Mase Generator

I was given a Mase Marine 2.5kw generator with the wired control panel. It was built in 1993, but never installed. The original sound deadening material inside the enclosure has failed and is falling off, but everything else is like new It has a single cylinder Yanmar air cooled diesel. Was wondering if anyone has had any experience with these little generators. The boat has a 10kw genset with a Perkins 4-108, so it's a bit noisy inside and outside. I have never heard a one of these little Mase generator in operation. How is the noise and vibration? Seems like it may be a nice option when I only need a little power.

Why not just hook up a 5 gallon tank of diesel and give it a try? Being air cooled you don’t even need to hook up the hose to it. It isn’t going to run a whole lot but it would charge your batteries.

remwines said:

I was given a Mase Marine 2.5kw generator with the wired control panel. It was built in 1993, but never installed. The original sound deadening material inside the enclosure has failed and is falling off, but everything else is like new It has a single cylinder Yanmar air cooled diesel. Was wondering if anyone has had any experience with these little generators. The boat has a 10kw genset with a Perkins 4-108, so it's a bit noisy inside and outside. I have never heard a one of these little Mase generator in operation. How is the noise and vibration? Seems like it may be a nice option when I only need a little power.

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I had a 4KW and it sucked

It probably still has a water pump feeding a radiator in the soundbox and cooling the wet exhaust. Probably runs at 3600rpm so it sounds like a chainsaw.

Try it and see what it does. Don't expect to be impressed.

Installed inside a hull it will be hotter than hell. You'll need really good ventilation just to keep it cool enough to keep from failing. And the heat could affect the generator.

Here's a video of one running.

https://youtu.be/YVeDIPyGAwA

Not sure I would want to live with that.

It does have a sea water pump. Recircs the air in the box through a radiator full of seawater to cool gen and engine, then a wet exhaust over the side.

Is this what semi trucks use when parked ?

I had the MASE 2.7 in our last boat and boy is it loud! The single cylinder rocks and rolls! This high RPM generator would not be my first choice unless you are limited to a small space for installation.

Hi Ski. I watched that video and it seemed pretty loud. It is surely quieter than my 10kw/Perkins 4-108 genset, but still seemed pretty loud for such a small generator. I've been using a Honda EU-2000 gas generator up on the flybridge while at anchor and can hardly hear or feel it. I was hoping for a reasonably quiet and small fixed diesel option, but this might not be what I'm looking for, even if it was free.



AdmiralS: I think the 2.5kw uses basically the same engine you had in the 2.7. I imagine it was installed in your engine room, which is where I have just enough room for it, but not if it's unreasonably loud and vibrates.

remwines said:

Hi Ski. I watched that video and it seemed pretty load. It is surely quieter than my 10kw/Perkins 4-108 genset, but still seemed pretty load for such a small generator. I've been using a Honda EU-2000 gas generator up on the flybridge while at anchor and can hardly hear or feel it. I was hoping for a reasonably quiet and small fixed diesel option, but this might not be what I'm looking for, even if it was free.



AdmiralS: I think the 2.5kw uses basically the same engine you had in the 2.7. I imagine it was installed in your engine room, which is where I have just enough room for it, but not if it's unreasonably loud and vibrates.

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Ours was installed in a locker in our cockpit. Since it is a single cylinder, it has a decent amount of vibration while running. Start up and shutdown it really rocks and rolls. The noise even with the full enclosure and in the sound proofed locker is LOUD. Im talking neighbors in the anchorage 200 yards away will hear it over their generators running in their own engine rooms.

Food for thought from our experience. Hence we only put 5 hours on it in 2 years. Solar was our friend!

I checked the manual and it shows that when configured to 120v/60Hz, it runs at 3600 rpm. That is high rpm for a single diesel. And having air cooling fins as apposed to water cool jacketed, no wonder it's loud.


After reading AdmiralS last post, I'll use what little engine room space I have for additional batteries to run the inverter. Doesn't get quieter than that.

There are three things you can do to reduce airborne noise in a generator with an enclosure:

1 Replace the acoustic foam typically found in these generators with foam that has a vinyl barrier and better performance

2 Create additional baffle paths to "torture and absorb" noise before it exits the enclosure through the combustion air intake opening

3 Replace any gaskets that may be worn or missing

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What has become standard practice on larger yachts and actually works better on our smaller boats is secondary isolation. That is lift the entire generator and install additional isolators (mounts) under the unit. 2 sets of isolators are better than 1, and this treatment is very effective at reducing both vibration and structure borne noise.

