Hello all. Looking for info regarding aftermaket gensets. I am looking for at pruchasing a 380/37.5 and would like to be able to run A/C on the hotter of the Florida nights (don't worry, I will stay away from the quite anchorages ;-) Can anybody reccomend a quite model? And how many man hours does it take to install nornally? Any other info grately appreciated! Thanks in advance... Brian
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Several choices
I have a Kohler factory installed 9kw genset on my 430, and it's powerful enough to run a hotel! Very reliable and not too noisy, but it's a huge unit, and if I were to get another, I think I'd look at the Panda (which are, I believe, the smallest physically) or the Westebeke. Most of the newer units, enclosed in their sound shield, are acceptably quiet, and you can run them in the anchorage without making enemies. A problem with any genset operating A/C, heat or fridge, is that these appliances reach their required temperatures and cut off, so that they have an intermittant duty cycle. The genset engines prefer to always run under a load, and running at idle intermittantly is not too good for them However, I haven't found an alternate way to place a load on the genset when the A/C cycles off, so I'll eventually kill the engine, but I've been told that "eventually" is a very long time form now
George
I have a Kohler factory installed 9kw genset on my 430, and it's powerful enough to run a hotel! Very reliable and not too noisy, but it's a huge unit, and if I were to get another, I think I'd look at the Panda (which are, I believe, the smallest physically) or the Westebeke. Most of the newer units, enclosed in their sound shield, are acceptably quiet, and you can run them in the anchorage without making enemies. A problem with any genset operating A/C, heat or fridge, is that these appliances reach their required temperatures and cut off, so that they have an intermittant duty cycle. The genset engines prefer to always run under a load, and running at idle intermittantly is not too good for them However, I haven't found an alternate way to place a load on the genset when the A/C cycles off, so I'll eventually kill the engine, but I've been told that "eventually" is a very long time form now
GeorgeGen-set Alternative
Brian, Genset's are great but they are noisy and consume fuel. Have you considered an "Inverter". I put a "Heart" inverter on my Hunter 37 which converts DC to AC from 4 banks of Golf Cart Batteries. Its efficient, no noise and runs my TV, STERO, VCR AND MICRO WAVE no problem. it can handle power surges to 3500 watts and when not converting power it charges my batteries. My starter battery is isolated ffrom these batteries so no worry about running out all my power. Hope this helps you. Barrie
Brian, Genset's are great but they are noisy and consume fuel. Have you considered an "Inverter". I put a "Heart" inverter on my Hunter 37 which converts DC to AC from 4 banks of Golf Cart Batteries. Its efficient, no noise and runs my TV, STERO, VCR AND MICRO WAVE no problem. it can handle power surges to 3500 watts and when not converting power it charges my batteries. My starter battery is isolated ffrom these batteries so no worry about running out all my power. Hope this helps you. Barrie
Barrie: Inverter Can't Replace Genset for A/C
Barrie: While an inverter is a valuable addition and can run many smaller pieces of equipment, air conditioning is not one of them. The draw is far too great - to keep the batteries up with this large draw, you would have to run the engine almost constantly. The fact is: If you want A/C away from the dock, you need to generate AC power. The problem is, how much time do you want to spend on a boat with the genset running? My personal opinion is that if a boat is well enough ventilated, one shouldn't need A/C when away from the dock - but then, I don't live in Florida and have never tried it!!!! R Owen
Barrie: While an inverter is a valuable addition and can run many smaller pieces of equipment, air conditioning is not one of them. The draw is far too great - to keep the batteries up with this large draw, you would have to run the engine almost constantly. The fact is: If you want A/C away from the dock, you need to generate AC power. The problem is, how much time do you want to spend on a boat with the genset running? My personal opinion is that if a boat is well enough ventilated, one shouldn't need A/C when away from the dock - but then, I don't live in Florida and have never tried it!!!! R Owen
I have a Panda "mini 8" on my 410. Its rated at 7kw continuous. More than adequate to power reverse cycle A/C and any other requirements. My reverse cylce a/c's a louder than the Panda is. Fuel consumption is low at just under 1/4 gallon per hour. Comes standard with sound sheild and the like. Great unit. Bryce S/V Spellbinder H410
Thanks
Thanks for the info. From what I have seen, it looks like the Panda may be the way to go. For the suggestion about an invderter, I looked at that, but too many times this summer the temp never got below about 82f at night down here and no breeze. My guest weren't too happy. Does anybody know how many man hours it takes to install the Panda or similar on a t 380/37.5?? Thanks Brian
Thanks for the info. From what I have seen, it looks like the Panda may be the way to go. For the suggestion about an invderter, I looked at that, but too many times this summer the temp never got below about 82f at night down here and no breeze. My guest weren't too happy. Does anybody know how many man hours it takes to install the Panda or similar on a t 380/37.5?? Thanks Brian
Hunter 380/panda
Brian, if you're looking for loaded '99 380 and a great deal on a Fischer Panda, email me at skipper380@juno.com
Brian, if you're looking for loaded '99 380 and a great deal on a Fischer Panda, email me at skipper380@juno.com
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