Generator ideas/best?

You're good Ward, like I posted early here... the Honda portable is taboo here. Good luck with your restoration project, keep a thick skin, and carry on!
 
JimG said:
You're good Ward, like I posted early here... the Honda portable is taboo here. Good luck with your restoration project, keep a thick skin, and carry on!
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Gotcha Jim, thank you! It truly seems i should stay away from a generator all around. One does one do for electricity then? I am thinking I basically need to go with a factory oem size gen and have it professionaly installed along with sensors and safety alarms etc.?
 
Yes, a properly installed marine genset would be great.

For small appliances and electronics, an invertor is a good choice. I had a 2,000 watt unit on my 270 that worked out great. We could watch TV, make popcorn in the microwave at night, and then coffee in the morning.
 
Wardy,

I guess I missed yer intro. Welcome to the forum. The main reason not to use a non AYBC approved genny is the CO thing. The other reasons have to do with fuel fume venting and explosion possibilities from sparks. Marine approved engines don't vent gas fumes to the atmosphere and have electrical accessories that do not create open sparks or what they call "ignition sources" for fumes. Read all the threads related to the subject. Wrong ventilation and wind direction can actually create a vacuum that will suck co right into your boat instead of blowing it away. Be aware at all times of the fact that it can kill you and your passengers without you even knowing it. Read as much info on it as you can possibly find. As mentioned above, if your electrical needs are small you can get by with an inverter on a deep cycle house battery and a battery switch to isolate your starting battery while you are anchored or moored.. Good luck.
 
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CO2 = what you exhale

CO = odorless , colorless deadly byproduct of incomplete combustion
 
Quint4 said:
CO2 = what you exhale

CO = odorless , colorless deadly byproduct of incomplete combustion
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Yep, Mistake by so many.... Carbon Dioxide, CO2... Carbon Monoxide, CO
 
Gotcha Chris, thank you!
Chris Nowell said:
Wardy,

I guess I missed yer intro. Welcome to the forum. The main reason not to use a non AYBC approved genny is the CO2 thing. The other reasons have to do with fuel fume venting and explosion possibilities from sparks. Marine approved engines don't vent gas fumes to the atmosphere and have electrical accessories that do not create open sparks or what they call "ignition sources" for fumes. Read all the threads related to the subject. Wrong ventilation and wind direction can actually create a vacuum that will suck co2 right into your boat instead of blowing it away. Be aware at all times of the fact that it can kill you and your passengers without you even knowing it. Read as much info on it as you can possibly find. As mentioned above, if your electrical needs are small you can get by with an inverter on a deep cycle house battery and a battery switch to isolate your starting battery while you are anchored or moored.. Good luck.
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Chris Nowell said:
Wardy,

I guess I missed yer intro. Welcome to the forum. The main reason not to use a non AYBC approved genny is the CO2 thing. The other reasons have to do with fuel fume venting and explosion possibilities from sparks. Marine approved engines don't vent gas fumes to the atmosphere and have electrical accessories that do not create open sparks or what they call "ignition sources" for fumes. Read all the threads related to the subject. Wrong ventilation and wind direction can actually create a vacuum that will suck co2 right into your boat instead of blowing it away. Be aware at all times of the fact that it can kill you and your passengers without you even knowing it. Read as much info on it as you can possibly find. As mentioned above, if your electrical needs are small you can get by with an inverter on a deep cycle house battery and a battery switch to isolate your starting battery while you are anchored or moored.. Good luck.
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You do realize that the fume venting and ignition protection are because the engine is in an enclosed space. Those standards do not apply to an engine that is not used in an enclosed space.
CO from any engine can be drawn into the boat if it is not ventilated properly.
A portable generator on a swim platform will actually discharge the exhaust further away from the boat than a generator in the bilge because the velocity at the exhaust port is higher.

I have used a Yamaha generator on my swim platform many times to charge my batteries. I have a CO monitor in the cabin and also one in the cockpit. The highest reading I have seen on either one while using the generator is 5. That occurred once.
 
And how do you keep the exhaust of a built in generator a minimum of 20 feet away from all doors and windows?

With a portable generator the velocity of the exhaust is higher at the exit point and you can also direct it in any direction you want. With a built in generator you lose the ability to direct the exhaust down wind. It has a fixed exit point on the boat.
 
