A boat that size should have a generator. Will be hard to sell without.

 

I wish I did not have one... IMHO they are PITA, and not worth it... Mine hydro locked twice, and I only used the second on for 70 hours... Just install an inverter and buy a jump pack...

 

Don't know what summers in WI are like. But in MD it gets hot and muggy. So the only way to keep AC in the cabin is with a generator. I wouldn't NOT have one around here. In fact, I run the Gen more than my engines.

If you have kids or dogs (or even a wife) that you plan to take aboard, get a boat with one. Besides, the next buyer of your boat will expect one in a boat of this size.



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with generator, no doubt

 

A boat without a genny really is hamstrung when not sitting at the dock.

Many like to save money for example and use a mooring during the season. They go out once or twice a week and fire up the genny to keep batteries charged to run the bilge pumps. Saves thousands a year in New England. If you are at anchor the difference in comfort is notable..no genny, no ice, no frig or freezer, no ac, no water pressure. Now depending on your systems, some or all of these items will run off the battery, but who wants to risk a dead battery in the middle of nowhere when you try to start the engines in the morning?

Having said all of that I actually have to start my genny once a week to keep it in shape...dont use it that often. But the next guy will want it, no doubt. And of course if you dont run it once in a while it will drive you crazy. They are loud and smelly, but an important safety and comfort item in my opinion.

 

There are two points to consider here...resale value and personal comfort.

As stated previously, while living in Florida there is no way in hell I would have purchased my boat WITHOUT a generator. The weather is hot for nearly 7 months a year and while using my boat I want to be able to sleep at night and have a place to get out of the sun. We spend 2, sometimes 3 days at a time on the hook. Without AC there would be no way we could make it that long. The generator also runs our electric griddle, charges our batteries, powers the hot water heater and allows the admiral to blow dry her hair. We could use an inverter for some of these functions but not all of them.

In my opinion, resale value depends on where you are located. Living in Florida I would find it difficult to sell my boat without the generator but if I lived in WI, I don't think it would make as much difference. If you're considering it so will others. It just might be that they're not as necessary where you live. Not having one shouldn't make it that much harder to sell when the time comes.

If selling the boat isn't any more difficult it all boils down to using your boat and the level of comfort you require.

 

There's no way in hell I would buy a boat that size or larger that did not have a genset.

 

do you 'need' a genny?......no....

will you 'want' a genny.....yes....


cliff

 

I think it depends on what kind of boating you plan to do.

 

I agree with the majority here. We started looking at 240DAs and moved up to a 260DA because we could get one with a gen. Where we live and boat, we would spend much less time on it without one. It would just not be fun. I do not know how anyone could sleep on a boat down here this time of year without one.

I have read all of the horror stories about the Kohler 5ECD and I may jinx myself by saying this, but we have never really had an issue. People say they eat impellers. In 3 years and almost 300 hours, I have replaced it one time and saved the used one for a spare. Spark plugs have been changed twice just because I thought I needed to. Maybe you get good ones and maybe you get bad ones. When I crank it around 6pm to cool the cabin down, it runs constantly until 8am or so after the coffee is made and breakfast is cooked. The only issue I have ever had was the coupling between the impeller and drive.

Bennett

 

Too many unknowns for me.

Which brand Gennie and how big?

How many hours and how well maintained?

Size of a pair of 7.4's vs. a pair 8.1's in the bilge? Is one harder to work on than the other given the space in the bilge? Fuel consumption at cruise of each? Is the 8.1 as proven as the 7.4?

Is a SR 340 pre-wired for a gennie?

Could the no gennie be a HUGE bargaining chip for you?. I'm thinking in the ball park of $15K - $20K depending on install costs. A new 5kW LoCO W'beke is $9500 out of the crate. I don't know what a retrofit would cost and I would only let a licensed insured certified marine electrician touch it. They don't come cheap. Preferably former USCG or USN Electrician's Mate on a second career.

