Diesel, Built-In Genset Questions

[CaptainBob]

Our old boat came with a 4.5kW Fischer Pansda plumbed in.

First season now over.

We used it a couple of times but it took ages to start, and was very noisy once started, so we tended to use our old (ebay cheap) Honda EX650 suitcase gen on the aft deck as we could hardly hear it and it gave "just" enough to charge the batts.

Then the suitcase gen packed up.

Then the Fischer Panda failed to start.

So I now have to decide what to do for next season...

We could have the FP sorted out. Seems it could be as simple as re-seating the valves - but _might_ be requiring new piston rings which would be expensive. And the bloomin thing is noisy anyway and produces far more power than we could ever want.


Options:

I could rip it out and ebay it off and buy a new suitcase gen, but all the "plumbing" and space for an inboard is present, so it seems a waste.

I could buy something smaller to replace it, using the existing plumbing etc. Any recommendations?

Or leave it in place, forget about it, and get a suitcase gen.

Or?

TY!

 

[Tradewinds]

I once had a FP4.

Personally, I wouldn't throw any money at it.

Move on to something else.

 

[NormanS]

If you only used it a couple of times, and the suitcase genny was adequate, I think you know the answer. I'm sure the space it makes will form a useful locker.

 

[sarabande]

generator technology has moved forward since the design of that FP engine.

Extract it, seal the through hulls, flog it , and put the money towards a good suitcase Honda with much better environmental and sound credentials, and which could be used when all the lights go out at home in winter.

The space will always find something important to fill it.

 

[rob2]

It may be a silly aside - but on a boat a 650W generator is considered a useful power source, in your house it might spark up two light bulbs. It just made me think that i ought to get a few LED lights for the house, too! I don't have a genny sitting around, but the boat batteries are in the shed...

Rob.

 

[Mistroma]

Actually it could be quite useful. I bought a Yamaha EF600 for my previous boat around 20 years ago and brought it home each winter.

It has been run during quite a few power outages over the years and manages to keep the house warm, run some lights, TV and Fridge (or Freezer).

Central heating timer & pump: 60W
2 40W lights: 80W
TV 100W
Fridge 150W
Total 390W

Above figures are just estimates off top of my head but you get the idea. The EF600, as with most generators, can't supply full output for long but central heating & fridge aren't on all the time. So even 400-500W output is actually quite useful.

On the other hand, I had to buy a 2kW Honda generator for my current boat as the EF600 wouldn't even drive the battery charger. I suppose the difference is that the generator on a boat is run for a short time to push as much power as possible into batteries as quickly as it can be managed.

I'm not storing the power at home, just producing enough to get by. I suppose that running a 2kW genny for 2 hours/day is roughly equiv. to running a 166W one all day.

 

[CaptainBob]

We're all LED on the boat, no shore-power, and work on Laptops for ~8 hours a day during the week. We also have the fridge running all the time. Also have 160W solar. When the sun is dim all day we seemed to need the 650 gen to do batts charging through our 40A smart charger, while the laptop(s) are on, for about 3 hours a day, to keep on track.

At first it trips out a few times as the charger gives the full 40A for a bit, so a new 1kW Honda would be perfect. About £800 though!

But then there's the 1kW "Clarke 720" units on the link below which are £80! They get good reviews too! You could buy 10 of them for the price of the Honda!

 

[sarabande]

set up a search on ebay for a Honda or other big brand. They do come up from time time as urgent Buy It Now sales, and if you can leap into action quickly...

I bought a Honda 1000 for £323 - almost unused. I didn't enquire why the instruction booklet was missing

 

[pcatterall]

Repair of your Panda seems to be not advised but the idea of an inboard genny sounds neat ( no lugging stuff onto the deck, usebale in bad weather always ready to go etc)
I would like to use the existing fittings and plumb in a phsically smaller genny. Perhaps there would be space for some more sound insulation.

 

[Billjratt]

It may be a silly aside - but on a boat a 650W generator is considered a useful power source, in your house it might spark up two light bulbs. It just made me think that i ought to get a few LED lights for the house, too! I don't have a genny sitting around, but the boat batteries are in the shed...

Rob.

Depends where you live but it could be enough to get the gas central heating operational in a prolonged outage. Light can be sourced in many simpler ways.