A Genset for the Hunter 41

[jcockerline]

I have a 2009 Hunter 41 DS. Love the boat. I am currently located at Bronte Outer Harbour Marina on Lake Ontario and have cruising plans for next season that will take me into the Carribean. I am beginning my research now as to the best generator to install in my boat for this purpose. Essentially, my objectives are to run at least one of my two air conditioner units while on the hook, while at the same time drawing DC current for my refrigerator and freezer. I may also purchase a watermaker which I will want to run while under sail.

I have read the forums from this site about portable alternatives, such as Honda etc, and do not feel this is the right approach for me.

I notice from the Hunter 41 specs that the Fischer Panda 6.0 KW genset comes as an option in the Hunter 41 model. I would like to hear from Hunter owners whether this model is the preferred option for the boat or if I should be considering more power, say the FP 8.0, or another brand name entirely. I would obviously like something with low noise and compact enough to fit the Hunter 41.

Grateful for any thoughts readers may have on this topic.

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

I installed a Mase 7.6 in my 2007 41DS, which was a tight fit. The FP units are more compact and fit nicely in the Euro locker. The FP 6KW is a 2 cylinder engine, the Mase is a 3 cylinder.The Mase 7.6 has more power then is needed. I have run both air conditioners, the battery charger and anything else (except a hair dryer or toaster) without tripping the breaker.The generator breaker that Hunter installs on the AC panel is a 50 amp breaker, so unless you change the breaker the 8KW's additional power will not be available to the boats electrical system. I don't know if it would be possible to change the breaker to a higher capacity to utilize the additional power. It might be dependent on the wire size that connects the generator to the panel.

 

[Sailgunner]

I have a NexGen 5.5 KW in my 410. I think the 5.5 is enough as I can run both A/C units. My only complaint with the NexGen is the power is not clean and the unit actually produces more than 110V. The problem with that is my charger/inverter gives an overcurrent alarm and will not come on unless I have the hot water heater on when I switch the breaker on. And that does not work well when the hot water is already hot from the engine running all day.

 

[jcockerline]

I installed a Mase 7.6 in my 2007 41DS, which was a tight fit. The FP units are more compact and fit nicely in the Euro locker. The FP 6KW is a 2 cylinder engine, the Mase is a 3 cylinder.The Mase 7.6 has more power then is needed. I have run both air conditioners, the battery charger and anything else (except a hair dryer or toaster) without tripping the breaker.The generator breaker that Hunter installs on the AC panel is a 50 amp breaker, so unless you change the breaker the 8KW's additional power will not be available to the boats electrical system. I don't know if it would be possible to change the breaker to a higher capacity to utilize the additional power. It might be dependent on the wire size that connects the generator to the panel.

thanks for your reply. It sounds like the Mase 7.6 may be more than I need - does Mase make a smaller 3 cylinder than this? Is the advantage of the Mase mainly that it is a 3 cylinder, or are there other advantages over the FP models?
jc

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

Sailgunner, I think you can lower the voltage by adjusting the speed adjustment screw as shown as "FIGURE 7" in the Nexgen 5.5 manual. I would slow the engine only enough to solve the problem with your charger/inverter. The NexGen manual indicates "acceptable voltage" in the range of 115-130 volts. Before adjusting I would check the voltage with a digital multimeter that you know is accurate. I also see that there is a "optional voltage regulator" available for your generator, which may be required to solve the problem.

 

[Bill Roosa]

Sailgunner, you should not be able to turn on the inverter AND the genset at the same time. There is no way (easy at least) to synch up the two sources of AC power and if the units are not in phase (60 cycles/sec) you will get very odd results out of anything you plug into them. There should be a lockout source selector that makes it impossible for you to do this by accident.

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

Jocokerline, the smallest 1800 RPM generator that Mase make is the 8.1, which is similar to my 7.6. If you want to go with a 3600 RPM unit, they make a 7.1. I have read online many issues with FP products, but I personally have no experience. Please check for yourself online. One advantage of the FP and Mase design is that the alternator is water cooled. In the FP water is circulated around the alternator, in the Mase there is a water/air intercooler. Neither unit needs a fan forced fresh air supply for cooling the alternator. Again I have no direct experience with the FP, but so far I am extremely impressed with the quality of the Mase unit.

 

[Sailgunner]

Semperavati, I did reduce the speed and will see how that works. The problem with reducing speed is the capacity drops as well.
Bill, the charger needs to come on to charge the batteries. The inverter side does not come on. I had a local expert check out the wiring and he said it is wired correctly.
Thanks.

 

[seadaddler]

FP

I have been very happy with my 4200 FP in my 2007 H-36 and happy with customer service when one of the relays went bad and than my fault not putting things back together and customer service help me fix it very easy because I did not put plastic cap back on to hold relay in place.
I was thinking to ordering another relay and they FP told me what I was doing wrong and explained to me over the phone how and what my 2 relays really do and I now know so much more about my Gen and it runs very quiet and have no problems .
It was installed at the factory so things need to be done properly to run properly.
Nick

 

[jcockerline]

Jocokerline, the smallest 1800 RPM generator that Mase make is the 8.1, which is similar to my 7.6. If you want to go with a 3600 RPM unit, they make a 7.1. I have read online many issues with FP products, but I personally have no experience. Please check for yourself online. One advantage of the FP and Mase design is that the alternator is water cooled. In the FP water is circulated around the alternator, in the Mase there is a water/air intercooler. Neither unit needs a fan forced fresh air supply for cooling the alternator. Again I have no direct experience with the FP, but so far I am extremely impressed with the quality of the Mase unit.