If your 4-108 is loud, it does not need to be. Perkins used really no intake air silencing and that may be where a good bit of noise comes from. And it can be silenced to some extent.

Ski in NC said:

If your 4-108 is loud, it does not need to be. Perkins used really no intake air silencing and that may be where a good bit of noise comes from. And it can be silenced to some extent.

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You're right. It's just foam like you would get from a motorcycle shop. There isn't enough room between the intake and cabin floor above to install a manufactured upright silencer like Parker/Racor offers, but I could fabricate an elbow to attach to something. Any suggestions? Trying not to reinvent the wheel. I looked at Walker filter/silencers, but they don't seem to reduce db's very much.

Get an air cleaner/silencer for a Bobcat skidsteer or mini trackhoe. Donaldson, mount it where ever and plumb it to fit with pvc and hose sleeves.

I had a Mase 2.5. I ran it once, and once only. It was installed (badly) in the lazarette and took up a lot of valuable space.

I sold it to a guy on CF for $400 6 years ago. He drove down from WY to pick it (and 6 Golf cart batteries) up from me. Getting rid of it was one of my better boat improvement projects! So much noise for so little juice. Even free I'm not convinced acquiring one is a good deal. Enter a Honda 20i.

Ski in NC said:

Get an air cleaner/silencer for a Bobcat skidsteer or mini trackhoe. Donaldson, mount it where ever and plumb it to fit with pvc and hose sleeves.

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I have a horizontal Donaldson on my Cummins 6B5.9 and it does the job. I completely forgot about Donaldson, but will check out their Bobcat unit. I'm pretty good at metal tube fab and mandrel bent tubing is easy. Thanks for suggesting the intake noise fix.



Insequent: Thanks for sharing your experience with the Mase 2.5. I am satisfied that even a free one isn't worth the misery and expense of everything needed to install it. It's a no-starter at this point. Will stick with the quiet Honda generator out on the flybridge and add another battery bank as supplement to the inverter. I was also given a Newmar Phase Three PT-40CE smart charger, so will now have the ability to charge 3 battery banks.

It's about time you got rid of that antique charger. It was probably OEM.

I think North Baltic recently posted about silencing the intake noise on his Perkins. I think he engineered his own solution.

Maybe that's something I should look into....times 2!

Hi Al. Knew I'd hear from you on the charger. Can I interest you in a neat little generator?


I still have to install the charger. I will then fill the 4D battery box and have that as the start battery. The other two banks will become house batteries.



After Ski suggested doing something about the inadequate air filter on the Perkins genset, I did consider making a some sort of minor reverse flow baffled airbox to deaden the induction noise. I spent some time today looking at Donaldson air filter/silencer assemblies and found some of the new but older obsolete assemblies on eBay and Amazon for a decent price. I couldn't find any info on dB reduction though. The Cummins engine I put in came with a big Donaldson and it is quieter than the original engine that had a typical foam sock. I think it is quieter that the little Perkins. I recall your two Perkins do make some noise and could benefit from Donaldson air filter/silencers.

Got a link to the silencers you've seen? I'd be interesting in toying with the idea. Here's a link to a similar discussion.

No thanks on the free Mase! My Honda does just fine. Besides, I don't want to scare the fish with that noisy contraption!

Your batteries should be much happier with your new charger.

EDIT: Sorry, it was Irish Rambler (not North Baltic Sea) who modified his Perkins intake. Here are a couple post links to the discussion...

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=704021&postcount=27

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=704066&postcount=28

Ski in NC said:

Here's a video of one running.

https://youtu.be/YVeDIPyGAwA

Not sure I would want to live with that.

.

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Jeebers......The DB's and the voltage output seem to match!!....

Flywright: Here's a link to another forum talking about a Donaldson air filter installed on his Perkins 4.156. scroll down to Skipgundlach. He has pix of the installation. He said it killed his intake noise (like Ski said). I know you have 4.236's, but you'll get the idea. Also attached a link to an intake components outlet if you would like a silicone adapter if your intake nipple is an in-between size:


Perkins 4.108 air filter - Page 2 - Cruisers & Sailing Forums


Intake Pipe Reducer


I'm going to mount a Donaldson on the bulkhead behind the genset and run a combination of hose and tubing to the intake. You could maybe mount yours above the engines and plumb down.



Sorry all for drifting off the original subject. This could have been a new thread.

Thanks, Bob! I'll take a look.