Generator on or off?

Buyajet

Buyajet

Active Member
May 28, 2018
360
Boat Info
2005 420 DA
Engines
Cummins CTA's 480's
I cant find this Q and A in forums so...while under way, do you keep generator on or off?
 
Asked and answered many times over. Try using the search feature.
 
if youve got a 12v boat (appliances, lights, etc) there is really no need to run it all the time - at about 48' in the sea ray line, it becomes necessasary as most systems are AC powered only
 
I frequently run mine while underway.
 
Sea Gull said:
Asked and answered many times over. Try using the search feature.
Click to expand...
Yes I understood it would be but new to forum and my search results had nothing to do with my question.
 
It depends on your boating location and style. When we were in Florida this summer, I used the generator a lot more than I do here in a Georgia fresh water lake. In Florida, I ran the AC's continuously, it was just to hot and humid not to have a cool space. Once we got the boat to Lake Lanier, it hasn't been as much of an issue but need it for cooking meals and occasional AC.

One of the issues for us has been the noise from the generator, so I have added an inverter for silent operations in the early mornings. Mine is a 2001 model and the newer boats seem to be much quieter based on my observations. I intend to redo the generator muffler to address this.

Bottom line, if you need it for a lot of heavy AC loads, run it. If not don't worry about it. Not sure what generator you have but mine is a 7.6kW Westerbeke that burns about 1/2 gallon of diesel and hour so operating costs are minimal.
 
Not usually when actually running the boat on shorter trips to local destinations, no need for it, but I’ve been running it a lot for full days on the hook, and will sometimes run it when running on longer trips if someone is going to be spending time in the cabin and needs power.
My genny was brand new in April of 2016 so it’s pretty quiet, and it averages only about half a gallon of fuel an hour.
 
We normally run it when out, so we can use the head and keep the refrigerator and ice maker cold.

You should run the genny once a week or every other week to make it easier to start.
 
I always run it when I run the boat. My mechanic & the PO of my boat recommended it. Mechanic told me the only Gennys he's ever had to fix were the ones ppl didn't use.
 
Use it or lose it. You certainly do not need to run it all the time, but, you need to put several hours a month on to keep it running properly.

MM
 
as others have mentioned, we also run our genny while away from the dock for AC in the summer and heat in the winter....if we spend a few hours out in the summer heat with the AC off it takes a long time to cool the cabin down when we return to the dock....also it is nice to be able to cool down in the cabin if the summer heat gets the best of you.....we boat all year so the same goes for running the heat for the same reasons.....another minor reason for running the genny is our cockpit frig is AC power only....we only keep drinks in this frig but it is nice to keep them cool while away from the dock without having to ice them down in a cooler.....and running the genny helps keep it in good mechanical condition....mechanical equipment does not like to sit unused for prolonged periods of time.....

cliff
 
Our boat is mostly 12 volts so we don't use the genny too often unless it is really hot. Then we put our drop curtain on and run the A/C to stay cool. When cruising, again the drop curtain is installed but Lake Michigan is cool so we do not need the genny to stay cool. We control helm temp by opening and closing the small electrically operated windshield vent. We can run for 10 hours and not have to worry about the ice maker, as it stays cold. We do throw away the ice in the bin before going to bed as it tends to stick together when the power is restored. Next day, fresh ice that is easy to use. When on the hook it can run for hours at a time. It is very quiet so it is hardly noticeable. We never sleep with it running however, although many folks do. We chose not to.
 
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