Thanks Semperavanti. I looked into the Mase lineup and see that they have an "IS 7.1" which is comparable to the FP 6500. They both have the same engine - 2-cyl Kubota - but the MASE runs at higher RPM (3600 vs FP 3000) and generates more horsepower. The FP and Mase KW's at peak and continuous are virtually the same. Will need to look at both more closely. Thanks for your help.
JC.

 

[seadaddler]

Noise

If they the same see which less noise rating and FP is known to be very quiet,have see some FP under nav Station on some Hunters and that is awsome,myFP is in my port cockpit and has auto shut down for low oil and and raw water cooling.
Northern lights needs a optional cover to make it less noiser.
Nick

 

[jcockerline]

If they the same see which less noise rating and FP is known to be very quiet,have see some FP under nav Station on some Hunters and that is awsome,myFP is in my port cockpit and has auto shut down for low oil and and raw water cooling.
Northern lights needs a optional cover to make it less noiser.
Nick

Thanks Nick. Indeed the FP is quieter than the Mase. The FP is rated at 52 dBa @ 7M, while the Mase 7.1 is rated 56 dBa @ 7M. Thanks for pointing this out.
JC

 

[seadaddler]

FP

This is what my FP 4200 looks like in the port side cockpit locker on my 2007 Hunter -36 and can run it while watching TV in cabin with AC and also charge batteries on my Inverter/charger.
Nick

 

[jcockerline]

FP

Is it sitting on rubberized mounts to reduce the noise/vibration?

 

[Fouraboard.com.au]

Warning About Fischer Panda

We are the unfortunate owners of a Fischer panda 12 mini digital. Its been onboard our 49 since new and they are a stack of receipts and a lot of stories i have from service companies that know the boat and it is a sorry tale. With this generator onboard has been nothing but trouble and the 5 yes FIVE companies we had come to fix it said they could not.

Long story short they are Way too complicated, far too many sensors and at 3600RPM they are a short lived monster. Even FP dealers advised us to buy another brand versus replace or repair our unit. Not impressed at all other than by USA tech support which were great- I just wish I never had to speak with them so much or so often.

 

[Rick D]

Phasor?

http://www.phasormarine.com/k3-8-5kw.htm

 

[jcockerline]

Warning About Fischer Panda

We are the unfortunate owners of a Fischer panda 12 mini digital. Its been onboard our 49 since new and they are a stack of receipts and a lot of stories i have from service companies that know the boat and it is a sorry tale. With this generator onboard has been nothing but trouble and the 5 yes FIVE companies we had come to fix it said they could not.

Long story short they are Way too complicated, far too many sensors and at 3600RPM they are a short lived monster. Even FP dealers advised us to buy another brand versus replace or repair our unit. Not impressed at all other than by USA tech support which were great- I just wish I never had to speak with them so much or so often.

Thank you so much. Very helpful to hear your experience with FP, although the experience has no doubt been painful for you. If you were to replace - is there another brand you would turn to? Mase? Onan?
JC

 

[SEMPERAVANTI41]

There is no doubt that the FP is an engineering marvel. It is compact in size and quiet in operation. Also, I think Hunter has been careful in the selection of components it puts in the boats. But the FP's small size and quiet operation come at a price. The FP generators are without question the most complicated generators I have seen along with Mastervolt. The small size footprint means parts are m[FONT=&quot]iniaturized and difficult to get at. The quiet operation I believe is attributable to the water cooled operation and the lead lined case. I have read that the case is heavy & difficult to remove, making checking oil a chore. I think however the biggest problem would be servicing. I find it extremely difficult in the New York area to get competant repairs on far less complicated items, not even in a hold on a boat. I can't imagine trying to get repairs done out of North America.
In installing the Mase 7.6 in my boat, I feel I can troubleshoot & repair a problem myself should it arise. Although a very tight fit,it did fit in the Euro locker. The tight fit is mostly caused by the standard sound shield. The FP being smaller would have taken up less room and the design of the case might help access to the generator for servicing once it has been removed. To make servicing the Mase easier, I may cut a hatch in the bulkhead between the aft cabin & the Euro locker. This hatch may not be needed with the FP. The benefit of the larger size footprint means it runs at 1800 RPM and has 3 cylinders. I figure that this is putting far less strain on the engine than a 2 cylinder engine running at 3200 RPM or 3600RPM. When I run my generator it is not running near capacity even with every electrical load I need running. Keep in mind that on a hot day, we may run the generator for up yo 12 hours a day to run the AC. Installing the generator was very expensive and more labor (which I did myself) then I thought it would be. I want it to last a long time.

Good luck!

AS
[/FONT]

 

[Shaun21366]

I have a 41DS with the 6k FP gen set that was factory installed. Quiet, easy to check the oil with the provided access plate. Plenty of power to run everything on the boat along with the 2 AC units here in Texas. No issues with the gen set so far. I've serviced the unit a couple times and have found everything easy to get to. I think FP got a bad rep due to the old 4kw which was not fresh water cooled and caused a lot of people major issues. All of their gen sets are fresh water cooled nowadays and have been for a while.

 

[jcockerline]

Westerbeke

Westerbeke makes a series of 60 Hz, 3 cyl, 1800 rpm models. Does anyone on this forum have experience with these generators?
JC