Question for portable genny users!

04FV270riverrat

My 270 doesn't have a genny and I'm thinking about buying a small portable one for weekends out on the hook to run the A/C at night and put a little charge on the batteries. Where do ya'll sit the genny while its running? Swim platform or up on the bow? I was thinking about drilling a hole in the bottom of my buoy locker on the transom to run a cable through so I can lock it to the boat so it won't fall off/get stolen.

Looking for some others that use them and how they do.

aero3113

I haven’t used one on the hook but I think you would want it on the platform. Make sure you never use a bow and stern anchor at the same time! You want the boat to swing with the wind and blow the exhaust away from the boat.

F1100

i put mine on the swim platform

J3ff

As aero said, on the swim platform and one anchor. I would also NOT use it with the glass up.. there would need to be a slight breeze at all times.. and from my experience last summer of living on the boat for a few weeks.. there was usually a slight breeze at night in all of my locations, which meant no need for AC.

The only time I really needed AC was at docks, inside harbors and luckily there was power there

I guess what I'm saying is the time you would need a genny on the hook would be the time that you wouldn't want to run it.  No wind situations wouldn't be good. 

Willhound

And for added safety install a battery powered CO2 detector in the cabin if you don't already have one. Mine has even gone off while cruising at just above idle with canvas up on a cool day and a backdraft pushing exhaust into the boat.

04FV270riverrat

I have a CO2 detector in the aft cabin and one in front of the microwave in the v berth. I can't sleep at night if its warm. If I'm sweating I can't sleep.

If it's on the platform and the windows and door are shut, with the A/C running, shouldn't be much worry for CO2 to get in should it?

Whats the difference between having an on board genny exhausting out the side of the boat vs the portable on the platform?

Handymans342

You should be fine. Just keep a Canary on board

Cableguy Greg

I put mine on the swim platform. I also have a CO detector. I would hope that there isn't a need for a CO2 detector. It would go off all of the time. LOL

J3ff

04FV270riverrat said:

I have a CO2 detector in the aft cabin and one in front of the microwave in the v berth. I can't sleep at night if its warm. If I'm sweating I can't sleep.

If it's on the platform and the windows and door are shut, with the A/C running, shouldn't be much worry for CO2 to get in should it?

Whats the difference between having an on board genny exhausting out the side of the boat vs the portable on the platform?

I battled with this question and problem. In the end I decided to just pull up to a marina and pay their 100 bucks for the night (that included power) on the few nights that it was just TOO hot to not have AC running. 

The other time that I did deploy the generator on the swim-platform was during a rain/wind storm where I had the tops up and I needed some cool and DRY air in the cabin, this was during the day though. I realize that your weather conditions may be different though, on the ocean in the North East there is almost ALWAYS a cool breeze at night.  I'd say if that wasn't possible I'd get some rechargeable batteries and before running the generator all night I'd replace the batts with new ones and hope for the best. That CO2 is a killer.. if you stick to ONE anchor and an anchor alarm with the generator on the swim platform you should be okay. Where exactly are you hoping to use this? (It's important to note river current vs wind even when using one anchor). 

[Deleted User]

@Cableguy Greg...good call, CO not CO2. I do like dihydrogen monoxide around my boat though.

Andy.

Willhound

Yep, my bad. For whatever reason I always want to call it a CO2, instead of CO.

rinker270nb

Try to realize when you need the AC/genny. It will save you a ton of hassle. I added a second house battery and run a fan when away from the dock, when needed.  For me, when it's 90+ in Chicago, I would bring the Genny and run it to cool the cabin.  Under 90 degrees, I don't think it's worth it.  Costco has long term CO detectors that have a 5+ yr battery.  I keep that on the boat as to not draw power.

boatman37

If I had a genny (portable or permanent) I would have at least 2 CO monitors in the cabin (I work in IT so redundancy is part of my every day life...lol). Probably not a bad idea to have one even without a genny. Come to think of it, my daughter just bought 2 rental properties and installed smoke and CO monitors and gave us 2 extras she had left over. Might take one to the boat tomorrow.

We have a guy at our marina that has a CPAP and occasionally overnights on the hook. He said he has a portable Honda that he puts on the bow. Not sure if that is better or worse than swim platform but thats what he does.

J3ff

yes okay, CO not CO2, my bad.  Either way I have one in the forward compartment and one right above the rear sleeping area.. just make sure the batteries are fresh and dont anchor with 2 anchor and you should be good!

Kaptain_Ken

When we are all tied up on overnights, we usually run the generators on the bows with the exhaust facing forward.  Obviously hatches and portlights are closed.  I put two battery operated CO detectors in my 2000 270.  Didn't have them originally it seems.

jhofmann

I've run mine on the swim platform as the boat should swing the bow into the wind at anchor, and blow the exhaust rearward. Also it is as far from the V-berth as you can get to minimize noise when trying to sleep.

Glassguy54

Technically, when at anchor, Coast Guard regulations require at least one person to stand watch so as to minimize the possibilities of mishaps of any sort, CO poisoning, drifting, running aground, whatever...

Handymans342

Even in 70 feet of water?

boatman37

So a little off topic but how much noise difference is there between a portable genny and an onboard genny?

Glassguy54

Don't know about that. I had just seen some citation, may have been an article in Boating magazine, that all vessels must maintain a lookout by sight & hearing as well as all available means appropriate in the prevailing circumstances and conditions so as to make a full appraisal of the situation.

