Best Generator Recommendations Please

[GUMPY]

12 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

1.  An option if my engine won't start.

2. Quieter running with less transfer of noise and vibration to other boats.

3. Far quieter and less vibration in my own boat.

1:  I've never in 45 years had a flat starter battery

2: my engine is quieter than most gensets

3: see reply 2:

4: not having a petrol genset reduces the chances of CO poisoning for you and other boats nearby.

 

🥱🥱🤭

 

I did say properly set up boat 😱

[doratheexplorer]

28 minutes ago, Loddon said:

1:  I've never in 45 years had a flat starter battery

2: my engine is quieter than most gensets

3: see reply 2:

4: not having a petrol genset reduces the chances of CO poisoning for you and other boats nearby.

 

🥱🥱🤭

 

I did say properly set up boat 😱

There are many reasons why engines won't start.  A trawl through this forum will enlighten you.

 

My genny is far quieter than my engine, and no it's not an air cooled Lister.  Boat engines cause the hull to vibrate, and makes a low note with a long wavelength which carries a LOOOONG way through water.  I can hear a boat engine quite clearly from 50 metres away or more, because it makes my boat hum.  Whereas the noise of a suitcase genny on the towpath is quite noticable when you're by it, but the sound just doesn't carry any distance.  Frame gennys are a different matter of course.

33 minutes ago, Loddon said:

 

🥱🥱🤭

 

I did say properly set up boat 😱

And as I said, a properly set up boat will cost a lot more than a half decent genny.

[Arthur Marshall]

5 hours ago, ditchcrawler said:

Which is one of the points being looked at in the next issue of the BSS requirements

Oh gods, not again. When they brought in the BSS, they insisted a gas fridge had to have the vent kit fitted, so we all dutifully cut holes in our boats and fitted the thing, which got knocked off in the next lock we went through (or at least mine did). Then they decided we didn't need it after all, but never offered to pay to weld the hole up... The scheme's moronic and getting worse. I met one of the people doing the "looking at" not long back - total rip off merchant, only interested in adding stuff that would give her more work she could overcharge for.

[RosieMarshall]

ok thanks everyone! amongst all the posts from gas fridges to starter batteries there is some really useful stuff for me in there so thank you. definitely realised that a jackery won't be the right fit. I think I will speak to a few more specialists about our setup and think about whether we really need one. we hope to only be cruising during the summer and hopefully back on a mooring before winter....hopefully...

 

we can also heat our water by running the engine. we just wanted to try and avoid doing that every day as I thought it's not great for it? but perhaps that's a better option thank forking out for a generator which uses petrol or diesel anyway. 

interestingly, i turned our immersion heater off about 32 hours ago. I haven't been on the boat but still connected to shoreline. this morning I still have hot water. is this because of residue hot water left in the calorifier?? 

[Tony Brooks]

2 minutes ago, RosieMarshall said:

interestingly, i turned our immersion heater off about 32 hours ago. I haven't been on the boat but still connected to shoreline. this morning I still have hot water. is this because of residue hot water left in the calorifier?? 

 

If:

It really is turned off

You have not run the engine

You are not using any central heating

 

Then yes, but after a day and a bit I would not expect hot water, more like nicely warm.

 

 

[RosieMarshall]

oo yes I have had the heating on. without you knowing the setup of my boat...how does that work 😅

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, RosieMarshall said:

I think I will speak to a few more specialists about our setup

 

Bear in mind the expertise you've been speaking to in this thread is the best there is.... peerless in fact.

[RosieMarshall]

Just now, MtB said:

 

Bear in mind the expertise you've been speaking to in this thread is the best there is.... peerless in fact.

i don't question that! but it's useful for me to have someone here on my boat explaining things to me, in person, as I'm still getting my head around the setup  and keen to learn the best options for me. 

[Rob-M]

8 minutes ago, RosieMarshall said:

oo yes I have had the heating on. without you knowing the setup of my boat...how does that work 😅

What sort of heating have you had on as this may help answer the question.

 

 

[RosieMarshall]

4 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

What sort of heating have you had on as this may help answer the question.

 

 

ah yes that would help. it is a hurricane diesel heater. 

[Rob-M]

Just now, RosieMarshall said:

ah yes that would help. it is a hurricane diesel heater. 

This is likely to be heating your water as well.  On our boat we have a value so we can have the diesel heater doing heating and hot water or just hot water.  When the solar is doing our charging we have the diesel heater set for hot water only and run it long enough to get a tank of hot water.

[MtB]

3 minutes ago, RosieMarshall said:

ah yes that would help. it is a hurricane diesel heater. 

 

Heating radiators? 

 

If so, follow where the pipes from it and see if a pair also goes into your calorifier, in a way similar to how they go to the radiators.

 

(Answering questions like this also helps you get to understand what you have and how it works.) 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by MtB

[RosieMarshall]

3 minutes ago, Rob-M said:

This is likely to be heating your water as well.  On our boat we have a value so we can have the diesel heater doing heating and hot water or just hot water.  When the solar is doing our charging we have the diesel heater set for hot water only and run it long enough to get a tank of hot water.

this would be incredibly useful to us!! we have someone coming to repair a solar panel on Monday so this might be a great option that I can get figured out. thanks. 

6 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

Heating radiators? 

 

If so, follow where the pipes from it and see if a pair also goes into your calorifier, in a similar way as they go to the radiators.

