GenSet etiquette while anchoring

What’s the commonly accepted manners in running generators in the evening or morning in the more popular coves in British Columbia? Hours? Etc.

Start at 8AM, stop at 10PM

There will be those that will say, never run your generator crowd. Sorry I am an electric boat need genny.

When the sun goes down the Genset should go off. Generally most Gensets turn off after dinner which ranges from 6pm to 8pm. There is of course no actual rule and if one wants to run their genset all night they do have that right.

It depends somewhat on where you are, what's around you, how quiet your generator is from the outside, etc.


Mine is louder from inside the boat than outside (and I hate listening to it), so I run it when I need it and no more. Usually at anchor that comes to 45 - 60 minutes in the evening to cook dinner and warm up the water heater for showers. If it's cloudy / rainy and we haven't moved that day, then it may get run a bit more.

We don't anchor a great deal. However, when not at a dock, we run our Generators 24/7. We have sound shield. Our generator is quiet. It is necessary to keep things comfortable and to keep frozen and refrigerated goods well.

We never anchor close to other boats but if other anchor close to us then we still run the generator. Northern Lights with Sound Shield on a well insulated and quiet boat just are not an issue.

If I come in an anchorage with sail boats, I'll often dinghy up and just ask them if they mind. Never had an issue. Run for the evening meal and good for the night.
My fridge keeps things solid frozen for at least 18 hours, so no worry, but have enough battery power to run them.



Now, if it's really freezing or super hot out there, I'll run the gen for heat or AC.

BandB said:

We don't anchor a great deal. However, when not at a dock, we run our Generators 24/7. We have sound shield. Our generator is quiet. It is necessary to keep things comfortable and to keep frozen and refrigerated goods well.

We never anchor close to other boats but if other anchor close to us then we still run the generator. Northern Lights with Sound Shield on a well insulated and quiet boat just are not an issue.

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I’m still thinking it’s an issue in some of these small coves, even if just as a matter of principle. My boat too is about as quiet as you can get but there’s still some noise from the wet exhaust. I agree it shouldn’t be offensive to anyone based on dB’s, but why bother anyone?

I can handle the dinner and breakfast hour only, mentioned earlier . I’m diesel heat too which helps.

If in an anchorage or tied to a lock wall with other boats nearby I make it a point to visit and talk to nearby neighbors while my Gen is running for evening meal / coffee and ask it they mind if I start it up early AM for coffee.
Most often they ask how noisy it is and I inform them it is running now. Most will say they don't even hear it or if that's the extent no problem at all.
It seems the demonstration makes their response quick & easy with no hesitation. I am guessing that if it wasn't running they might be more reluctant to say OK.

Our old boat didn't have a generator and the inverter was not a true sine wave generator. Our espresso machine's electronics didn't like the inverter power so we bought a portable generator. Basically, we had a gasoline powered espresso machine. On cold, icy mornings, I had to climb to the boat deck with an extension cord and fire up the generator for my espresso and my wife's cappuccino. We only ran it long enough for coffee but I always felt bad about the noise. Going without my morning jolt was not an option.

That’s a great way to handle this.

In BC, it is all about courtesy.
The sunset rule is a good one, though late summer sees the sun go down too early for some with all electric galleys, so the 10pm rule is more likely to be applied. In the morning, even the all electric galley boats usually wait until they see their non gen neighbours are awake rather than waking them.

The answer can be influenced by whether there's an inverter in the mix... or not. Given a decent inverter installation and sufficient battery capacity, early morning coffee and Happy Hour hors d'oeuvres can be pretty quiet.

-Chris

Courtesy is the rule.

There are the never types and the 24/7 types. Neither will satisfy everyone as compromise is the only tool that works unless..... your gonna never annoys anyone. If you can hear it at all out to the distance of the closest boat....you may wins up annoying someone.

But then again... if I anchor well away from others and some Yahoo anchors 50 yards from me in a wide open area... I am not too worried sbout disturbing them.

You never can go wrong with the sunup to sundown rule (within tolerances of really short days)...if you need genset for coffee or late night TV..... there are alternatives and no excuses.

