Diesel Generator

I am considering the purchase of a 2001 Monk 36 trawler that does not have a generator. My question is two fold: What would you recommend for a diesel generator in the 4.5-5 KW range and what would you estimate the cost to install. I have had gas Westerbeke's in the past and found them incredibly hard to start but other than that no strong opinions about brand.
Thanks
Mainiac

Greetings,
Welcome aboard.

Phasor, Next Gen, and Northern Lights are some names. Here's 5.5kw Next Gen with a sound shield.
http://www.seatechmarineproducts.co...XTGEN-55kw-wenclosure-Ultra-Compact-Generator

And a NL

http://www.seatechmarineproducts.co...s/northern-lights-5kw-diesel-marine-generator

Get a 3cyl 1800rpm unit. Northern lights is good, but super pricey. Norpro and Phasor also make some nice units. Westerbeke ok too. Avoid anything with a computer control.

Install cost depends on the boat and how much modification is needed. Varies too much to estimate over the net.

I think you are looking at $10K or more installed so if you really want a genset you might do better to find a boat that already has one installed.

Northern Lights is considered the gold standard of marine generators: rugged, simple, great marinization. Don't believe the 250 lb spec on Seatech's site. More like 375 lbs.

The NextGen is good. I have a 3.5 kw unit. But it like the Phasor and Entec West is a belt reduced engine speed of 2,800 rpm. But no where near as bad (among other reasons) as the Fisher Panda at 3,600 rpm.

If space is an issue, Westerbeke makes one of the most compact 5KW, 1,800 rpm gensets around.

David

I recently priced generators in that size range and depending upon who you go with north of $10K is not a bad complete guess. If you can find a good running take out and do the work yourself it could be considerably less. A lot of folks find the small Honda units take care of all their needs, if the Monk has never had a generator previously it may suffice for your needs.

My boat has no genset and I find very few times when I really wish it had one. Not enough times to go to the trouble and expense of installing and maintaining one.

I have a propane range, hot water from the engine's waste heat and an inverter and battery bank capable of powering a microwave oven and coffee maker (but not at the same time).

The reason you find boats without a genset is, it's not really a necessity.

I don't have a gen I haven't had one since 1993. I have a large house bank and inverter. It's a no brainer and if you need one for charging batteries, a small one like the Honda works great.

Northern Lights, Westerbeke and Next Gen, all make decent generators. Important variables will be size (how it fits in your engine room) service - are you based in Portland or cruising and who is serving generators in Portand, and reputation of the installers. Also sound shield size, cost is an important item. Stayed with my 29 year old Westerbeke which still keeps running.

When I was considering getting a new generator the Northern Lights 7kw was recommended over and over again.

What will the noisemaker mostly be used for?

Thanks for the prompt replies. There are so few Monk 36 on the market but the majority seem to have generators. My primary need for self generated power is for AC, which even here in Maine is useful to have to decrease dampness. We do spend most of our time on the hook when cruising and I've gotten use to having a genny. That being said, the boat 2000 Monk 36 Trawler Power Boat For Sale - www.yachtworld.com has a 2000 W inverter and a 100 A charger. The house batteries are two 8D, amps unknown at this point. I like the idea of having less mechanical and maintenance worries but have not had much experience with power management without a generator.

In my mind at least the mention of air conditioning kills the whole Honda portable idea. If you do not already own the boat, "where it me", I'd look for one with a genny aboard already if AC was one of my requirements. My 2 cents.

Does the boat already have air conditioning or will you be adding that too?

Compare available boats, an existing generator is not free, likely higher boat price and usually some maintenance will be required, heat exchangers, exhaust elbows, fresh and raw water pumps, alternators all need replacement from time to time. Thus the purchase and installation price of a new generator is not 100% of the cost because you would be paying for some maintenance on an existing generator. Also a new generator warranty is nice.

Given two otherwise identical boats, the one with an installed genset will probably cost far less than buying the other and paying to have a genset installed.

In New England I would think it would be easy to do without a genset just for air conditioning. On the hook, there's usually a breeze. If it's really that hot, you can pay for many nights in a marina for the cost of a genset. And remember, once it's installed and paid for you still have to maintain it and pay for fuel.

rwidman said:

Given two otherwise identical boats, the one with an installed genset will probably cost far less than buying the other and paying to have a genset installed.

