280 Sundancer Generator Install

barros1389

New Member
Sep 6, 2011
23
Boston
Boat Info
1999 Searay 215 EC, 5.0L -- sold
2008 Searay Sundancer 280, Twin 5.0L MPI
Engines
5.0L Mercrusier w/Bravo III
hi-

I just bought a 2008 Sundancer 280 with Twin 5.0's. I'm awaiting delivery as the dealer is going through the boat now. Does anyone have experience with installing a generator on the 280? I have the spot for the generator. There's plenty of room for it.

Is it worth it installing? Does an engine need to be pulled to get the generator into the bilge area? Has anyone ever done it?
 
There was a 280 owner "Henry Boyd" I believe that installed a genny. I think he stated it was around $12k for everything. Do a search and you'll find the thread.
 
You will need to remove both engines in order to install the generator. We used the generator a lot to run the AC on our 280DA. Not sure if you will need it as much in Boston.
 
being in Boston i think you should consider the cost vs. the benefit....how long is your boating season and how long do you have days over 90*F where you would need AC?.....are you going to boat well into the winter where you would need to run a generator to provide heat in the cabin?...i understand that a significant number of cruisers in the NE opt to not have a generator due to the short duration of hot weater and a relatively short boating season....

other than running an AC/Heat unit everything else on the boat can be operated with batteries...except a stove....

just something to consider.....

cliff
 
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Our 2008 280DA came with a factory gen and we used it all the time up here in MN...our summers are short but HOT and HUMID. They're great and I wouldn't buy a cruiser without a one but I don't know that it's worth the expense to add one after the fact.
 
If you can live without the AC it would be much cheaper to add an inverter and another battery bank to run small appliances.
 
I didn't install the generator, but I did price them out. I went so far as to get quotes. At the time the best one was from Hansen Engineering in Marblehead. They are the local Westerbeke dealer. The quote was for $ 10k as I recall (2008) and I assumed another $ 2k for related costs. That was also using the 3.5 KW SBCG(?) that at the time was a brand new design and quite pricing $ 6.5K. We never did it as I just couldn't justify the cost vs benefit even though we moor the boat and are not on a slip. When I need 110 AC, I can tie up to the town dock and run a portable gen from the parking lot and a 100' shore power cord. The was a former member (Presentation) who did install the sbcg gen on a 280 and did a very extensive write up. We also have the butane cooktop and that also mitigates the need for 110.

Unless you plan on a lot of overnight cruises, it may not make sense.

Henry

EDIT - Bucit beat me to it and found the thread.
 
hi-

Thanks Everyone for the responses.

I'm going to see what happens this season and maybe use a Honda portable generator for now, when we need to use the microwave. I don't plan on using the portable generator overnight to run the AC. I wouldn't feel comfortable sleeping while it's running for obvious reasons.

I'm more than capable of installing the generator myself. I was just concerned that I would need to pull an engine to get it in there. It appears that I might be able to squeeze one in with minimal disassembly.
 
hi-Thanks Everyone for the responses. I'm going to see what happens this season and maybe use a Honda portable generator for now, when we need to use the microwave

no need to use a generator for the microwave....you can run the microwave with batteries and a power inverter...

and a coffee pot also if you want....just about any small appliance can be run from the batteries with a properly sized (and properly installed) inverter...

cliff
 
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I had an inverter on my 260 Sundancer that would run the air for about 4 hours. It worked quite well. On my 320 Sundancer - the generator is nice to have. But I can say if we didn't have it - we would have been okay without it. I use it give the dogs some A/C on hot days and keep the batteries fresh when anchored out. It is hard to justify the expense for me personally on my own boat.
 
I had an inverter on my 260 Sundancer that would run the air for about 4 hours. It worked quite well. On my 320 Sundancer - the generator is nice to have. But I can say if we didn't have it - we would have been okay without it. I use it give the dogs some A/C on hot days and keep the batteries fresh when anchored out. It is hard to justify the expense for me personally on my own boat.

How did you run the A/C with the inverter? I'm having a hard time visualizing how you'd actually do this.
 
Get the gen you won't regret it. I had mine blow a capacitor at Ft Jefferson last summer with guest on board for a three day trip.
It sucked during the day and not that great for sleeping. Guest are sail boaters so I think they managed better but it's a/c all the time for me. I used his Sat phone to order the part so it was there when I got back to the dock.
 

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