GENERATORS

[ARBOMAN]

HELLO My wife and I are soon to be proud owners of a 25 C-Dory named (Life Savor). The voyage to get here has taken aprox 10 years. We first saw the C-Dory at the Annapolis Md. boat show and have been in love with them ever since. WE have many ? and have been reading all the comments fellow C-Brats have posted. WE are having a A/C unit installed and are looking for a small Generator to power it and other things while underway. Does any one have any suggestions? Thanks

[Pat Anderson]

Unquestionably, a Honda 1000EU or 2000EU. The 1000 reallly only charges the batteries to run 12 volt stuff for a long, long time or 120 volt light bulbs - the 2000 can provide the watts at 120 volts to run a microwave, hair dryer or [drum roll, please] LATTE MACHINE (right, Bill?) These are both small and light, and most important, really quiet...(We have the 2000EU, paid $899 for it a month or so ago)

[flagold]

I lived for a month with my 1000 EU and loved it as well. It will power a Sunbeam Microwave and the small Mr. Coffee (seperately). I used it mainly to keep the batteries up while using the Wallas and refrig for extended camping. The other campers freqently sat right behind the boat talking without complaint of noise (they better not -- I was the cook!) At any rate, if you can live with the limitations of having one appliance on at a time, the 1000 EU works just fine. It won't run some items, so you have to be choosey (deep fat fryer, etc.) on power draws when buying AC items.

[Chivita]

Arboman,

I would suggest finding out how many amps you need to start and operate the AC unit you are planning to install before buying a generator. That way you won't get too small or too large a unit. You'll probably want some spare amps available to run a small appliance while the AC is running as well. Although we are very happy with our Honda (same as Pat's), Yamaha has several excellent units as well and I believe the Yamaha's are a little lighter than the Hondas. Be cautious of starting a "karma" war on board if you have a Honda boat motor and then buy a Yamaha generator though!

"Chivita" Dave

[PlanB]

I have used a Honda 200eu on my 22 and now on Plan B. Five years, and it hasn't missed a beat. It Should power one of the new smaller A/C units by Mermaid
Duane,
Plan B

[ARBOMAN]

Thanks to all who replied to our ? about generators. After reading the replies and checking with the dealer and a/c folks they all seem to concure that the Honda 2000 will do the trick. We also spoke with the Honda dealer who shared the same feelings and also said if We needed more power in the future We could get anouther 2000 and hook them in paralell and get a total of 4000 watts seems Honda has this capability. Again thanks for your comments. [/b]

[Jammin]

Brad,

Could you update your experience with your Honda 2000 and air conditioner. What model air conditioner?

We like our Honda 2000. 13 minutes - 2 hot showers. Worth having for that alone.

We usually leave Mexico in June. Air conditioning would extend that. Last year we were at Lake Chelan in July and it was wicked hot. AC would have been great. We'd use it with shore power in campgrounds while traveling also.

Thanks, Dennis and Paula

[Cosmic C]

Those of you that use the Honda 2000 EU, where do you store it while cruising? I've been thinking about getting one, especially to have hot water available, but it seems to be a pretty good size and weight to haul around.

[Redƒox]

Awright Well, I'll vouch for the eu2000i Honda. I have several hundred hours on mine (camper and RedFox time both over the years) only glitch is: in cold weather, sometimes the engine races from idle to wide-open; it don't happen often, but when it does it's irritatin .
For the boat in the summer I'd much rather have the 1000 Yamaha Compare the specs... it's quieter and lighter, a little more advanced than the eu1000i Honda. (newer)
Mine is stored up in the "hamburger box" (the contraption I have on the transom) I even use it while under-way in rough water, summer and winter dude

[JamesTXSD]

Since a couple of you have mentioned this use for a small generator, what device are you using to heat the water? On our sailboat, we have been using a Zodi portable waterheater (Coleman also makes a comparable, but larger, unit) that uses a propane canister. Also good for washing dishes. Here's the link: http://www.zodi.com/

Best wishes,
JamesSD/TX (a sailor still looking)

[Anita Marie]

I have an older 1000 watt Honda generator. It will charge the batteries and power the hot water tank but it is loader than I like.
We have used http://www.zodi.com/web-content/Consumer/zodiextremeshower.html by Zodi on our 22 and 25. You can put it directly on the Wallas to heat and it is good for two showers. It tucks away in the storage area under the dinette. I think we will be using the Zodi and leaving the generator at home.

[Adeline]

Like Anita Marie I have a Zodi Extreme Shower. I tried to heat the water on the Wallas but it seemed slow so I use the propane burner instead. It is AWESOME! I also carry a Yamaha 1000 genny. Unlike Anita Marie, I'll continue to take it along. It powers my Xantrex 10 amp charger while simultaneously running a 400 watt microwave or Georege Foreman Grill or belgian waffle maker or blender or...

[rogerbum]

[CatyMae n Steve]

Anyone familiar with a McCulloch FG2000TC 2000 Watt Digital Generator? It's in the aisleway at Sportsman's and is about $200 cheaper than a Honda 1000....much more affordable...noise is 61 db tops, but I see nothing about any warranty...NOR is the unit listed at McCulloch's website...a bit odd, eh? No ratings by customers at bizrate.com either.

[Redƒox]

Just for the record... I am going to copy this from my site, over to this thread. An updated opinion, on my experience with the new "YAMAHA ef 2400is"

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Good question mon! So far, I have only been trying to break-it-in. Just from that, I like it a whole lot better than the Honda! (eu 2000i)

It does run longer between fill-ups, not certain exactly how long yet...) I love the fuel site gauge!!

When running the electric heater and the microwave at the same time, it is less noisy than the Honda, because it does not have to rev-up so danged high, to achieve it's maximum output. Matter-a-fact; the Honda would not even push the Microwave and heater at the same time. With the 'Yami, no problemo!! and like I said, it does not have to achieve so high an RPM therefore it seems to make "less noise". With the new "2400" I found you can keep the electric heater at about half (750 watts) and run the microwave both! that is a real plus, and exactly what I needed for winter use in the camper.

Over-all the size specs' are pretty comparable, it's just the Yami is so much wider! But I like the way it is built better! it is east to access anything under it's cover! The Honda was a bear to take apart and put back together - I think it's an "engineering marvel" how they designed the smaller Honda! Great generator! But the 'Yami is going to easier to service, when the "valve adjust" comes time! Also, I like the dedicated access for oil changes on the bottom of its cabinet!!
I'm going to be getting the Yami 1000 inverter, when I can. I will use it for mid-summer trips, and the larger "2400" for winter trips! I fela really needs more children like this :0) hehehehe
Greg*******************************************
That ain't "spell-checked"