Anyone using a camping generator?

Ken Cross · Feb 28, 2015

I've seen them out there. Just don't have one personally. Some are pretty noisy during the day. They all seem to be noisy if run at night.
The downside of camping generators: Salt water will eventually ruin them and you need to store them. The up side: Less costly than a marine generator, Your boat doesn't need to have a place designed for it, and when it rusts out it's cheap and easy to replace.

Ken

Richard19068 · Feb 28, 2015

Nothing personal but they disturb the peace no matter how quiet their owners think they are.

Also you have to worry about the dreaded carbon monoxide.

Just a bad idea in my opinion.

Terry in Naples · Feb 28, 2015

Lots of sailors use the Honda suitcase size generators for cruising. The most popular is the 2000 ei but they also Make a 1000. My 2000
Runs my Ac at anchor. 72 decibels

knot smart · Feb 28, 2015

I've seen a lot of Honda's in anchorage. I also know a guy with a Yamaha 2400.. I also agree that they make too much noise. In the NYC area it's cool enough on the water that AC isn't mandatory, but if I was gonna buy , I'd recommend the 1 cylinder diesel "Whisper".. I don't own it, but I like it.. it's raw water cooled .. I'd be interested in hearing about something comparable.

seadaddler · Feb 28, 2015

Gen

I went camping with my Motor home last year and can't believe how
many campers had those Honda 2000 & 3000 and most people don't run
them too late at night or early morning.
Also when anchoring out on my H-36 see more & more boats with the
Honda 2000.
This is what having fun is all about and all we can do is hope these Gen
don't ruin our fun but we can't change the world.
I was running my gen in a camp ground one early night around 8 pm way before no gen running and so this guy asked me how much longer I was going to run it and so I shut it in 15 minutes to keep the peace.
I do run my FP gen on my H-36 but even I know it is very quiet I don't run it
early morning or late at night.
So if you are anchored and the boat next to you is sitting out in the cockpit
enjoying a good drink with friends think first before running your gen and think a good time to run it is when the sun goes down and the bugs are out and most are down below inside their boats.
Nick

RECESS · Feb 28, 2015

We run our Honda 2000 to cool down the boat at night before shutting it off for bed. We anchor away from others.

njlarry · Feb 28, 2015

I have one at home but never take it on the boat as I don't like the noise, worry about having to bring gasoline on board and the carbon monoxide fumes.
When it's that hot we stay in a marina.
Truthfully I find even built in Gen sets are too noisy for the typical anchorage

Benny17441 · Feb 28, 2015

I'm beginning to think that we in the warmer climates must be mostly deaf. When we find ourselves in an anchorage in the middle of July or August here in the Gulf of Mexico there are always more than a few generators going and yet the combined noise does not seem to bother anyone enough to complaint. Furthermore when I shut down the hatches to prevent the A/C cooled air from escaping all I hear is a low hum which actually helps to sleep. We do know what it means to enjoy a quiet anchorage but we are only able to do that in the winter months. When it is 95F out with 90% humidity and a water temperature approaching 80F and you are inside a boat cabin that has been beaten by the sun all day you may understand that only way for some folks to enjoy boating is to run an Air Conditioner. What is the old Indian saying? Don't criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their moccasins. So either the aversion to generators is a geographical thing or we here down South are really deaf.

woodster · Feb 28, 2015

the quietest ones are the diesel two cylinder ones that run at 1800 rpm and are built in.... those 1 cylinder ones run at 3600 rpms and can be a little loud at times..... but if you have a boat that needs a gen set you really need a large boat.... a 30 footer is on the small side for this type..... they eat up a lot of space down below...

i have a honda 2000 that i will carry on my boat but will try to be kind and selective when i use it

knot smart · Mar 1, 2015

[QUOTE= So either the aversion to generators is a geographical thing or we here down South are really deaf.[/QUOTE
Absolutely it's geographic.. personally, I can't imagine being in Fla in July/ August with that heat! I'd have the AC running all night even with the noise..

