Generator recommendations for Phantom 40

[Benny59]

Hi all

I'm just about to join the mobo community as I hope to close the purchase of a used Phantom 40 very soon

The boat in question is the desired spec for our usage except that it is not fitted with a generator

I invite recommendations from the forum please

Many thanks
Benny

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

What's the generator for? If lots of aircon then you might need 7kw; if just general use at anchor then 4kw would be fine. I have 4kw Onan on my Targa 40, and love it. Very nice bit of kit.

 

[Benny59]

What's the generator for? If lots of aircon then you might need 7kw; if just general use at anchor then 4kw would be fine. I have 4kw Onan on my Targa 40, and love it. Very nice bit of kit.

Thank you for responding JTB

The genny is to power the boat systems when overnighting such as microwave, sat tv, kettle and of course hair dryer

There is no air con as heating is Eberspacher blown air system. I'd prefer if the genny can power the above + a couple of 1.5kw oil filled rads.

 

[novanta]

I would say Onan of Kohler with soundshield. Always buy a 1500rpm set and fitted with a waterlock and water seperator. Then you have a set wich you want to use, otherwise it will make to much noise.

 

[CharlieAlpha]

I would say Onan of Kohler with soundshield. Always buy a 1500rpm set and fitted with a waterlock and water seperator. Then you have a set wich you want to use, otherwise it will make to much noise.

+1

 

[John100156]

I'd steer clear of HFL - its a shame their generators work well but if you have a problem they are a nightmare to contact or get a response out of....

As JTB says 7kVA if you intend to run AC, my 6kVA will run my two reverse cycle heat pumps and has never tripped but I reckon given the inductive load if both compressors kicked-in at the same time and we had switched the kettle on it might......

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

Thank you for responding JTB

The genny is to power the boat systems when overnighting such as microwave, sat tv, kettle and of course hair dryer

There is no air con as heating is Eberspacher blown air system. I'd prefer if the genny can power the above + a couple of 1.5kw oil filled rads.

4kw will do you then. I'd be surprised if you needed elec rads as well as the eber, they are usually pretty good (assuming it's a D5 or better).

 

[david_bagshaw]

Onan 7.5Kva, 1500 RPM, with halyard drying exhaust, sound proof case.

Whatever size you think is big enough now, it isnt in service. You will want the kettle, & the micrwave, and the ice maker & the charger on at the same time.

 

[Benny59]

Onan 7.5Kva, 1500 RPM, with halyard drying exhaust, sound proof case.

Whatever size you think is big enough now, it isnt in service. You will want the kettle, & the micrwave, and the ice maker & the charger on at the same time.

"Ice maker"

I reckon the potential max load running at the same time may be
Two electric rads - for quietness
Kettle
Combi microwave
Kettle
Sat TV

and of course MrsB cannot use the hairdryer while she's cooking :encouragement:

So two recommendations above

Seems Onan are the make of choice ?

Thanks
Benny

 

[Whitelighter]

Two kettles? Thirsty work this boating lark...

A generator us a big investment. Thing like the microwave and kettles are high draw for a short time, and therefore very suited to inverter use. Granted you couldn't use them at the same time but in reality three minutes isn't long to wait.

thecradiators probably not suitable, but a he set install seems extreme to run oil filled rads. Probably cheaper to go for a hydronic heating system with radiators and low power air handler ax you can even have heated towel rails invited heads all off 12v

 

[mjf]

I posted a thread on Paguro who Advanced Yacht Installations suppled and fitted a few years ago

Its very compact and quiet . I'm delighted with it and its great at anchor for recharging batteries, hot water etc and oven cooking.

very economical too it seems when I look at my refuelling history vs genset running hours from that ME fueltank

 

[Nick_H]

"Ice maker"

I reckon the potential max load running at the same time may be
Two electric rads - for quietness
Kettle
Combi microwave
Kettle
Sat TV

and of course MrsB cannot use the hairdryer while she's cooking :encouragement:

So two recommendations above

Seems Onan are the make of choice ?

Thanks
Benny

I'd forget the rads. They won't be quieter because you'll have to run the genny, so you're better off just running the Eberspacher. You then have a very low demand, because it's no hassle to ensure the kettle and hair dryer don't run at the same time, plus get a 2KW kettle not 3. The one item you did forget is the battery charger, but they are not usually a huge draw, so a 4 kva genny will be fine IMHO.

As others have said, ensure you get a good install with an exhaust silencer.

 

[jrudge]

Given you are not on the med and as the boat does not have a geni at the moment I assume cooking is gas.

Do you really need a gen. I love having one but on last 2 boats were factory fit. Good inverter and a few extra batteries would seem to fit your requirement.

 

[BartW]

Given you are not on the med and as the boat does not have a geni at the moment I assume cooking is gas.

Do you really need a gen. I love having one but on last 2 boats were factory fit. Good inverter and a few extra batteries would seem to fit your requirement.

+1 a good and powerfull invertor + good quality battery monitor and a few extra batt's

 

[Benny59]

Thank you all for your comments

I hadn't thought about the noise of the genny. I just know that our friends Eberspacher kicks up one hell of a racket through the ducting

Cooker is indeed gas and sure enough microwave and kettle will not be used at the same time as a hairdryer

So max load is likely to be charger, Sat TV and kettle (only 1)

In the end I suppose it will come down to using the boat for a while then contracting a local engineer wherever we end up with the boat

Thanks again
Benny

 

[scubaman]

One item missing from the list is the immersion heater which draws quite a bit.

I have a 4kva Onan and get on with it well. On our typical use we need to switch off the immersion heater when using the kettle but otherwise there's plenty of power for our everyday use.

 

[Benny59]

One item missing from your list is the immersion heater which draws quite a bit.

I have a 4kva Onan and get on with it well. On our typical use we need to switch off the immersion heater when using the kettle but otherwise there's plenty of power for our everyday use.

Yes indeed Scubaman, thanks for that

My inexperience showing now

Do you have a genny on your fine boat ?

 

[scubaman]

Yes indeed Scubaman, thanks for that

My inexperience showing now

Do you have a genny on your fine boat ?

Yes indeed I have a 4kva Onan genny and as others have said it's fine when there's no airco to feed. Relatively quiet and smooth running things. I have no idea to which base engine the current equivalent is based on but Onan seems a popular make and should be a safe choice. On balance it has to be said that i've had a few problems with mine (exhaust manifold and water pump) but the spare parts service has been good.

I'd definitely recommend a generator, it's great to have the piece of mind of never running out of power.

Fingers crossed for the succesful completion of the purchase of the boat!

 

[Illusion]

We never had one on our P40, but I must admit it was one of the few things I wished we'd had at times.
The type of boating you plan to do will dictate, if you always head for marinas and hook up to shore power, it will hardly get used, however if you like the idea of being more self sufficient at anchor or on buoys in rivers, then it's a must imho.
The standard factory fit was the Onan 4kva, which is probably what I would have gone for. On our next boat (T44) this very genny was fitted from new and were very happy with it.

 

[rafiki_]

We have a Kohler on the Azi. Great bit of kit, quiet easy starting, and tucked nicely out of the way in th lazerette. I think it uses one of their own engines, but not 100% sure.
The Hardy next to us has a Fisher Panda. The gennie part has recently seized as it has alu cooling pipes, which have rotted away! Barking. Similar units from FP as stating for freshwater use only. Someone should have mentioned this to Hardy 10 years ago! The whole unit has to come out of the boat, which is a nightmare, as the upper structure was fitted in build, after the engines/gennie were mounted.