In the PNW morning light comes early - for many as early as 4AM around the summer solstice. Boat motors often start about then as anchors are hoisted making quite a racket and crowding out any genset noise. But when to start and stop one's genset is really more about, nearby vessels, where you are and weather. If there are few if any boats around and rain and wind are pummeling us the genset operates as needed.

I've been in many anchorages where large commercial vessel gensets are running 24/7 to keep the ice chilled and fish cold. But in the many filled WA and BC anchorages and placid quiet weather, sure don't be the first in the AM if you're going to stay another day.

BandB said:

We don't anchor a great deal. However, when not at a dock, we run our Generators 24/7. We have sound shield. Our generator is quiet. It is necessary to keep things comfortable and to keep frozen and refrigerated goods well.

We never anchor close to other boats but if other anchor close to us then we still run the generator. Northern Lights with Sound Shield on a well insulated and quiet boat just are not an issue.

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Unless you are running AC, requiring the genset to run 24/7 is indicative of a poorly designed DC system.

Whether it is "just not an issue" depends a lot on context. In a crowded anchorage with a lot of ambient noise (genset and otherwise) maybe not an issue. In a completely silent isolated cove in mid BC with one or two other boats, your NL with Sound Shield and well insulated generator is very audible to everyone there. Some people are simply insensitive to noise, or like it - play the stereo all the time etc. Others might be in that remote anchorage to enjoy the silence.

DDW said:

Unless you are running AC, requiring the genset to run 24/7 is indicative of a poorly designed DC system.

Whether it is "just not an issue" depends a lot on context. In a crowded anchorage with a lot of ambient noise (genset and otherwise) maybe not an issue. In a completely silent isolated cove in mid BC with one or two other boats, your NL with Sound Shield and well insulated generator is very audible to everyone there. Some people are simply insensitive to noise, or like it - play the stereo all the time etc. Others might be in that remote anchorage to enjoy the silence.

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We don't pull in on top of other boats and if they pull on top of us, we can't help it. Our Gen will be running when they arrive. We do run our A/C system for heat or air or dehumidification all the time.

As to issues, never been near a group of sailboats that were noise free.

I run my generator when my boat needs AC power that the inverter cannot supply.

It is a NL unit in a sound shield and can barely be heard outside the boat or inside for that matter.

I'm not being a jerk, I'm just not going to let others dictate how I operate my boat.

That said I avoid anchoring close to others whenever possible, and I do not care if others in an anchorage run their generators

What are we going to do next... Not grill food because someone else might become offended?

I'd be more FAR more conservative than the 8am-10PM. I hate it when someone is running their generator in the evening. I'd say shut it down by 6PM unless you absolutely need it to cook. We only run ours mid-day. Many of us relish the silence of a quiet anchorage in the evening and running the gen is just plain rude. In my case I don't hear many people running the things in the evening unless it's a really big boat anchored away from others.

I have been anchored in a fairly large anchorage and had another boat come in and start to drop anchor right near me when there was lots of room to spread out. I started the genset and when they realized it was running they moved farther away. Then I shut the genset down. Mission accomplished. I think people that drop anchor on top of you are when there is room not to do so are much less courteous than those who run a genset.

There are so many ways people will be annoyed in anchorages.... from music to loud talking and laughing to small vessels buzzing around. Generators are just one of the "annoyances".

Some are annoyed when others just occupy their favorite anchorage.

Most anchorages on the US east coast are never silent from outside sources such as road noise, planes, etc... West coast I can see some more remote spots.

Noisiest anchorage I was ever in was due to frogs.... dang environmentalists keep preserving the little buggers........

Have you tried grilled frog legs on your electric grill?
Most boaters love the peacefulness of anchoring so we run the genny as little as possible even if we have to shut down the ac at night.

