Generator usage question from sea ray newbie

W

Wye knot

New Member
Apr 29, 2013
9
Tampa fl
Boat Info
2000 sea ray sundancer 340DA
Engines
7.4L mercruiser MPI 310 HP
Good evening, I am not new to boating but new to cruisers. I just bought a 2000 340 sundancer 3 weeks ago. It has the original generator which seems to work fine. I have heard two exact opposite responses to a questions so far. How often should you run the generator while boating? I've been told everything from 100% to only when running A/C. Goes windlass run batteries down without genny? Thank you!
 
I don't think there is any HAVE to run generator ideals. But run it often and long enough to get warmed through. The things that break on a boat - are the things that does not get used. But running the generator without load is not healthy either - so always make certain it has a load on it - else it fouls the plugs over time.

EDIT: And of course - congrats on the new boat :)
 
First, congrats on the 34'. Treat her weep and she will take good care of you. Second, anything that uses the batteries, could possibly run the batteries down. As for the Genset, use it to run things like the battery charger, A/C, fridge, or outlets. When running the Genset treat it like you would one at your home, kill your shore power once or twice a month, start it up, then put a load on it. Check the oil, make sure you have good water flow, and make sure it's running right. After a complete warm up, remove the load and run for another 5 minutes and then shut down.
 
Generator usage is really simple: use it or lose it. Or more to the point, pay to get it going again. Boating has hundreds of folks that are confused as to why the gennie they never use will not run and that spent more on it than their neighbor they thought was using theirs up...

MM
 
MonacoMike said:
Generator usage is really simple: use it or lose it. Or more to the point, pay to get it going again. Boating has hundreds of folks that are confused as to why the gennie they never use will not run and that spent more on it than their neighbor they thought was using theirs up...

MM
Click to expand...

Congratulations on the boat. And totally agree with the others as above. Run it. And in fact I have no need to use my air con here. But it is fitted, so whenever I run the genny, I also run the air on, both to load up the genny, and to keep the aircon working.

When I bought a bbq for th boat I purchased and electric unit, the genny is there so I don't have to worry about a gas bottle, and it loads th generator up.

Friend suggested the other week I should fit an invertor ( I sell them ) to boil the kettle instead of starting the generator, umh no, I will run the generator


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
Congrats on the new boat.

+1 to all of the above.

On Saint Max, the gennie is the first thing to get fired up and the last thing to get shut down.

Maintenance is the key to keeping it running well and very cheap in the long run.
 
Congrats on the 340. You'll love the boat and enjoy finding new ways to use it and new places to explore with it. I agree with the others about the genset....run it; but I'll add some specifics for you if it helps.

We have an inverter on our boat that handles the AC need when we're off shore power. I use the inverter for all AC except for the stove which draws a lot of power. We don't run the generator much at times like this when the weather's not too hot or too cold, but in mid summer or mid winter we run it most of the time. In summer when temps get close to 100 I'll start the gen when the boat starts to get hot inside so we can turn on the air conditioners. I'll run it until the sun goes down and temps start to drop.

Similarly in the winter I'll usually warm the boat up a bit on shore power while we get ready to cast off. If it's real cold I'll fire up the gen to keep the boat warm and run it until we get back so I can run the heaters while we're out.

I know there are folks who don't use the head for "big business" and don't run the gen much, but we figure they were put on there to use, so we do.
 
Thanks for all of the great feedback guys - much appreciated! Last cruiser newbie question - Do you run the blower anytime you are stopped with the generator running?
 
Wye knot said:
Thanks for all of the great feedback guys - much appreciated! Last cruiser newbie question - Do you run the blower anytime you are stopped with the generator running?
Click to expand...

We always run the blower all the time we have the genny running for safety. BTW congrats on the new boat and welcome to CSR! Have you read the SouthEast thread on the cruise to Caladesi Island state park in July? Perhaps you can make it too.
 
Don't want to hijack, but I have a follow-on question. I've heard several people say they turn the generator on when the board, and don't turn it off until they run to dock.