04FV270riverrat

I'm not really even sure how much I would use it, but I want it for ease of mind. We are mostly boating on the Ohio River in Cincinnati, OH (always plugged in at night). My main uses would be for trips to Lake Cumberland where we would tie up in a cove for the night and be away from shore power for 2-4 days. I'd have to try a night without the A/C and see how it would go.

I might be able to get away with a jump box and just add an extra house battery. I'd have to install a couple DC powered fans too. I'm just concerned with draw from the fridge and radio for multiple days with minimal engine running time.

jhofmann

You may want to look into solar chargers to put some juice back into the batteries for extebded stays in the hook. Even with the starting battery isolated from the house, I always bring a charged jump pack just in case, better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it.

Cableguy Greg

Like @04FV270riverrat , I am also a river boater. The only time I use mine is when I am anchored out, it is really hot, and my daughter needs a cooled cabin for a nap. It is nice to have. I also used it when tied to a wharf and I wanted some air or the batteries charged.

Willhound

Ive been having this debate with myself too. For now I just carry a battery pack and have an extra house battery. The inverter generator would allow me to use the on board stove and microwave, but not a real necessity. I don't have AC but can tell you that if I did the Admiral would insist upon it. That time of life.....

Dream_Inn

I'll just add, once you have the generator, you won't know how you did without.  My first 7 years of boating were without a genny nor air.  It completely changed our boating habits when we added both.  Anchoring out for long periods became the norm, and only dipping into marinas once in a while.

Cableguy Greg

If my wife had her way, we would be adding one to our boat. It's just cost prohibitive right now.

Dude_Himself

My biggest mental dilemma is that the 5kw genny is SO overkill. I have a 280EC. I have a 6k BTU AC. With LED tech I can run all my lighting for 7 days on just a battery alone. With 3 small fans and the cabin fridge on 12V I can run 24 hours on my single Group 31 AGM. With 200W solar and an MPPT controller I can run indefinitely.

The only thing I need the genny for is the AC and microwave, and those can run off the 1600W inverter generator I own. It's smaller, sips gas, makes less noise, doesn't need cooling water, and easy to work on in a proper setting (no hugging a hot genny in a cooking engine space trying to reach a spark plug). For the price of a new 5ecd I could buy several thousand AH of lithium battery tech, 200W more solar, and a decent inverter, and run the AC off that.

Dream_Inn

Dude, I completely agree with your thinking on the generator.  Only thing I can say, it is just so nice to get on the boat, anchor somewhere, and only turn on a switch and voila, you have power.  The generator can power everything on the entire boat, which at times is definitely needed.  We also have an electric range that we use quite a bit.  & while the genny is powered up, it is running both fridges/freezers, and the ice maker.  3 or 4 days on the hook, well, it almost more than a nice to have.  There is maintenance and lots of cost to all of boating, which to most people just doesn't make sense.  

Again, I can make sense with your logical thinking....

04FV270riverrat

Dude_Himself said:

With 200W solar and an MPPT controller I can run indefinitely.

Tell me more about the solar setup. I've been thinking about that too.

Dude_Himself

@04FV270riverrat: there's a few steps:

1. Identify your demand. Measure the wattage for a typical day on the water. Work it backwards to determine the number of AH you need. You'll need twice this in storage capacity if using AGM/Lead Acid. For Lithium you can draw down to 20-40% without damage, depending on the chemistry.
2. Using the wattage above, and a solar map, look to see what the typical insolation is for your location (this'll be based on Latitude and typical weather patterns. Here in Charleston, for example, in the winter I can expect 3-4 hours of peak generation with flat panels. In the summer there's 3 times more.
3. Work the math. If I install 200w of solar panels in series, wired to a MPPT controller, wired to a 110AH AGM battery, I should be able to leave my cabin fridge running 24x7 on December 21st without discharging my battery. In the summer, running the fridge, 2 fans, some lighting, and the TV for 2 hours: I should be generating enough solar to fully recharge the house battery by 1pm.
4. If you want to add an inverter it's back to math. My AC plus circulation pump draw about 1000W, or 8.3A at 120V (it's actually lower, startup is 1000W, but running current is 600W, or like 5A, but we'll round up). Convert to 12V and add the inefficiency of the inverter, 10%, and we're running at 92 Amps per hour. That's a significant load for a single battery, possibly more current than a 12V AGM can provide (a 14.4V Lithium can push a lot more current). Assuming the battery can keep up, that's 35 minutes of AC before our battery is 50% drawn down and starting to sustain damage.
5. Ok, so we need two batteries for every hour of runtime, or we'll need significant solar to help spread the load during the hottest part of the day. With 1000w of solar, in theory, we can run the AC directly off sunlight at peak insolation. We'll need a 60' boat to mount that on, and it won't help cool the cabin down after dark. 
6. When I did the math, I figured 400W total solar, wired to a MPPT, with 400Ah of lithium powering an inverter would allow us to run the AC for a minimum of 4 hours at night and charge back up before noon the following day. We could run from noon to 4-5pm without consequence using solar, assuming a 50% duty cycle. At the time, this would have cost me $1500 to order and install myself, which is less than a used 5ecd when this one goes to Davy Jones locker. Lithium are light: we'd also take 300# off the boat and free up some serious storage in the engine compartment.

04FV270riverrat

@Dude_Himself that's alot of math! The biggest question, where would you mount the panels? Could probably get a certain size up on the arch and then mount up on the bow also?