Portable generator

I want to buy a small portable generator (for top side) that I can plug my shore power cable into for recharging my house batteries without having to run the big diesel. Basically I’m trying to figure out the minimum wattage output necessary for this.

I assume the most relevant info is I have a Xantrex Trucharge 40+. What factors do I need to look for?

Hard to beat a Honda 2000.

https://www.generatormag.com/honda-eu2000i-inverter-generator-review/

Well, the important thing to know is that the Truecharge 40+ draws 8.5 amp from a 120V AC supply at maximum charging rate. Add that to any other must have AC loads and you have the basic spec for your generator.


Assuming it is 8.5 amps total, the 1,000 watt generators like the Honda EU 1000 won't work. But just barely- you could try measuring the current and find that it rarely or never hits 8.5 amps and usually stays within the Honda EU 1000 continuous current spec which is probable 7 amps or so.


Otherwise go with a bigger generator like the Honda EU 2000 or preferably the EU 2200. An advantage of the EU 2200 is you can use it to power your hot water heater which typically draws 1,500 watts which is just over the EU 2000's continuous rating.


David

schrater said:

I want to buy a small portable generator (for top side) that I can plug my shore power cable into for recharging my house batteries without having to run the big diesel. Basically I’m trying to figure out the minimum wattage output necessary for this.

I assume the most relevant info is I have a Xantrex Trucharge 40+. What factors do I need to look for?

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You will need more than minimum wattage if you will be using it with anything aboard the has a motor. Motors have a big surge load as they start unless they have capacitors that hold a charge or a soft start circuit. If you have an inverter I would select a genny just a touch larger than the inverters continuous rated output. Say the inverter is 2500w continuous. I would step up to a 2700 or 2800 watt unit. Also, be aware that some gensets won't accept a marine type shore plug. You may need to change either the shore cable plug or the genny outlet. Dealers choice here. Make sure the socket is positioned so the plug doesn't take the strain of the cord and the plug can't rotate out from vibration. This has happened to me on a camping set up.

The Honda 2000 is reliable and quiet. I think it’s now the 2200.
Stay away from Generac. I bought a big Generac for my house and have had nothing but trouble.

Dave, where did you get that 8.5A for the 40A charger? Seems high. It can provide 40A on three channels, but that is total, not 40A for each channel.

I have a 20A charger and when I first kick it on with low batts it is like 3A.

So thinking a 1000w gennie is probably fine.

To the OP, measure the amps the charger pulls with batts sorta low. Measure right when it kicks on.

Goes without saying but I will anyhow. Be sure you have a CO detector or two in the boat.

djmarchand said:

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Otherwise go with a bigger generator like the Honda EU 2000 or preferably the EU 2200. An advantage of the EU 2200 is you can use it to power your hot water heater which typically draws 1,500 watts which is just over the EU 2000's continuous rating.


David

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I have the Honda eu2000i that I use to top off batteries and run my 1500W Keurig coffee maker or water heater. The eu2000 is rated at 2000W peak, 1600W (13.3A) continuous and the eu2200 is rated at 2200W peak, 1800W (15A) continuous.

I have no problem running my 1500W Keurig or water heater on the Honda 2000.

My charger provides a 55A 12V charge with a 13A peak AC load.

2nd the Honda 2000. at 8.3 amps you can use the ECO throttle and its can run at low RPMs. The 1000, while normally quiet, will be running full throttle where its not so quiet.

Many marine chargers can be set to limit the maximum charge amperage. If yours has this capability, you can correspondingly reduce the charger's maximum power requirement as much below 8.5 amps as may be necessary to charge from a 1,000 watt generator (if that is the way you want to go).

Ski in NC said:

Dave, where did you get that 8.5A for the 40A charger? Seems high. It can provide 40A on three channels, but that is total, not 40A for each channel.