 

(Answering questions like this helps you get to understand what you have and how it works.) 

 

 

 

 

 

yes. ok i will have a look thank you!

[Tony Brooks]

Your calorifier probably has two heating coils in it. One to heat your hot water from the engine and the other from the central heating system. I hope and expect that you have a valve somewhere that allows you to set the central heating to heat hot water only, radiators  and water, and possibly just radiators  but it depends upon what valve and how it is plumbed into the system.

Edited March 25, 2022 by Tony Brooks

[MtB]

12 minutes ago, RosieMarshall said:

this would be incredibly useful to us!! we have someone coming to repair a solar panel on Monday so this might be a great option that I can get figured out. thanks. 

yes. ok i will have a look thank you!

 

Do you actually have radiators, or is your Hurricane heater a warm air unit like this:

 

 

 

[RosieMarshall]

we have radiators. 

[Tony1]

1 hour ago, MtB said:

 

Bear in mind the expertise you've been speaking to in this thread is the best there is.... peerless in fact.

 

Why thank you Mike, its very nice to have my genius finally recognised. I'm creating a course in Boatology in time for the Autumn semester, I expect all the major universities will be keen to get on board. 

On board...

See what I did there? 

 

 (Punning 101 will one of the key modules)

 

 

[Nightwatch]

Wehave lived aboard now for nearly 8 years.

 

We have just 200 watts of solar. I have fancied a generator a number of times but have talked myself out of it because there are minimal benefits and advantages. We manage. We ‘more’ than manage. We love it.

 

As has been mentioned, you have an engine already plumbed in that has generating capabilities.

[MtB]

1 hour ago, Tony1 said:

 

Why thank you Mike, its very nice to have my genius finally recognised. I'm creating a course in Boatology in time for the Autumn semester, I expect all the major universities will be keen to get on board. 

On board...

See what I did there? 

 

 (Punning 101 will one of the key modules)

 

 

 

 

You're welcome. That Tony Brooks chappy still has a lot to learn from you, but he's getting there don't you think? 

 

Isn't the correct term "boatography"? 

 

 

[doratheexplorer]

9 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

 

You're welcome. That Tony Brooks chappy still has a lot to learn from you, but he's getting there don't you think? 

 

Isn't the correct term "boatography"? 

 

 

You're both wrong.  Boatapography.

[Tony1]

1 minute ago, MtB said:

 

Isn't the correct term "boatography"? 

 

 

 

Ah yes, that's a common mistake amongst newbies. 

Boatography is actually the art of taking good thumbnail pics for your youtube videos, with at least one duck included.

 

Its all covered in module 1- 'How to be a Proper Boater (section 4): Finding Your Youtube Voice' 

 

 

Just now, doratheexplorer said:

You're both wrong.  Boatapography.

 

Madam,  I clearly invented boating 18 months ago.

I hardly think an ordinary boater is qualified to argue the toss about terminology.  

How very dare you.

 

[doratheexplorer]

8 minutes ago, Tony1 said:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Madam,  I clearly invented boating 18 months ago.

I hardly think an ordinary boater is qualified to argue the toss about terminology.  

How very dare you.

 

Nonsense.  Boating was invented in 1992 by former Labour MP for Brent South, Paul Boateng.  The misspelling was put down to him dictating to his secretary in his thick London accent.  She was born and bred in Papua New Guinea and always struggled to tell an E from an I.

 

It's like the whole Donkey Kong/Monkey Kong debarkle, which as we all know was caused by MP for Brent North, Sir Rhodes Boyson in 1978.

[Tony1]

10 minutes ago, doratheexplorer said:

Nonsense.  Boating was invented in 1992 by former Labour MP for Brent South, Paul Boateng.  The misspelling was put down to him dictating to his secretary in his thick London accent.  She was born and bred in Papua New Guinea and always struggled to tell an E from an I.

 

It's like the whole Donkey Kong/Monkey Kong debarkle, which as we all know was caused by MP for Brent North, Sir Rhodes Boyson in 1978.

 

Ah, I see. Well I was not aware of the correct and original spelling, as it was back in the early days of boateng.

Amazing how we all continue to spell it wrong these days. 

The chap did very well there, to get an entire sport named after him. 

 

I think what I invented, if it has a name, is the art of Actual Boateng. This must not be confused with the much older sport of Proper Boateng, which involves the religious worship of Lister engines.

Proper Boateng is a Very Serious Business, and at no point during the sport is one permitted to smile, or acknowledge the existence of anyone under the age of 75.  

 

PS- You're definitely definitely sure about the boating/boateng thing?

People will be outraged when they find out they've been saying it wrong for 3 decades.

 

Edited March 25, 2022 by Tony1

[MtB]

2 hours ago, Tony1 said:

PS- You're definitely definitely sure about the boating/boateng thing?

 

She made it up, I reckon.

 

I mean however heard of an MP called "Paul"?

 

MPs have proper names like Harold, Jeremy, Edward and Margaret. Mr Blair was pushing the limits with a name a bit like yours but an MP called Paul? Nah! 

[Tony1]

9 minutes ago, MtB said:

 

She made it up, I reckon.

 

 

I can't believe I fell for it.

Which reminds me, I'm looking to buy a bridge over the Thames- there are some very good deals to be had at the moment if you do your homework