Buying a generator

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syoun10

syoun10

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Jan 28, 2012
101
2006 Hunter 33 Santa Barbara
In the house bank of my Hunter 33 (2007) I have two 110 amp hrs 12 batteries in parallel (220 AH in total) . I believe the max charging rate in amps should be 20% of the total AH rating - so 44 amps. My alternator is 60 amps - so far so good.

I'm thinking of getting a generator. I'm told that the Honda 1.6KW unit (the Honda 2000) is the best. 1.6KW at 12 volts is 133 amps or 133 x 0.70 = 93 amps assuming 70% efficiency of the H33's battery charger. This seems like gross overkill!

So instead I'm looking at a Generac 800 watt generator. At 12 volts it should output 67 amps, or 67 x 0.7 = 46 amps if I allow for 70% efficiency of the H33 battery charger. This seems to be about right!

I realize Honda have the best reputation , but a Honda 1.6 KW (Honda 2000) costs $1350. A Honda 900W (Honda 1000) costs $1099. Vs. the Generac 800W costing $319.

So it looks like a no-brainer! Anybody see a fault in this thinking? Or have other experience or opinion? Anybody got actual experience with Generac?
 
Don S/V ILLusion

Don S/V ILLusion

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Sep 25, 2008
7,462
Alden 50 Sarasota, Florida
It's that cheap for a reason and the reason is not because the retailer feels generous...

Wise Sales and Mayberrys both sell the H2000 for $899 delivered. There are probably others at that price and maybe even cheaper.

Parenthetically, you cannot charge your batteries directly from these gensets - under load, they don't provide sufficient voltage. Any of them will, however, provide sufficient power to run a decent battery charger which will provide the proper charge voltage.
 
kloudie1

kloudie1

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Nov 6, 2006
10,103
Hunter 34 Mandeville Louisiana
I have one of the 2000 watt inverter Generacs .. It is fine, but it is a LOT noisier than the Honda that my buddy has.. Don is correct, the DC output from their battery charger outlet is only 8 amperes max.. but the AC side can power your normal battery charger to its full output..
Generac does not talk about the noise of their units because they are so loud compared to the Honda.. The Generac has 25% more continuous output than the Honda (why I bought it) and it is much more quiet than the open frame portable generators; nice, just not as nice as the Honda.. I am considering selling the Generac to get a Honda for the extra quietness.. I suggest ya just go with the Honda EU2000I and be done with it.
 
whatfiero

whatfiero

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Oct 30, 2011
542
klidescope 30t norfolk
I wish honda would make a straight 12v generator as far as I can tell the eu2000 is a small motor attached to a 150a alternator then run to a inverter most of us boaters just need it to charge our batteries and already have a 1000w inverter on board
 
J

Jimmy Jenkins

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Mar 5, 2009
55
2 30_74-83 Port St Lucie, FL
From the comments in your post, it seems your are most interested in keeping your 12v system charged and no particular need for 110v. My preference would be, depending on how much wind you have in the Santa Barbara area, a wind generator and possibly a solar panel. If more sun than wind, reverse that. The Generac is breakered at 6.6 amps. That will not run a very large charger. The Heart Interface 1000,which has a maximum charge rate of 50 amps draws 11 amps at full charge. Your are going to have a lot of run time to keep the batteries up. With some diligent shopping and doing some of the install yourself, you should be able to come up with one of the alternative methods for about what a Honda 2000 would cost and have a system that would require minimum running of your propulsion engine. I also think more house batteries would make this a lot more workable. Just my thoughts, I knnow there are many ways to solve problems on boats. The above opinions are just the way I prefer. Good Luck.
Jimmy
Port St Lucie, FL
 
onecoolair

onecoolair

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Jun 25, 2012
942
hunter 356 Kemah,the Republic of Texas
Noise!!! Go Honda let it run battery charger. Next bigger battery bank. Also consider solar and or wind maybe a better fit for what you need.
 
X

xcyz

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Jan 22, 2008
174
Hunter 376
Like most of the others, I too have the Honda 2000i. Bought it from Mayberrys a few years back for less then $900 and love it. The wife needs the power for the 1500w hair dryer :eek: and I don't like to use the house batteries and/or boats inverter for that but of course I use it for charging the batteries.

The Honda stores well and when in use I keep it on a closed-cell foam pad up by the mast. I purchased an extension cord from HomeDepot and replaced the receptacle end with a L6-30 receptacle and plug it in to the boat. Much easier then to take and stow the shore power cord on the boat, I leave it at the dock. The noise and vibration is minimal. I hear the Yamaha is even less noisy.

What's surprising is the high resell values on the Honda products, a used 2000i with average amount of hours will sell north of $500 in my area.
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,056
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
whatfiero said:
I wish honda would make a straight 12v generator as far as I can tell the eu2000 is a small motor attached to a 150a alternator then run to a inverter most of us boaters just need it to charge our batteries and already have a 1000w inverter on board
Click to expand
1. 12V will NOT charge your batteries. The concept is to run a 120V generator to power your shorepower charger to charge your batteries, which require anywhere to 14.4V to properly charge 12V banks. The 12V outlet on a Honda or any other generator will NOT charge your batteries.

2. The "Honda or other" debate has been going on for many, many years, and it comes up regularly. The consensus is, using don's great pricing find, is that it's the best of the bunch. On this and every other boating forum I read. They are reliable, quieter than all others, and simply work great. No need to reinvent the wheel. One of our guys tried (please read both pages): http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4394.0.html

Disclaimer: I do NOT have a generator, but if I was in the market for one...:)
 
X

xcyz

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Jan 22, 2008
174
Hunter 376
Stu Jackson said:
1. 12V will NOT charge your batteries. The concept is to run a 120V generator to power your shorepower charger to charge your batteries, which require anywhere to 14.4V to properly charge 12V banks. The 12V outlet on a Honda or any other generator will NOT charge your batteries.

:)
Click to expand
Hey Stu,
Not that I charge my batteries directly from the 2000i, Honda does state it will.

Cheers
 
Stu Jackson

Stu Jackson

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Feb 26, 2004
23,056
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
Yeah, I've heard that, but it won't. They designed that 12V output for guys who have dead car batteries.

While Maine Sail covered this some time ago, a review of standard three stage or phase charging indicates that more than 12V are required to "charge" a (depleted) bank, regardless of how depleted it may be. Recall that float itself is usually around 13.2 V itself, while bulk and absorption are higher voltages.
 
willardj

willardj

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Nov 30, 2011
31
MacGregor 25 Savannah
I also have the eu2000i and love it( Wise sales). The lack of noise was the best reason we went with the Honda. It runs a Prosport Plus charger for our 180ah batt bank and a 5500btu A/C for the hot times. If we don't run A/C we only have to charge about every 3-4 days at night while we sleep, but being we only do trips longer than that twice a year we're good. I have to get my solar put back on so I don't have to run the gen at all.
 
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