for awhile. Fortunately, our generator is in an efficient sound shield so one cannot hear it over the sound of the fan on the air conditioner within the boat and, on deck, from about amidships and forward. In the cockpit one just hears the muted drone and often not that if the cockpit stereo speakers are on.

Having offered the foregoing, now having had a generator for 15 years, I would probably not repeat the exercise if given a "do-over" although my (much) better half surely would. If you are not diligent about maintenance the darned things can be a costly, temper mental, addition to your kit.

FWIW...