Sea Ray 280 - basic help

[Parimal Kulkarni]

Hi
We are new in boating and recently purchased 2003 Sundancer 280. Need some help with
1. Choosing the right portable generator so we can run AC
2. While i was reading a forum, found that you can keep running AC on shore power, but if there is a leak in hose then it might have sink the boat? How to check if it's bad or need replacement

 

[bahamabreisus]

Since you are new we will try to be helpful. "NO PORTABLE GENERATORS". Do some research on here about portable gens, you will have an earful. As far as water lines for AC all you can do is keep an eye on them. They tend to last forever.

 

[JimG]

^^^ + 1

Some reading for you:
http://www.clubsearay.com/index.php?threads/official-280-sundancer-thread.10064/

Best of luck and welcome to CSR!

 

[MonacoMike]

You just asked the most contentious question that can be asked on this forum. This issue has been asked and fought over so many times, frankly most of us are sick of it.

My belief is no, it is not safe enough to risk my family, others accept those risks and use a portable generator onboard. The choice is yours. I will post a well written risk assessment by our most knowledgeable member, Frank Webster.

MM

By fwebster,

I swore I was not going to participate in another discussion on this, but I cannot let with go with only 1/4 the caution needed. The risks are far more than just CO:

Carbon Monoxide

Is simple to grasp, breathe it in a confined space and you don’t wake up. Permanently mounted marine generators have their exhausts plumbed to exit at or very near the waterline and away from closed occupied spaces.


Uncontained Fuel System Vents

The fuel systems on Honda and other portable generators are vented to the atmosphere and their carburetors have a bowl drain that releases fuel inside the generator case. That means where you run it, store it or put it under way will have gasoline fumes released in the area and if the bowl drain leaks, you have raw fuel spilled and an explosive liquid in the compartment with the generator.


Lack of ignition protection on electrical devices

The electrical components on portables are not ignition protected like marine generator electrical components are. This means you could easily have an arc or spark anytime contact opens or closes or whenever something is plugged in ot disconnected.


Lack of Continuous Grounding

Portable generators pose an additional shock hazard since the portable is not grounded to the boat or to a shore side ground. Likely not a problem with a drill or power tool, but if you connect it to your boat's AC system, you have essentially disconnected the green wire.

The Honda iU series generators are investors. An inverter drives both line and neutral so it is possible to have voltage between neutral and ground. With ground bonded the the boat's bonding system, which mean to the water, this means a shock hazard may exist that normally would not. Anyone who ignores all the above risks and insists on using a portable generator should use a very good, sensitive multi-meter to throughly prove out the electrical system. That the reverse polarity light is lit is clear indication of a potential problem.

The USCG governs only boat manufacturers and the manufacturers voluntarily subscribe to ABYC guidelines, so there is no "law" against using portable generators on boats. However, both the USCG and ABYC say using portable generators on boat is a bad idea and regularly caution boaters against it.

In spite of the fact that Honda’s advertising says that boating is a popular use of their generators, They have not addressed the grounding, gas fume and ignition protection issues and those risks do indeed exist.

If you are one of those who jumped on the CO train and the relatively few deaths attributed to CO, you are not fully considering all the risks of using portable generators on a boat. While accidents may be rare, you do substantially increase your risk of becoming a "statistic" when using a portable generator on a boat.......you put your family unnecessarily at risk when you do.

If you want to test my superficial risk theory, try this: Tell your wife you are buying a portable generator for the boat because it is cheaper and you don’t think the risk of your family not waking up one day was sufficient to require spending the extra money. Also tell her you didn’t bother to consider anything but CO and that you are not ignoring the risks if fire, shock and explosion to your wife and kids.

Good luck...

 

[Golfman25]

Incoming

 

[MattB92]

Considering you are a new boater, please consider taking some safety courses or hiring somebody to teach you the in's and out's of owning/operating a vessel

Not saying the 280 is a beast by all means, but that's quite the boat if you've never operated one before. Please don't end up on bonehead boaters of the week!

 

[Black Valkyrie]

All of the above being considered, running a Honda 2k on the transom and 5 mins to make a coffee or run a microwave wouldn't be the end of the world. Overnight or all day to run AC? That's a different issue.