The Generator??

RobMcClain

RobMcClain

Member
For those of you who have portable generators, such as a Honda 2000i, I'm curious how and when you use them. We have such a generator and I've built a shelf for it that fits in the engine well. My wife and I have been discussing whether or not to take the generator along when we go to Lake Powell. We have a Tundra refrigerator on board and that is probably our biggest current draw. Otherwise our lighting is LED, and we may charge a small tablet or smartphone. I like the idea of having the generator but Mary is concerned about the space it will take up.

How and when do folks take along and use your generators?

Rob
 
We are on-and-off re generator use.

Yes, it's handy, and even thought it's a Honda - in an otherwise quiet area it seems noisy and transmits a vibration throught the boat. We found that putting the generator on the swimstep atop a Type IV PFD cushion really helps dampen some of the vibration. ....naturally, strap or bungie the generator in place so it doesn't fall overboard.

We use a WAECO/Dometic freezer in the cockpit (which has REALLY been handy for extended cruising). It runs off either 12V or 110V, and at Lake Powell, yes, it will use more battery power than in cooler climes. We found that occasionally running the outboard (in our case a Honda 150) gives the batteries a better boost than running the Honda 2000 which puts out 8A (as I recall). I don't remember the Honda 150 alternator output, but it's much more than 8A.

During our recent road trip back from Prince Rupert, BC (5400 miles...) we sometimes used the generator (which we carried in the back of the pickup) and hooked it into the boat's shorepower system (w/charger) when we were "boaterhoming." The shorepower's charger puts out 10A and it seemed to work pretty well. The main thing that helped to keep the boat batteries charged-up while traveling down the road was having a charging cable connected to the RV-plug on the pickup, and run back to a 12V plug I'd installed in the cockpit. Worked like a charm. If anyone wants more details on that just let me know. (In 2011 George Hone and I fabricated cables for each of our trucks and they work well.)

Best,
Casey&Mary
 
RobMcClain":oelybpx0 said:
For those of you who have portable generators, such as a Honda 2000i, I'm curious how and when you use them. We have such a generator and I've built a shelf for it that fits in the engine well. My wife and I have been discussing whether or not to take the generator along when we go to Lake Powell. We have a Tundra refrigerator on board and that is probably our biggest current draw. Otherwise our lighting is LED, and we may charge a small tablet or smartphone. I like the idea of having the generator but Mary is concerned about the space it will take up.

How and when do folks take along and use your generators?

Rob
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As long as your batteries are in good condition you should be fine without it. We move around enough each day for the main motor to do the charging. Looks like we are configured about the same all led lighting and I have an Engel fridge. Plenty of gadgets to charge too. I also have the ability to charge from the tow vehicle while traveling.
 
Casey":3nbowm67 said:
The main thing that helped to keep the boat batteries charged-up while traveling down the road was having a charging cable connected to the RV-plug on the pickup, and run back to a 12V plug I'd installed in the cockpit. Worked like a charm. If anyone wants more details on that just let me know.
Click to expand...

Hi Casey,

I would like some more details on this setup. Thanks.

Rob
 
I've never heard of charging the boat batteries from the tow vehicle while towing. Very cool idea. I'd also like to hear more about that.

Rob
 
I bought a 7 pin connector and a 5 Pin pigtail then I wired the 5 pin to the 7 pin connector for running lights, brake lights and turn signals and the blue wire for the backup solenoid. Then I connected 2 wires to the plus and minus connections of the 7 pin connector. I have a plug at the end of that wire. Then I have a 15 foot cable with plugs on the end that I run down through the Windlass chain hole and I have a plug at the helm that I can plug into. Then it is just a matter leaving the house battery switch on while traveling. You can also put a diode in that line so you don't draw down the tow vehicle battery. I just unplug at night. I also have a cigarette 12 volt socket that I can plug onto the end of the wire and just use it to run the fridge while traveling. I can take some pics if you like.
 
We bring our generator along wherever we go. It is for being able to use a portable induction stove as well as backup in the event of our batteries dying while out at sea.

Our last trip to Hood Canal (Alderbrook Resort), we put the generator onto the dock and cooked fresh King Salmon right from the dock. Not only was it nice to be cooking outside, it kept the odors and mess of cooking from the cabin.

While it might be unlikely for us to run our batteries so low as to not be able to start our engines, it is comforting to know that we have a backup in place.
 