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Ski:

I know it sounds crazy high, about 50% efficiency, but the data comes straight from from Xantrex' Owner's Manual, see copy attached, on page A3. Now I must admit, every large charger I have ever owned had a real world maximum draw of about 75% of the specified AC amperage draw. But........

David

Cigatoo said:

Goes without saying but I will anyhow. Be sure you have a CO detector or two in the boat.

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And replace it every 5 yrs.

localboy said:

And replace it every 5 yrs.

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Thanks for the reminder. I just checked our hard wired Fireboy-Xintex CMD-4 and it’s due, by a lot.

I am not a fan of using a portable gas powered genset due to the potential problems. You have a sundeck according to your avitar, so why not put some solar panels up on top of the sundeck hardtop? Then you don’t have the possible problems of using a portable gas genset and you could do the solar panels for about the same money. No gas fumes to explode, no CO to put someone asleep just sun powered electricity for free after you buy the panels.

My 1000W Honda (now 22 years old with no significant maintenance) runs my ProMariner 50A charger most of the time..every once and awhile if the gas is bad, etc...I can reprogram the charger to 75% output and all is well.


My charger has a regular 110V plug so instead of plugging in my shore power and living with the dangers of a portable genset plugged in there...I just run an extension cord to my charger.


While CO is a danger, I only run the genset while awake and onboard in an area where fumes go overboard and downwind.

Larry M said:

Thanks for the reminder. I just checked our hard wired Fireboy-Xintex CMD-4 and it’s due, by a lot.

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We just replaced ours this spring. It was expired too. I made a label for outside the unit this time. ;-)

I went with First Alert smoke detectors on my boat. They connect wirelessly so when one goes off they all go off. I am going to add a CO detector to the system. Their CO detector will alert at the end of life so you don’t forget to replace it.

localboy said:

And replace it every 5 yrs.

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Yup, 5 years and you get the EOL alarm and there is no way to reset it. Gotta buy a new one.

Portable Generator

Ok I get it that those without an installed marine diesel generator just might wish to replenish their batteries or run a few high current devices with a portable generator but why would someone with a properly installed and fully operational marine generator wish to do this? I'm sorry but I don't buy the "they are so quiet" part of the running of these Honda or Yamaha generators. It's not the total db's they produce but more the frequency of the noise. We spent two days anchored in Watmaugh Bay (south east corner of Lopez Islands in the San Juans) with a Bayliner 40 foot something that ran one of these in lieu of a marine genset for hours both morning and night. Others in the anchorage ran their marine gensets (well not as early or late or for as long) but the high pitched drone of that portable left none of the others in the anchorage with any real peace and quiet. I'm always careful to not run my genset before 0930 or after 1900 and since I am fully aware that the sploosh sploosh of the exhaust can be an anoyance. I'm very sorry if that steps on anyones impressions of the "quietness" of these types of devices but I find the incessant high pitched whine well beyond the noise of the propely installed units.

RB Cooper

I need a bit of education here please. I've long been under the impression that a portable generator was a big no-no on a boat per ABYC due to the lack of a neutral/ground connection. I know people do it all the time I'm just wondering how they do it safely.

Is there something you do on the generator that makes it safe?

Is it a non issue if you are sure your boat is wired correctly?

Is it just a roll of the dice that it won't cause an issue or a leaking current problem?

Something else???

I'm not trying to be a "Richard" here...I really don't know if this is just another boating legend I've been told.

Thanks mucho!

There are a lot of reasons not to use a portable gas genset aboard a boat, that is one of them. However, lots of people want to overlook the problems because it is easier, maybe cheaper, etc. doesn’t make it right or safe. If you have a built in marine genset, then use it before a portable one. A lot of big boats have 2 gensets, one large one to run all the onboard equipment and a small one to run selected equipment.

Thanks for all the feedback here. I don’t have a genset, nor do I have the space or funds to get one, so I’m viewing an on-deck portable gas generator as my only realistic option for getting power during longer stretches on the hook.

