Honda generator EU20i - anyone got one?

[Richard10002]

Hi,

Has anyone got one of these generators? Is it as quiet as they say? Any problems? Do you wish you had spent less money on a cheaper one, e.g. Kippor?

Many Thanks

Richard

 

[1317]

I own one. Yes. No. No.

 

[Ramage]

I also own one, and my answers are also Yes, No, No.

Re the Kipor, Honda seized all their stock (and spares) and crushed them, having won a court case over patent infringement.

Spares may therefore be an issue for Kipor owners.

 

[No Regrets]

I had one, and it was perfect.

Kipor is a nasty Chinese copy, and like comparing £1.99 Asti with Vintage champagne.

~Best thing is, a good Eu20i is 'hard currency.

Buy a good used one off Ebay, and you will get your money back aqfter a year or two!

 

[jimbaerselman]

I'm sure we've had some of this conversation. The petrol genny will work a treat if your mains charger is smart, or puts out 14.4v as sensed at the battery terminal.

And you'll need to see how the power output is distributed to the various battery banks. Good chargers have three isolated outputs - each sensed to battery via a large gauge wire. Cross your fingers!

 

[djefabs]

Yes Richard I also own one and as the others have said Yes, No & No.

 

[steve_cronin]

If it were the EU10i

... then I guess that the answers would be Yes, Yes, No since I've heard one of these running and I must say that I was impressed by it's quietness. If all you're going to use it for is supplying your battery charger then I would suggest that the 10 would be sufficient. It also is much lighter and compact than the 20. I have a Trent Power which looks like a Yamaha but isn't as quiet as the Honda.

However, one annoying feature of the auto-throttle set-up when used with a smart charger is that as soon as you switch on the charger goes into "Boost" phase which makes the genny rev to near maximum for (in our case) four hours. I would prefer to be able to disable the Boost on the charger to give the genny a better time of it (and the neighbours) but my Dolphin bought from Merlin does not have this facility - or at least I can't find how to enable it. This also causes regular and unwanted boosts every time the marina power is interrupted which in Corfu can be several times a day.

Steve Cronin

 

[michael_w]

I've got the EU 10i version. Good bit of kit; used it extensively for battery charging duties whilst on an Atlantic circuit. Useful for running my 240v power tools when fitting out in the USA.

Now used to power up my rented lock-up garage/workshop/shed. Just manages to run a fan heater and the hoover, though not at the same time.

 

[Anonymous]

Richard, don't be tempted to buy a generator then run it flat out for long.

Generators don't usually like to be run at more than 50% or 60% load continuously. 50A charging takes just under 1kW from the genny so you can work it out for yourself. Generally, it is poor economy to use a genny for boiling a kettle but it is nice for toaster, steamer, microwave, etc. so for liveaboard use I would try to go for a 2kW rather than a 1kW. Even then, try not to let it run flat out at 2kW for more than 15 or 20 minutes. You will also probably use it to heat your domestic hot water to save running the main engine so you need to factor that into the size you need.

I have a 6kW which is rather bigger than we need, but then we do have aircon as well. Err on the side of extra size.

 

[orizaba]

we used to hire them out ,had about 40 on hire and after all the abuse they go they were still ok after 3 years plus,just changed the oil and plugs when they came back to us and off they went again,they were used on exhibition trailers etc and were usually on the go for 12 hrs a day 7 days a week for 6-8 months of the year,the only quiet genny we found that would stand that sort of use.

 

[Elessar]

Fabulous but I didn't realise until someone smashed the window of my car and nicked it. I replaced it with the chinese one. That was a waste of money and made me realise just how good the Honda is.

 

[Richard10002]

[ QUOTE ]
I'm sure we've had some of this conversation.

[/ QUOTE ]

Jim

We have... but in relation to another generator which came with the boat, and is now dead! It fell of the cockpit seat during a rolly night at anchor, landed upside down on the carrying handle, which dented the petrol tank, splitting it at the bottom, and pouring, (only a bit), petrol all over the cockpit floor. So it's sitting on the sugar scoop awaiting disposal - not worth trying to fix... it was very noisy, leaked/sprayed oil from the exhaust, and all in all, a pile of crap only suitable for emergencies.

The charger is a newmar 220/12-40 and it says that it is smart.