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You run out of "facts" already?
 
sfergson727 said:
Except for those pesky articles on people dying from CO poisoning, or being electrocuted...those are not opinion, those are concrete evidence.
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Scott you got people dropping like flies due to portable generator electrocution and CO exposure. If a person didn’t know better they might believe it. Ya I know….and, and, and they ain’t USCG approved.:smt043
 
Co monitoring alarms are the only way to run any motor when not under way including cooking on board.Portable generator have a floating ground so the case must be bonded to the neutral like a marine Genset or RV generator. This can be easily done by making a male female adaptor with a tag wire which is hooked to the neutral in the plug and connect the other end to the case.
 
lol, don't waste time arguing with sferg. He knows everything, and would never do anything so stupid and dangerous as having a generator on the platform. He'll do dumb things like drive around in 1/8 mile vis with a stereo blasting, or taking a little CC out in stuff most of us wouldn't consider, but it's okay - he deemed it to be "safe," so it must be. I bet he doesn't ever even idle around with his camper canvas on, because we all know the CO threat that poses as well.


To the OP: be aware of the risks of a portable OR professionally installed OEM generator. They can all kill you if they're not used properly and maintained. I use a honda with no problem, but I also have a few CO detectors positioned throughout the boat. Do the research, like it looks like you already are, and make your own informed decision.


It's not that I don't agree with sferg that there are risks associated with this (or boating in restricted vis, rough seas, etc), it's just that you're not allowed to have a different opinion than his.

If he posted something like, "Never buy a house with a fireplace. They're dangerous. If you don't believe me, I'll google some articles about houses burning down," everyone would laugh at the idiocy of such a statement and move on. He makes an equally broad statement regarding generators on boats, and we're not allowed to disagree? Absurd.
 
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qflyer said:
lol, don't waste time arguing with sferg. He knows everything, and would never do anything so stupid and dangerous as having a generator on the platform. He'll do dumb things like drive around in 1/8 mile vis with a stereo blasting, or taking a little CC out in stuff most of us wouldn't consider, but it's okay - he deemed it to be "safe," so it must be. I bet he doesn't ever even idle around with his camper canvas on, because we all know the CO threat that poses as well.


To the OP: be aware of the risks of a portable OR professionally installed OEM generator. They can all kill you if they're not used properly and maintained. I use a honda with no problem, but I also have a few CO detectors positioned throughout the boat. Do the research, like it looks like you already are, and make your own informed decision.


It's not that I don't agree with sferg that there are risks associated with this (or boating in restricted vis, rough seas, etc), it's just that you're not allowed to have a different opinion than his.

If he posted something like, "Never buy a house with a fireplace. They're dangerous. If you don't believe me, I'll google some articles about houses burning down," everyone would laugh at the idiocy of such a statement and move on. He makes an equally broad statement regarding generators on boats, and we're not allowed to disagree? Absurd.
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ok thank you very much!
 
sdarc said:
Dang... I thought it was only the Honda? that's why I bought a Ryobi. :wink: No really I don't condone using a gas generator on a boat. There are some who do and that is their choice. I won't tell them not to nor will I say it is ok to do it. There are other concerns besides CO poisoning. Electrical bonding issues. Spilled gas etc...
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Which Ryobi, and how do you like it? Did it run your AC on the boat?
I've been looking at the Ryobi for a while now. I'm sitting on a couple of Home Depot gift cards that will make a nice dent in the price. I've got a larger portable (200lb.)generator with a Honda motor that I got after Hurricane Sandy, but have been thinking about getting a smaller, quieter inverter generator to use to run a few things if we ever lose power again. As a bonus I can take it on camping trips with my son's Boy Scout Troop every once in a while, and the few times I stay at a dock without electric, I can bring it along and run it on the dock.
 
Guys, please !!! I'm not trying to come across as the big professional here. I'm just trying to help someone who may not have a background in aerodynamics or a degree in chemistry or biology (as my co2 reference shows that I don't) I too occasionally use an eu2000 on my boat but it's definitely not something I would recommend because; if an individual has to ask if it's safe, then that individual is obviously not familiar with some of the more important aspects of how air flows around boats and how certain gases and fumes behave in relationship to gravity, air, and enclosed spaces. Just because we do something ourselves doesn't mean it's safe for everyone to do. I regularly work on live electrical circuits as part of my work duties, but I don't go around bragging about it and I certainly don't encourage unqualified persons to do the same thing. I'm jess tryin' 't make sure no one gits harmed an' gits the most from them's boats :grin:
 
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Wardy, can you maybe think of a less volatile subject, like say,,,,, politics,,,, or religion for instance? And please don't tell them you have a pet pig.

Welcome aboard. We all get along but winters are very hard on us and they tend to bring out the eye poking and rib jabbing in everyone,,,, until the ski hills officially open.
 
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