I definitely get the importance of a quiet unit, and that seems to be a major factor on most of the ones I’ve seen. And it still seems to me that a small and quiet generator would be preferable to me running my main engine at idle for a few hours (not to mention better for my engine life).

The Honda 2200 seems by far the most popular choice. But at $1000, I notice there are several other brands with virtually identical features at only half the price. Other than perhaps long-term reliability, are there any other “sneaky stats” to watch out for in the cheaper models?

Everything I've ever bought from Honda just works. Everything else not so much. Honda sweats the details and that's why they cost more. One boat unit can vanish so fast with nothing to show for it. At least you'll have a nice generator for your boat and home.

Even if you had a diesel genset(which you don`t), I could see reasons for longer cruises to carry a back up gas genset, I`m sure some TFers do. Just do it safely for, exhaust, weather, connections, gas storage, etc.
I`ve had a 2000W no name gas generator on a previous boat, it was noisy, hard to start, not a big success. Safer to stick with Honda,but there are other known brands like Yamaha,so do some research. There was/is a Kipor brand sold here, maybe there, which was such a faithful copy of Honda at one time few stores would stock it, could be worth a look.

On deck? Do you really mean to run a gas generator on deck? Where might all that carbon monoxide go? There are many threads that document the dangers of the use a portable gas generator other than the CO2 issue but discounting all of those, and many do, the CO2 dangers are real and documented. Some folks will run them on their swim platform but even that is dangerous. With just the right wind conditions the CO2 will find its way into the boat. But, on deck the chances of that happening are greatly increased it seems to me.

schrater said:

Thanks for all the feedback here. I don’t have a genset, nor do I have the space or funds to get one, so I’m viewing an on-deck portable gas generator as my only realistic option for getting power during longer stretches on the hook.

I definitely get the importance of a quiet unit, and that seems to be a major factor on most of the ones I’ve seen. And it still seems to me that a small and quiet generator would be preferable to me running my main engine at idle for a few hours (not to mention better for my engine life).

The Honda 2200 seems by far the most popular choice. But at $1000, I notice there are several other brands with virtually identical features at only half the price. Other than perhaps long-term reliability, are there any other “sneaky stats” to watch out for in the cheaper models?

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One simple way to not worry about a gas genset exhaust is to place it in the dink and leave it astern .


No noise, no vibration no smell, but if left all night , maybe no genset.

I run it on the flybridge (best for all around noise abatement except in our own salon), or a side deck away from the other boats (making it virtually noiseless more than 50 feet away on the opposite side).


I have 3 carbon monoxide detectors aboard and never run it while anyone is asleep.


With no windows, or doors open near it, I have never had a CO detector sound or even register any CO.


The slightest breeze carries it overboard. Even no breeze seems OK but then I put is where the exhaust is going right overboard.


I guess if you are totally clueless you could kill someone using one of these gensets...but in my experience, one used just to charge batteries or as a backup...plugged directly from the batt charger and handled properly...is no safety threat at all...IF you have a clue.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kestrel-Ma...mp-Kubota-Engine-Excellent-Cond/323939627625? Saw this diesel 12volt genny on ebay--appears near new. If I did not have a 110v generator I would definately consider this for keeping the house bank charged.

JohnP said:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Kestrel-Ma...mp-Kubota-Engine-Excellent-Cond/323939627625? Saw this diesel 12volt genny on ebay--appears near new. If I did not have a 110v generator I would definately consider this for keeping the house bank charged.

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I have to laugh. You posted this as I was about to ask the forum how they felt about a DC only genset aboard instead of a full blown AC/DC genset.

The new-ish Honda and similar high quality portable gas gennies don't make much CO. Part of the EPA certs. Where you get in trouble with CO is a poorly tuned machine, running sick (rich mixture!!), or one where it is re-ingesting its own exhaust due to a badly ventilated location.

Still need to be safe and use the CO monitors. Second PSN's rule: No sleeping with gas gennie running.