My biggest beef is with those running a gas powered Honda 2000 or similar lashed somewhere on deck. Think they are obnoxious regardless of when they are run. They’re up there with PWCs slaloming through an anchorage and rap blasting out cockpit speakers at 2 am.
Current genset has wet exhaust system that exits under water (no drip). Is inside a sound enclosure and is inside the soundproofed ER. Believe there’s two noises. The drip and the engine. The drip is inaudible if there’s enough wind or chop but sometimes most annoying. It’s rare there’s a hospital grade muffler on a small genset so that’s the more common annoyance. Each boat is different. On the sailboat alt energy sufficed except very rarely so only ran the genset in the middle of the day. Used an Aeropress for morning espresso. On current boat it doesn’t matter as genset is inaudible outside the boat. So like so many boat things think-it depends-
If your genset is inaudible run it when ever. If noisy midday. If not bad 10a to 6p.

Comodave said:

I have been anchored in a fairly large anchorage and had another boat come in and start to drop anchor right near me when there was lots of room to spread out. I started the genset and when they realized it was running they moved farther away. Then I shut the genset down. Mission accomplished. I think people that drop anchor on top of you are when there is room not to do so are much less courteous than those who run a genset.

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Good trick!

I will remember that!

I have 2 gensets. One is completely silent outside the boat. The other is not. So I will choose my weapons accordingly

~A

Since the theme is anchorage etiquette, don't you hate it when you come into an anchorage cove that is basically a circle, and there is already one boat there that has dropped the hook in the dead center when there is an opportunity to do so more to an edge, to leave some room for the next? The next boats in have no other option than to crowd a bit more than might be otherwise necessary. And especially irritating when the first boat has the most shallow draft but hogging the deepest spot. Yeah, first come is first pick is in play, but the first pick sets up the dynamic of where the next boats pick.

Some people are used to X number of boats in a certain sized area and others maybe 2X as many.

As I said, some think 2 boats per anchorage is a crowd....

Now let's get started on how much scope is proper etiquette or how many anchors because it's pretty much established gensets are a free for all.

run it. ac is good

bowball said:

What’s the commonly accepted manners in running generators in the evening or morning in the more popular coves in British Columbia? Hours? Etc.

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I don't know about British Columbia, but I don't think it's any different than any other part of the world or at least North America.

I would say there is no "commonly accepted manners" regarding generators or any other noise (sound systems, drunken screaming, etc.). Some people are considerate of others and make an effort to disturb them as little as possible.

Others could give a rat's ass what other people think and will run generators or stereos whenever and however they want to.

In similar discussions in other boating groups, it has been my experience that if someone feels that they have the "right" to run their generator or loud stereo, nothing that can be said will change their minds. Some folks think the world revolves around them while others realize that they are just a small part of the world and tend to treat others as they would like to be treated.

I have no generator on my boat so in warm weather, I rely on open windows and hatches for comfort. When other people nearby choose to ignore the fact that their noise disturbs others, it does disturb me and often keeps me awake at night.

Now if you are running your generator during daylight hours and it's not overly loud, that's OK with me. Some noise is to be expected in populated areas.

Our yacht club rules when on a raft-up...8 AM till 10 PM. When not on a raft-up we do the same thing.

Out of curiosity last year, on a quiet day at the marina early in the season (not many boats in the water yet) I did some testing with my generator. With it running under a moderate load, most of the noise outside is the hum of the bilge blowers, not noise from the generator. I'm currently collecting pieces to re-mount the blowers with better vibration isolation, as most of the noise is the hull sides resonating, not the airflow.

The actual generator exhaust is very quiet. Once you're about 50 feet away, you can't hear the exhaust at all, and even at 30 feet it's very quiet. At 50 feet, you just hear some water pouring / splashing out (it's not quite a steady stream, but it's not overly splashy and it's pretty close to the waterline, so it's not very loud and sounds fairly natural). On the non-exhaust side, you hear nothing but the blowers unless you're standing within 5 feet of the boat. The blower noise carries the furthest at a good 100 - 200 feet, but by 100 feet it's just a faint hum. If only it were that quiet inside the boat (not much engine room sound insulation and no sound shield on the generator).

I avoid anchoring within 200' of other boats. My generator is extremely quiet and generally only used in the evenings for climate control. If someone chooses to anchor within that radius and the temperature necessitates climate control, they're more than welcome, even encouraged, to move. Their choice too anchor unreasonably close to me (IMO), doesn't constitute a change to my procedures.

Ted