Full mechanical including fluids and compression tests as well as hull surveys are a must on either and may throw one or the other out of the picture completely.

Good luck in whatever you decide.

 

I can share my buying experience from last year. While looking at 330's and 340's I looked at roughly the same number with and without generators. I wanted to snag a boat with a generator but at the time it wasn't a deal-breaker or "must have" for me.

I did not notice a difference in selling price of boats in this age range with and without the generator. As stated above I don't think generators in this area are generally considered "must haves" and as such the overall value probably won't take a significant hit without one. Again, this is based on my shopping last year. My experience indicated that sell price was substantially impacted by 1.) overall condition (how it shows) of the boat, 2.) hours on the motors and 3.) whether or not the deck had rotted/been repaired.

All of that said, after spending a few nights on the hook a couple weeks ago (first time with this boat) I'm convinced I won't buy another boat without one.

 

Another Marylander...so I vote with Scooper321.


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Thanks all for your very insightful feedback. While it is certainly not what I wanted to hear, I did have many of the same thoughts somewhere way in the back of my mind.


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Had a friend sell his older 34 Dancer a few years ago. No genny. He all but had to give it away with the most common comment by potential buyers "if it only had a genny I'd be interested…". Of course, the cost to install a new one was ridiculous and would never be recouped with a higher sale price. The guy that first ordered the boat with 8.1's and no genny made a mistake in my opinion.

 

Do you feel you MUST buy one of the two that are available? In other words, how about shopping a little longer to see if you can have your cake and eat it, too?

Also, let's flip the conditions: would having heat in the cabin while away from shore power make your boating life better? Would you get a longer and/or improved season before you have to haul out and wrap up for winter?

When our generator worked, we had much more time on the hook in late fall/early winter/early spring and thoroughly enjoyed it. With the camper canvas installed, we could leave the cabin door open, run the cabin heat, and use a small electric space heater in the cockpit (with blowers running and CO monitors in place and functional, of course) and be very comfortable in both spaces in pants and long sleeves. We even spent some nights on the hook, with cabin closed and running cabin heat/no space heater.

 

You really should get the genny. I run mine every time I leave the marina until I tie up at the next destination. I have replaced the impeller once in 7 years. It's not a must have but it's like A/C in a car. Not necessary but great to have. If you buy the one with the genny, just run it often under a load. My mechanic has said the only genny he's had to fix are the ones people never use. Good luck!

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Do you really want to spend all that money only to say.. "man I wish I had this or I wish I had that" Get it right the first time and you'll save a ton of money later. We'll, at least for a little while. Good luck. Brian

 

Gennys add a lot of utility to a boat in the northern climes. As others have mentioned, heat is great to have when running a boat in Michigan. Wisconsin will be the same. In April the water is cold. We use the heat and the air, often on the same day. Leaving the heat on keeps the dew off the windows on cool damp nights and provides comfort. Also, it is not unusual to see temps in the sun of 100+ degrees in the cockpit in the summer. A/C gives you a place to cool off. Ice makers need a genny. On the hook.....coffee and a hot breakfast in the morning. A hot shower shower after a day of swimming in the lake. We do a lot of boating on rainy days. Reverse cycle A/C makes this a comfortable fun time. The list goes on. Buy the boat with the genny.

 

As long as the consensus is generator without hesitation, what are the thoughts on adding one to a '01 340 after the fact? I really like the 8.1 engine option and low hour aspect of this boat. If I can buy right, is adding it down the road feasible? I am prepared for $10k but if that value can be recouped on resale, I might be all in.

I know the panel has space fillers where the label says "generator" however I haven't been able to confirm if it was pre-wired for it (was that even an option in '01)


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I have a '99 with a gennie. I seriously doubt your possible choice was pre-wired. Bean counters wouldn't allow it. I could be wrong..... But I doubt it.... Barring the lack of an ISO standard, It would make too much sense to pre-wire at the factory.