What happens when you get on plane? I would worry about starving the generator of cooling water. I know the thru-hull stays underwater on plane, but wouldn't the laminar flow along the hull make it harder for the pickup to suck in water without a scoop? And yes, I know that a scoop on the generator pickup is a huge no-no.

So, is it safe to leave on when cruising on plane, or just when running at hull speed?
 
No but thank you for the heads-up - we will have to. I have never been to Caladesi yet...
 
src said:
Don't want to hijack, but I have a follow-on question. I've heard several people say they turn the generator on when the board, and don't turn it off until they run to dock.

What happens when you get on plane? I would worry about starving the generator of cooling water. I know the thru-hull stays underwater on plane, but wouldn't the laminar flow along the hull make it harder for the pickup to suck in water without a scoop? And yes, I know that a scoop on the generator pickup is a huge no-no.

So, is it safe to leave on when cruising on plane, or just when running at hull speed?
Click to expand...

It had better be safe on plane. This boat has been doing it since it was born and the genset has 2400 hours.
 
mistercomputerman said:
It had better be safe on plane. This boat has been doing it since it was born and the genset has 2400 hours.
Click to expand...

WELL.....Not that much! But 1/10 that at all speeds. Never a water flow problem. As a matter of fact, the same applies to all my boating friends regardless of boat brand. The only one who had a problem was a fellow who decided to out engineer the engineers. Yup..... A scoop! Sometimes stupid is expensive!
 
Wye knot said:
Good evening, I am not new to boating but new to cruisers. I just bought a 2000 340 sundancer 3 weeks ago. It has the original generator which seems to work fine. I have heard two exact opposite responses to a questions so far. How often should you run the generator while boating? I've been told everything from 100% to only when running A/C. Goes windlass run batteries down without genny? Thank you!
Click to expand...

First of all congrats and welcome to the club.

I don't know your previous experience, so I'll start with couple of examples. When people (same goes for me when I had my 240DA) are out on smaller cruisers that don't have generators and stay anchored all weekend, they don't usually have power issues if they properly conserve. So yes, many components including windlass run on 12VDC and don't require generator.

In regards on using your generator, there's no rule or a need, unless your batteries are loosing charge. I always used my generator when I want it. We anchor all summer long and stay our for many nights. My approach is simple. When I take off from a marina I don't need the generator as the engine's alternators charge the batteries. When we're settled in the anchorage area we use the genny 2-3 times a day. Primary times are in the mornings to recharge the batteries, warm up the water in the HWH and get ready for a meal and obviously fresh coffee. So, the genny runs for about 2hrs and then I shut it off. If we're cooking anything on the stove for lunch, then I'll run the genny. Otherwise, it's not until the dinner time when we're cooking, watching TV and using the "whole house". I'll shut the genny off before heading to bed. This approach works very well for many years for me.
 
src said:
Don't want to hijack, but I have a follow-on question. I've heard several people say they turn the generator on when the board, and don't turn it off until they run to dock.

What happens when you get on plane? I would worry about starving the generator of cooling water. I know the thru-hull stays underwater on plane, but wouldn't the laminar flow along the hull make it harder for the pickup to suck in water without a scoop? And yes, I know that a scoop on the generator pickup is a huge no-no.

So, is it safe to leave on when cruising on plane, or just when running at hull speed?
Click to expand...

The generator is designed to run at any speed. The HUGE NO-NO is trying to start it up when you're on plane. This is when you get in trouble and can flood the engine. If I'm running for a long time and for whatever strange reason I need to start up the genny, I get OFF plane to slow speed. As soon as genny fired up I jump back on plane and continue on. I would say that it's also best to be off plane when shutting down the genny too.
 
Some are hesitant to run their generators in the marina as so much junk is floating a round and can block the water intake, a far more likely occurance than losing water intake on plane.

I do worry about losing water flow when in pounding waves. Is this a concern to any of you?

MM
 
Mike,

I'm not sure I follow, but why would anyone run their gennies in a marina, unless the marina doesn't have power or their power is weak to handle your load?
 
Thanks for the info, I feel much better now, and it'll be nice to be able to keep the fridge cold full time.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,184
Messages
1,428,135
Members
61,094
Latest member
Linword
Back
Top