1kw gensets

lumphammer

lumphammer

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I'm looking recommendations for a 1kw suitcase type genset to run a 300w battery charger.
Our 23ft boat only has an outboard that doesn't have an alternator output and as we are on a swinging mooring and tend to anchor slot relying on solar alone is a bit risky given the amount of sunshine we get.
I don't want / can't afford the Honda, which I reckon is one of the quietest, anything else I should look at?
 
Seastoke said:
Only Honda , is it incase engine won’t start.
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If the engine doesn't start it's because I'm not pulling the starter cord hard enough. It's a manual start outboard.
At moment I have one battery for domestic use with just a 50w solar panel for charging which I feel is ok for keeping battery topped up while on mooring, but struggle during a weekend sailing and anchoring overnight.
 
In typical forum style I won't answer your question but ask one - how much battery capacity do you have? It might be more pleasant to increase battery to get you through the weekend? You can always add a roving solar panel to boost your input while you're away
 
KevinV said:
In typical forum style I won't answer your question but ask one - how much battery capacity do you have? It might be more pleasant to increase battery to get you through the weekend? You can always add a roving solar panel to boost your input while you're away
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Good point, the boat is new to me and I haven't yet been able to do a power audit, but it will have chartplotter, lights, tiller pilot and anchor light. It currently has a 90 Ah battery
 
KevinV said:
In typical forum style I won't answer your question but ask one - how much battery capacity do you have? It might be more pleasant to increase battery to get you through the weekend? You can always add a roving solar panel to boost your input while you're away
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I agree that it seems to me another battery would be best if in fact you do need more capacity. Perhaps even lithium. ol'will
 
This will do the job, and because it has an inverter it throttles down the engine speed to only what is required to supply the demand. This is very helpful for battery charging when the current the battery accepts drops quickly, meaning that the generator responds by throttling back making it quieter and using less fuel than fixed speed generators.

Excel Petrol Inverter Generator 4-Stroke Engine - 800W Power Output, 4

There are many brands of the same type but they are all the same. They are compact, light, not too expensive and with the priming bulb easy to start. They use little fuel at part load.
 
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lumphammer said:
Good point, the boat is new to me and I haven't yet been able to do a power audit, but it will have chartplotter, lights, tiller pilot and anchor light. It currently has a 90 Ah battery
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You will be looking at maybe 30-40ah a day depending on how much sailing you do using the autopilot, so roughly enough for a weekend. wait for a season to see what your real usage is. Reduce consumption as much as possible by converting everything you can to LED. Suspect that 100ah of lithium or an additional LA battery and increased solar to 100w will be more than enough. a genny is really not a practical thing to carry around on a small boat plus really spoils your anchoring experience.
 
Charging lead acid batteries from a generator is horribly inefficient. It may be your best option but I would explore alternatives first.
 
When we had a smaller 23ft boat, on a swing mooring, we happily managed with a 100ah agm and a 100w panel with victron controller. The panel wasn’t fixed, just left in the cockpit when not sailing. Perhaps some more solar would be a good start, it’s cheap enough nowadays.

The other option is something like those blueti power banks, take it home to charge and top up with a solar panel when aboard.
 
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