portable generator. Which one?

ST840 said:
My batteries are permanently on a smart charger so are always nicely conditioned. I need the gene to power a coffee machine and tv whilst mid river with no 240v supply.
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Not sure I follow - the batteries will be nicely charged when you are plugged into shore power but they run down when you are mid-river. The genny will run the battery charger and top them up, extending the time you can be away from shore power.

We have a 12volt TV, which I would suggest is a good investment as you don’t want the genny running all the time that you want to watch TV. Coffee machine is a different matter but putting the genny on for the few minutes whist it brews up woikdnt be a drama.
 
What sort of fridge do you have? Absorption or compressor? Latter are much more efficient but if you have the former and can run it off gas then that's the way to go. Needn't be expensive Calor, you could go Safefill like we did.

I added 400w of solar (caravan, not boat) and by using the generator for just the few minutes needed for Microwave, and using a gas hob kettle for convenience, the (expensive Chinese :D) inverter gave us 240v for everything else and we could be off grid permanently on 240Ah of batteries. Not possible without the large fridge/freezer being on gas.
 
limecc said:
Kipor used to manufacture Honda generators under license. Guess where they got their own designs from when they lost the contract. We've seen this before with outboards and diesel heaters of course..

I seem to have formed a Bigplumbs-like collection, except of suitcase generators over the years. Sold a Kipor 5Kw diesel to some nice people who like to tarmac driveways but still have the 3Kw Hyundai and 2.6Kw Briggs & Stratton gennys, also a 700w Clarke that can power a 900w Microwave which I think is pretty amazing considering the startup current might be +50% and that's the peak rating. It's also the quietest of the three, similar to a baby Honda I think. Non-sinewave though.

Boy is that Hyundai loud. It's also big and heavy. Choose the smallest generator you need to power your stuff, you will only be using one high power item at a time, get a 2Kw kettle instead of a quick boil one. That's probably the highest draw along with a hair dryer. Tv's, fridge use next to nothing.
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I think you might find that the Honda Patents ran out - they are normally only in place for 20 years.

First Mate and I had great service from a Kipor 2600 for five years.

Recommended................................... :)
 
john_morris_uk said:
Teach them to play chess or fish or read a book? Give them a job/responsibility on the boat?
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My lad already fishes and plays chess and the guitar and travel monopoly etc etc. but also likes to watch tv. My Mrs loves her Dulce gusto machine, yes we can do without and have done in the past. I'd like to have it all though if I want or can have the option to.
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I had a portable genny on my previous boat. If you need power for battery charger, heating hot water via calorifier, and hair dryer as requested by SWMBO, then best power option is 2kw units. Generators aren't too heavy in weight at this power.
Best out there when I was looking was the Honda 2.0 eui, but I ended up with the Kipor 2.0 as this is a Chinese copy of the Honda and was a big price saving at the time, and was only needed for occasional use.
Searching for a used Honda on eBay, may give good saving over brand new.
I do agree with previous comments ref TV to go with a 12v type. They have minimal power draw, and prices are cheap these days. Much better than having genny running to power a 240v TV.
 
sharpness said:
I had a portable genny on my previous boat. If you need power for battery charger, heating hot water via calorifier, and hair dryer as requested by SWMBO, then best power option is 2kw units. Generators aren't too heavy in weight at this power.
Best out there when I was looking was the Honda 2.0 eui, but I ended up with the Kipor 2.0 as this is a Chinese copy of the Honda and was a big price saving at the time, and was only needed for occasional use.
Searching for a used Honda on eBay, may give good saving over brand new.
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Thanks for the reply. Occasional use is all it would be for. I will Google the kipor.??
 
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Cavalierbond said:
Why do people even have expensive genny on the boats ? Air intake /exhaust /water cooled etc ..
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As it runs 24/7 including underway to power gyro , ac etc. it is also power at the touch of a button with no need to store petrol.

also try running a hob, oven , toaster , kettle , ac and hairdryer from a small gen. It won’t work given most of these can be on at the same time and air con is on permanently
 
jrudge said:
As it runs 24/7 including underway to power gyro , ac etc. it is also power at the touch of a button with no need to store petrol.

also try running a hob, oven , toaster , kettle , ac and hairdryer from a small gen. It won’t work given most of these can be on at the same time and air con is on permanently
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Echoing ^^^ it’s just quieter too so you can run it all the time @ anchor without disturbing others or yourself .
Diesel adds to the petrol free * + gas free boating .
Self sufficiency when away from a marina .
No phaffing about getting 220v ….it’s at the touch of button .
We run ours in the highest med temp / humidity days returning to the marina to power up the air con chill down the boat interior .
When all tied up using the 3 way switch when it’s plugged into the shore with the geny running I just flick it from geny to shore and the aircon switches over seamlessly.

Works SAFLEY in the rain too . ;)
Came with the boat .


*Electric OB .
 
Portofino said:
Echoing ^^^ it’s just quieter too so you can run it all the time @ anchor without disturbing others or yourself .
Diesel adds to the petrol free * + gas free boating .
Self sufficiency when away from a marina .
No phaffing about getting 220v ….it’s at the touch of button .
We run ours in the highest med temp / humidity days returning to the marina to power up the air con chill down the boat interior .
When all tied up using the 3 way switch when it’s plugged into the shore with the geny running I just flick it from geny to shore and the aircon switches over seamlessly.

Works SAFLEY in the rain too . ;)
Came with the boat .


*Electric OB .
Click to expand...

Yep.......you lean over and hold down the switch for a second and the genny fairies just do their stuff.
 
I would question the wisdom of recommending generators without knowing the OP's demands and requirements and then factor in the other issues.

Petrol is currently an issue as it is now E10 which means 10% bio ethanol content and this causes issues as it is hygroscopic and absorbs water so you have to pay top price for super unleaded to avoid this phenominon and it cannot be stored as the ethanol content seperates out from the petrol after about 3-4 weeks and this damages gennies and other petrol engined equipment, ask my old chainsaw.

This leaves diesel as this can run off red diesel from its own tank or fed from the boat tank and as it won't have the petrol issues you know if looked after it will run and be reliable and you won't worry about reliability.

If the batteries are running low after so short a time then there are other potential solutions, larger battery packs are worth looking at as well as reducing electrical consumption.
 
Assassin said:
I would question the wisdom of recommending generators without knowing the OP's demands and requirements and then factor in the other issues.
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What's this politically correct attitude? I'm sure the OP is a grown-up and can make his own mind. Folk here have just been having a general discussion and posting out some info. He did ask 'Portable Generators - Which One?'
 
I think those that have proper gen sets are on quite big boats. On smaller sized boats I dont think they are an option.

Look at your TV and see if it actually has a power brick that reduces it down to 12 volts. If it does you can buy adaptors on eBay to run off your house batteries. If not 12. v tvs are not that expensive and are usually 230 v and 12 volt with built in DVD. I have several and they are very good
 
Totally agree with Assassin.

I’m currently looking into this myself, first thought was to go for a small generator as many people have mentioned, research has found other solutions such as battery power stations such as the ecoflow delta range as an example

link here
Portable Power Stations

Again it all depends on how much you need to draw and over what period of time.


Carl
 
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