All U Get · Mar 1, 2015

Benny17441 said:
Furthermore when I shut down the hatches to prevent the A/C cooled air from escaping all I hear is a low hum which actually helps to sleep. When it is 95F out with 90% humidity and a water temperature approaching 80F and you are inside a boat cabin that has been beaten by the sun all day you may understand that only way for some folks to enjoy boating is to run an Air Conditioner.

What is the old Indian saying? Don't criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their moccasins. QUOTE]

Someday I need to sit down with a cool one and try to grasp the notion of A/C running. At least we can get out on snow machines and 4X4's when we can't sail. Hmmmm.

An older Indian would say "If you have walked in someone's moccasins and he's still mad, you will be a mile away and he's barefoot".

All U Get

Don S/V ILLusion · Mar 1, 2015

All U Get said:
Someday I need to sit down with a cool one and try to grasp the notion of A/C running. At least we can get out on snow machines and 4X4's when we can't sail. Hmmmm.

All U Get

And we all know how quiet those snow machines are and how nice it is to get home and warm up after the ride.

Fess up! Most of us Floridians 'been there, done that'

uncledom · Mar 1, 2015

It's a sailboat. If your hot go some where cooler, if your cold go somewhere hotter. I only run mine at sea if it gets too cold at night for the admiral and very occasionally to cool the hull down a bit just before sunset.

Ken13559 · Mar 1, 2015

I ran the portable genset for A/C when anchor out on holiday. I would dinghy to surrounding anchored boats to asked if my genset is too loud/noisy and if I should anchor further away. None find my genset disturbing. I uses the Elemax SHX2000, it has same engine as Honda EU20i.

Justin_NSA · Mar 1, 2015

All U Get said:
What is the old Indian saying? Don't criticize someone until you have walked a mile in their moccasins.

An older Indian would say "If you have walked in someone's moccasins and he's still mad, you will be a mile away and he's barefoot".

All U Get

LOl!
All I can think is noise, noise, noise. Sailing is supposed to be about the quiet harmony.

Mark Maulden · Mar 1, 2015

I use a 2000 if I'm on the hook for a few days. I've dinghied around when doing so and its not obnoxious. I've talked to other sailors who agree. What pisses me off is the 40' powerboat(s) with the 4KW Home Depot gen on the aft deck at cocktail time.....or anytime.

fa102 · Mar 2, 2015

Dangerous [heat- engine exhaust fumes - components not designed for marine / salt environment - gasoline powered engine; where can gasoline be safely stored (as is your is diesel powered electrical components may not be ignition / spark protected)] to use on a boat. Is you are curious about the risk ask you boat insurance underwriter what they think about it.

woodster · Mar 2, 2015

fa102 said:
Dangerous [heat- engine exhaust fumes - components not designed for marine / salt environment - gasoline powered engine; where can gasoline be safely stored (as is your is diesel powered electrical components may not be ignition / spark protected)] to use on a boat. Is you are curious about the risk ask you boat insurance underwriter what they think about it.

its always best to store gasoline on the deck forward never down below or in the lockers

Mark Maulden · Mar 2, 2015

fa102 said:
Dangerous [heat- engine exhaust fumes - components not designed for marine / salt environment - gasoline powered engine; where can gasoline be safely stored (as is your is diesel powered electrical components may not be ignition / spark protected)] to use on a boat. Is you are curious about the risk ask you boat insurance underwriter what they think about it.

I have gen and I have a 2 hp Honda outboard for the dink. I carry the gen and a little 2 gal gas container in the cockpit locker. Vents are closed. For the container, I have to physically push a button to get it to fart. I run the gen on the foredeck with the fwd hatch closed. So tell me.. What's wrong with this? What are the failure mechanisms? How low do your probability numbers have to go? What about all the boats that run on gas? Their tanks are "down below". For all the cruisers that have outboards for their dinks, I seldoms see jugs on the deck..and when I do, they're yellow...