David,

I'm definitely going to buy the 2Kw version .. thought I was going to order one tonight from the hardware shop opposite the dinghy dock, but his "Honda" generators are actually "Mosa" generators with Honda engines.

I'll see what's available in malta, or get one from England - 21Kg, but if that's all I bring back, no matter.

Thanks to all for the reassurance.

One question...... presumably these have to be used outdoors due to the exhaust.... is it possible to rig an exhaust from below, so as to keep them out of the rain, (not that there will be much in Malta, but you never know... or do you). Or is that a stupid question?

Many Thanks to all.

 

[Anonymous]

A 40A charger is quite small, really, for liveaboard. The problem is that you will want to run the genny in the evening when all the lights, fridge, fans, TV/PC, etc. are on and charge the battery. Suppose the other dc kit is drawing, say, 20A then you are only charging at 20A which is horribly slow. Rather than replace the present charger, consider putting another one alongside it, say another 40A, then you have a spare as well as 80A capacity! All you have to do is connect the outputs together and make sure that you programme (set) them to do the same thing. If 40A is expensive or too large, how about an extra 20A? It will make a big difference to you. I used to have a Sterling 20A charger that gave excellent service - these days they badge them and I have heard that they are OK.

I wouldn't play around with the exhaust, myself. Most people run them on deck. You could make a semi-permanent home in a deck locker, I suppose, with ventilation? Try asking other M44 owners?

 

[retsina]

I bought a geny for £39 from B&Q 950W, 2 stroke, a few years ago and is still very good and reliable. I also have a 4 stroke 3KW, however, I always go back to the cheap £39 geny for most of the time.

 

[cliff]

[ QUOTE ]
I also own one, and my answers are also Yes, No, No.

Re the Kipor, Honda seized all their stock (and spares) and crushed them, having won a court case over patent infringement.

Spares may therefore be an issue for Kipor owners.

[/ QUOTE ]1) There is absolutely no problem with Kipor spares.
2) Honda UK managed get the courts to sieze SOME suitcase units in the UK.
3) Kipor are still sold in the UK.
4) If you want a suitcase type Kipor - pick one up in Europe where they are readily available.

Amazingly as soon as the Honda UK debacle occurred, other "makes" suddenly appeared on the market such as Trent Power and Evo Power.

I have a Kipor 3000ti and have run it along side a Honda 20 and power for power I could not notice any real difference in noise levels (the Honda maxed out at around 1.6kw) certainly at 2~2.3kw the kipor was a little noisier but the Honda could not match the power output above 1.6kw.

On the subject of spares the main spare which might be needed is the low oil warning sender however that can be easily bypassed if it malfunctions. Sparkplugs are "off the shelf" - other spares are available mail order from a number of UK suppliers.

Certainly the Hondas are nice units but IMHO not worth the extra beer tokens.
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>

 

[nickcred]

/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Kipor owner 3000ti, always started first time, guys on our mooring comment how quiet it is, loads of power for our needs. Been running it for 2 years now and no issues at all so far. For the money I think it was superb value, seems they are more expensive now than the £370 ish I seem to remember paying.

 

[cliff]

Glad I am not the only one who rates the Kipors well. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Only problem I had with mine was after #1 sprog changed the spark plug - wrong gap - wouldn't start - reset the gap and no problem.
--------------------

"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
sailroom <span style="color:red">The place to auction your previously loved boatie bits</span>

 

[Anonymous]

Another thought about where you position these portable gennys....they use petrol and for sure you are going to refill them in situ. You don't want to be filling a petrol tank inside the boat. Danger, and the smell would make you change your mind within a few hours. The downsides of portable gennies are where to put them and carrying more flammable petrol than you'd like but the alternative is an inbuilt diesel.

Before you buy the Honda, it's worth checking the price of a diesel. It is really nice to be able to get electricity at the flick of a switch and you will use a lot of fuel. If you can use diesel you won't have to keep filling up. And you won't keep tripping over it on deck. Finally, it will add value to the boat (or make it easier to sell).

 

[philfin]

Yes I have one also, as everybody says, its a good machine, trouble free (so far 2 1/2 yrs) and quiet-ish. I say quiet-ish because no matter how quiet it is, it is still blissful when you turn it off!

 

[Flossdog]

Does anyone have experience of working two gennies (eg 2 x EU10i) together to increase the capacity? Is it simply a case of wiring the pos and neg from each together?