We used the EU 1000 last year at Powell, but we have a 90 Honda which only puts out 16 amps, and were there for several weeks, several times.
Rather than use the 8 amps, we have a West Marine 30 Amp clip on Battery charger, it shows volts, amps and had a temp setting. We used that to charge the specific battery we used for the Waeco Chest Freezer. We also ran the boat's MasterVolt 20 amp charger for the house battery. 2 hours a day was the norm, unless we ran a lot with the outboard. We sometimes stay several --up to 5 days in one place.

On the other hand we have gone a number of times with no generator. I think with your 150 hp Honda, you should be able to keep batteries up.

We did about the same as Jody on our 25, except just converted it all over to 7 pin connector. We also had a small 2 prong in the anchor locker, and would plug a cable from the male 7 pin connector to the anchor locker connector. With the 22, we keep the freezer in the Yukon XL (another plus for a large SUV) and run it off the battery of the Yukon--which has two cig lighter plugs in the back. At night when camping we would hook it up to 110 volts at the camp grounds. There is room in the Yukon's engine compartment for a second battery (like our Excursion had). So you can dedicate a battery to the freezer if you wish.
 
On the charging off of the truck subject. I tried charging through a cigarette lighter plug on the boat dash and charging was minimal.

Then back fed to the boat batteries through a trolling motor plug on the front of the boat that uses a 6 ga wire and it worked well. Keeps the boat batteries up and runs the Engel cooler for days on the road.
 
texasair":bpyr98ze said:
On the charging off of the truck subject. I tried charging through a cigarette lighter plug on the boat dash and charging was minimal.

Then back fed to the boat batteries through a trolling motor plug on the front of the boat that uses a 6 ga wire and it worked well. Keeps the boat batteries up and runs the Engel cooler for days on the road.
Click to expand...

The wires from the cigarette lighter plug were probably too small a gauge, with too much resistance, therefore carried too little current/amperage.

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
Previously, I had installed a 12V plug on each side of the splashwell bulkhead (back side of the cockpit). These two plugs permitted us to plug-in our laptops when sitting in the cockpit, recharge camera batteries, etc. Each plug was wired (and fused) directly to one of the boat batteries.

For a charging cable I bought about 25' (or so...) of reasonably heavy wire, a round "male" RV plug, and a good 12V male plug. As I recall the RV plug has seven connectors. The only one I was interested in was the RV charging circuit (#7 as I recall, but the plug instructions will tell you which one to use). Connect the positive and negative wires on the RV plug. Make similar connections on the boat end using the 12V you bought at Radio Shack(or wherever). Using a volt meter verify that you have power at the 12V plug when you start the truck engine, and that you don't have power when the engine is off.

Plug-in both ends of the cable, switch your battery ("Perko") switch to 'both, and you should be charging your batteries when the truck is running but not drawing power when the truck is not running.

For trailering I run the cable up and along the gunnel, zip-tied in several places, and off we go. The arrangement has worked well for two years, and we always have power to the freezer (which rides in the cockpit, plugged in to the second 12V plug). I've noticed that the freezer plug sometimes wants to vibrate loose from the 12V plug, so I often tie it in place to keep it secure. That's kind of a jury-rig arrangement that I want to eventually improve; but it works.

Best,
Casey&Mary
 
It's nice to be able to work off your batteries or start the generator and connect to the boat via your shore power hook up to run our air conditioner. We also use a electric percolator type coffee pot which needs 115 vac. We have a butane stove to heat a tea kettle and a French press for back up coffee making. It's nice to have both a good battery system and the generator for back up. The generator is probably cheaper to run than the boat's engine for charging batteries if you get stuck somewhere for a few days. We opted to stay with using a cooler and removed our refrigerator it was too small and we would have had to have a cooler anyway. The freezer thing though seems like a fine idea to make your own ice. Everyone has got their own plan. Generators come in handy for many uses outside of boating so it's a must have in our world.
D.D.
 
A generator (Honda 2000i) was one of the first upgrades we bought for our boat. We carry a ship to shore battery charger on the boat along with it, and it has a digital readout that is handy for re-charging.

It was about peace of mind for us. Our electric pot puller causes alot of draw on the batteries during shrimp season. When we anchor out, I leave my electronics on all night for the anchor alarm. I just want to know I can recharge if I need to, as help isnt always easy to get for us.

I don't really use the generator all that much, but it is nice to know its there under the dinette seat when we need it.
 
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