To to answer your question, you will NOT recover the value on resale. Value is a buyers only view. What you will get on install is the boat you want. On resale in any given market, you will be a step above the same boat w/o a gennie leading to a faster sale unless the non gennie boat discounts the selling price by a gennie plus retrofit cost. Unless one is a serious boater who has done the homework assignment (including the pros and cons of a Honda on the platform) it ain't gonna sell. It's part of the instant gratification mentality. Casting a wide net, anticipate a 20 to 50 cent on the dollar ROI.

I would do my homework as to the REAL selling price of this model year. KBB may be of some help to start. Then I would honestly reverse engineer the offer. Here is the KBB with a gennie. Here is the KBB without a gennie. Here is the local market price for your boat. Here is my offer. The delta is the average of three quotes to retrofit a gennie.

Or or you could give all your needs and wants and bottom line to a hired gun (buyers agent) and let him/her do the leg work.

 

That seems like a lot to go through to add the genny. I would just keep looking until "the boat" comes along. There has to be more than two 340's for sale in your area.

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I have owned my 330 Sundancer with NO generator for about 13 years, we use it a lot for weekend outings as well as fairly extensive trips (200-300 miles each). When we travel we primarily stay in marinas, but do occasionally do stay overnight on the hook but we choose our nights based on weather. I do not see a gas generator being a deal breaker on a gas boat, I would never sleep with a gas generator running all night anyway, if it was diesel I would definitely feel more comfortable sleeping with it running. I can run my boat on the hook with my TV, both refrigerators, lights, water pumps, and head for up to 2-3 days with no issues, we do have a engine heat exchanger for hot water and we do run a small inverter for small appliances. When at anchor with hatches open it is almost always very comfortable. If you plan on staying on the hook often I would say a generator is more important to you then to me as I rather stay in a marina other then just a handful of nights per year. Personally I think most gas generators are noisy and obnoxiously loud, I would rather spend $2k and install a large inverter with a few golf cart batteries if I really was concerned.

 

First, even prewired, a new generator for a 340 now cost $12 without installation... Second, I agree with Larry, the juice is not worth the squeeze... An invertor is good enough, as long as you don't live in the deep south...

 

No generator on my 330. It would be "nice" to have if I stayed on the hook a lot, but I don't use my boat much like that. I find with a butane burner and BBQ, along with the golf cart house batter bank and inverter for running the microwave, I am good to go for 2-3 days cooking whatever we need. Our summers can get hot, but normally nights are pleasant so AC on a boat is not necessary here. I think we are warmer than WI here in summer. Up here in the tranquil north, running a generator at night is considered rude, and I would not run a gas one while sleeping at all. IMO, the lack of a generator would not be a deal breaker, especially if you can us that as a negotiation point to get a better price.

 

I suppose the real answer to the question is what an individual owner wants to do. If the deal depends on a $10,000 install and 8.1s, then that deal probably will not happen. Adding a genny is more likely to run $15,000 at a minimum and maybe $20,000. If the 8.1s are the priority, then be prepared to enjoy fewer boating options and save the money. While we are at it, why add a Koehler genny if you are starting fresh? Westerbeck makes a 5Kw that is so quiet it is hardly noticeable. On a quiet evening we hear a little burbling sound under our swim platform at anchor and nothing at all from 20 feet away. Inside the boat the sound is from the bilge blower, also not very loud. We paid a little extra for the genny but our season is truly 6 months and it is comfortable regardless of the temps or rain. If you enjoy that sort of activity, the genny is the best way to go.

 

why add a Koehler genny if you are starting fresh? Westerbeck makes a 5Kw that is so quiet it is hardly noticeable. On a quiet evening we hear a little burbling sound under our swim platform at anchor and nothing at all from 20 feet away. Inside the boat the sound is from the bilge blower, also not very loud.

+1....the other day i had to ask one of my guest that was sitting in the cockpit rear seats if my Westerbeke genny was still running while on a slow speed cocktail cruise.....I could not hear it running from the Captain's seat......my guest had to visually verify that water was still pumping before she answered me.....

cliff