In New England I would think it would be easy to do without a genset just for air conditioning. On the hook, there's usually a breeze. If it's really that hot, you can pay for many nights in a marina for the cost of a genset. And remember, once it's installed and paid for you still have to maintain it and pay for fuel.

Click to expand...

Exactly!!!!!

Mainiac said:

Thanks for the prompt replies. There are so few Monk 36 out there to compare but most seem to have generators. My primary need for self-generated power is to run AC. Even here in New England it is nice to have AC to decrease the dampness. We usually spend a fair amount of time on the hook when cruising and I have gotten use to having a genny. That being said, the boat has a 2000 W inverter and a 100 Amp charger with two 8D house batteries, amps unknown at this point. I like the idea of less mechanical and maintenance worries but have little experience in power management without a generator.

Click to expand...

We have a Westerbeke 8 BTD on our Monk 36. Its big enough to run 2 AC units and everything else. We have not found the need (yet) to run the AC on the hook in winter FL so it is very lightly loaded. In fact if it were not for the potential need for AC, a large engine driven alternator and a 2 kw inverter would be plenty for the refrigerator which is the next biggest power consumer. The gen sits in the space along the forward ER bulkhead.

Yes, you'd be most likely better off with getting a boat with genny installed. But as Bay Pelican said there are advantages with getting a genny installed. Really depends on which you'd think better off. Personally I'd get one installed since you have a starting point for maintenance (know what your dealing with)and have warranty. But that's just me just me.

Gennies as they age can be more of a PITA than aged main engines. Little electrical and electronic thingies that cause it to not work. It is fairly common to see an old boat with original mains, but a new gennie. It is because the owner had HAD IT with the thing pooping out on him.

So it is not as simple as finding an older boat with an installed gennie. It might be an unreliable POS. A new gennie is usually reliable for at least ten years.

I have a 5kW in my boat. In the summer it is rarely used. The breeze and shade keeps boat pleasant. But try sleeping in a muggy boat!!! It might only take two hours of gennie to cool and dry the boat, but that is a big deal.

And heat in the winter, then it has to run all night long.

You west coast guys really are not qualified to comment on east coast gennies!!! Your perfect weather has spoiled you!!!

If we anchor out we run the genny all night, we're quite lucky to have good engine-room sound dampening along with the genny in the sound shield it sounds like a AC unit running. Also the Gen-Sep makes it very quiet outside the boat too.
It's nice to wake up nice and cool instead of waking up sweaty.

Ski in NC said:

You west coast guys really are not qualified to comment on east coast gennies!!! Your perfect weather has spoiled you!!!

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I was thinking that when I read about using AC on anchor and living in FL came to mind. Here, all ocean anchorages are at least 10 degrees cooler than in port.

Fair assessment Ski, guilty as charged your honor

Different situations as to the need for a genset. If you are marina hopping a genset may not be necessary. If you are anchoring out regularly then the genset becomes more desirable, especially if you are not moving far or often. We frequently anchor in the same spot for weeks and it would be difficult without a genset. Running the main engine day after day to generate electricity is not a great option (imo) it is also noisier to run the main than a genset in a sound shield. Few main engines can equal the output of a genset set up with two chargers. With that set up my genset puts out 200 amp. My main at cruise puts out 65 amps. At anchor running the main at 1650 rpms to get 65 amps would not be desirable for me.

Bay Pelican said:

Different situations as to the need for a genset. If you are marina hopping a genset may not be necessary. If you are anchoring out regularly then the genset becomes more desirable, especially if you are not moving far or often. We frequently anchor in the same spot for weeks and it would be difficult without a genset. Running the main engine day after day to generate electricity is not a great option (imo) it is also noisier to run the main than a genset in a sound shield. Few main engines can equal the output of a genset set up with two chargers. With that set up my genset puts out 200 amp. My main at cruise puts out 65 amps. At anchor running the main at 1650 rpms to get 65 amps would not be desirable for me.

Click to expand...

That explains why some folks need gensets and some don't. I think the larger the boat, the more one expects to have a genset.

My primary need for self generated power is for AC, which even here in Maine is useful to have to decrease dampness.

No need for air cond , what you need is a dehumidifier , if the boats natural venting can not be brought up to spec.

This will operate fine with a Honda , as required.

About 1/6 the cost of a diesel noisemaker , plus install, plus purchasing and installing an air cond setup.

With the Maine water temps , I would assume a nice wood stove would solve the problem , rather than air cond .

Living in an air cond boat means it must be closed up, canned air in Maine? UGGGH!