When Do You Guys Use the Generator

On extended cruises (+2 hrs) we usually dont use it, but when sitting at the beach, or up in the playpen we run it constantly. By using it (under load) it actually reduces maintainance costs (except for fuel :( It's nice to go down below, make a sandwich, catch some of the game, take a nap.... in th AC! Just be sure to store a spare impeller, as you never know when they will quit!
 
On extended cruises (+2 hrs) we usually dont use it, but when sitting at the beach, or up in the playpen we run it constantly. By using it (under load) it actually reduces maintainance costs (except for fuel :( It's nice to go down below, make a sandwich, catch some of the game, take a nap.... in th AC! Just be sure to store a spare impeller, as you never know when they will quit!

We have found that impellers never fail given reasonable maintenence and clean water such as you have in the playpen. When at a Crusader engine seminar a few years back I ask the rep how ofter to change them. He said you will probably never need to boating on Lake Michigan because the water is so clean. I'm still on the factory originals. I will probably change them out at the same time I replace all of the hoses in another 3 years, but they will look like new with no missing vanes is previous experiences hold true.

We have also found that our ice is fresh after running 6 hours without the genny running so we don't use it when going from port to port. If you keep the door closed while running and plug in when you get to your destination, the ice is the same as it was when you left the dock. We have usable ice after 24 hours with no power. After that we throw it away and start over. In three hours we have enough for the day.
 
Hampton, what do you use for power for a whole weekend without using the genny?

"To another marina" - shore power at distant marinas such as Apalachicola, Pt St Joe, Harbour Docks (Destin) and Baytowne (Destin).
 
I don't use mine much. I excercise it every 3-4 weeks. I just finished winterizing the genie. I put on a total of 7.5 hours for the 2009 season.

I am kinda in Dom's boat there. This is our first boat with a genny and we use it out on the hook to cook, heat hot water, then turn it off. Kids are usually swimming around the boat so I don't like to run it then... Yes the kids and wife appreciate that!

One thing I would love feedback on as I know the bigger boats can run their genny all the time. Our delivery captain had our genny running when he did the delivery (for heat! it was 42 degrees in April when we picked it up!) We idled away from the dock and one of the folks from service was yelling at us to turn the genny off. We did. We got back and they said that on our model boat that we could not run the genny at cruise it would imped water flow to it and cause it to lock up? I would imagine it would just shut down... The sea cock for the genny is well aft in the ER so I don't know why there would be disturbed water that far aft to affect water flow to the genny. It's the farthest aft seacock in the ER.

Is that right from the folks in the 320-340 range??? Just curious...
 
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We have a 2004 320 and we run our genny when we are on plan. Trip from Daytona to West Palm took most of the day and we ran it the entire time. From Ft. Lauderdale to Bimini or to the Abacos, we ran it the entire time. Like previously mentioned, we run our gen almost constantly when away from shore power. Only take .8GPH to run and it keeps the cabin cool. We also bypassed the raw water circulation for the hot water tank so the only way we make hot water is the gen or shore power. If you look at hot water heaters that fail, they fail where the seawater circulation is and not anywhere else.
 
I don't us my generator much, only when anchoring... It it is important to run it every now and then.
 
Don't Crusaders use metal (stainless) impellers? Merc's are rubber, as are (likely) most generators. I know my QS has a rubber one, as does a friend's Westerbeke. Point is rubber will fail after a certain amount of time, regardless of the water you boat in. Stainless would only fail if the bearings go.
 
I've heard lore of them losing prime sometimes at cruising speed but they should work at speed.
 
Don't Crusaders use metal (stainless) impellers? Merc's are rubber, as are (likely) most generators. ......

I don't know for sure about newer designs (post 2002), but I do know that the pre 2002, crusaders used good old flexible impellers. And, they had an 'EXCELLENT' design. Right there on the front of the motor. A few screws, and the cover comes off and the impeller is right there in front of you....no circus contortionism needed.
 
I believe a friend with a 2002 Carver 396 and he said he's got stainless impellers in his 8.1s.
 
Maybe he's talking about the water circulating pump.....aka the water pump on regular old cars....
 
Don't Crusaders use metal (stainless) impellers? Merc's are rubber, as are (likely) most generators. I know my QS has a rubber one, as does a friend's Westerbeke. Point is rubber will fail after a certain amount of time, regardless of the water you boat in. Stainless would only fail if the bearings go.

I'm not sure what the 8.1's are made of. Both of my fresh water cooling pumps were replaced the first year because the port side developed a leak. The jackets were painted blue and I never saw the impellers on the factory originals. Crusader replaced them with parts with stainless housings and the impellers looked like they were made out of bronze.

I did replace impellers on the 454s and the 350s in my sea rays after 6 years in one boat and 9 years in another boat. In both cases this was done because of a hose that was showing some signs of aging. The impellers however looked brand new. We replaced an impeller on our current genny within the past 12 months. Not sure of the hours at the time. The genny now has about 350 hours on it so maybe at 300 hours. Again, the part looked lilke new.

Our slip is deep at 15 feet and the water is pretty clean. We never stir up silt running the boat. Lake Michigan is pretty much clear down to 10 feet or so in our port and down to 30 feet or more up north. Silt and sand are the real killers of impellers and perhaps salt. I believe this is why the Crusader guy was saying not to worry about it. The Westerbeke guy was at the same meeting and didn't disagree. I believe this issue is dictated by where you boat.
 
I don't know for sure about newer designs (post 2002), but I do know that the pre 2002, crusaders used good old flexible impellers. And, they had an 'EXCELLENT' design. Right there on the front of the motor. A few screws, and the cover comes off and the impeller is right there in front of you....no circus contortionism needed.

The seawater section of the cooling system is cooled with an impeller made from a rubber like material and is easy to change. I believe Crusader says it should be changed at 50 hours in salt and 100 hours in fresh water. No one I know does that around here. It seems to be unnecessary. It is easy as there are 4 screws, a brass housing with an O ring channel and a rubber like O ring. Lid pops off and you are looking at the impeller.
 
8.1's - Big, fat, rubber ones like a Kohler genny, only bigger.
 

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