Do I need a working generator?

M

merlin

Member
Jun 17, 2010
86
san francisco,ca/Marina del Ray, Ca
Boat Info
"Volare", a 2003 Sundancer 410, with original Raymarine electronics.
Engines
2, 350 hp, Cat 3126's
The back half on my Westerbeke is dead. The engine runs but produces no electricity. It will cost $3,000 or more to replace the back half. I might want to moor at Catalina without shore power for a weekend. Would running my engines be enough to charge the batteries? I would shut off the freezer, not run the air conditioning just the lights. I wonder if I don't need a working generator. I'd like to hear opinions. Many thanks. Merlin
 
I'm the type of person that if it's there, I want it to work. It can get rather hot and humid here and I like the AC to work, the fridge and the stove I can work around. I guess the one thing I would be sureof is that the batteries are good or new deep cycle batts. Good luck and post some photos, I've never been to the west coast and always love seeing the waters there
 
dwna1a said:
I'm the type of person that if it's there, I want it to work. It can get rather hot and humid here and I like the AC to work, the fridge and the stove I can work around. I guess the one thing I would be sureof is that the batteries are good or new deep cycle batts. Good luck and post some photos, I've never been to the west coast and always love seeing the waters there
Click to expand...

Plus one.

And the bigger picture is:
Don't repair the generator, then the fridge fails....well I could make do with an esky and ice....
And so begins the downward spiral

And one day when you go to sell it, it needs $20k of repairs to bring it back to shape


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
 
merlin said:
The back half on my Westerbeke is dead. The engine runs but produces no electricity. It will cost $3,000 or more to replace the back half. I might want to moor at Catalina without shore power for a weekend. Would running my engines be enough to charge the batteries? I would shut off the freezer, not run the air conditioning just the lights. I wonder if I don't need a working generator. I'd like to hear opinions. Many thanks. Merlin
Click to expand...

Don't even think twice about it. Fix it now and enjoy every little bit of the juice the generator will produce and you'll thank us later.

Just think about a quick scenario, you're moored and all looks fine during the day, but then your mains can't get started, b/c your batteries are too weak for those power demanding big engines. Emergency cross over switch most likely will save you, but it's there for emergency, not day to day operation. Ask Frank W and he'll tell you that firing up those diesels on weak or not well charged batteries will shorten their live.

Having 410DA you're in the yacht category and the logical thinking "I think I can get away with out this and that...", when it comes to big ticket items, just doesn't apply anymore.
 
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Fix it now, or fix it later. When you sell the boat it will need to work. Might as well enjoy it fixed. We just did ours $3k is about right
 
3 boat dollars to repair it is a decent price. I know a guy who just bought a new generator and paid 7.5 boat dollars. The he sold the old one on eBay for a bunch o money after a bidding war broke out.
 
It may need some diodes or capacitors replaced and they are cheap. 10 to 11 years on a Westerbeke diesel gen set is nothing. Get a second opinion before you go drop 3k or more. The comments about fix it now are correct as it will come back to haunt you at sale time. Same goes for original Raymarine electronics you have in you boat description.
 
I don't think you need a gennerator... A jump pack and magma grill is fine... We did very well with out a genny on our 300. There is one caveot, if you plan on selling the boat, and decide to fix the genny to sell the boat, why not do it now and use it?
 
Others mentioned this above, but this isn't a $3000 decision.......it is a $8500 decision. At the point when you sell or trade up, whoever researches your boat while doing their due diligence will find that generator issue and your boat will be automatically placed at the bottom of most people's "hit list". Rick's friend mentioned above was the beneficiary of this issue.....the seller refused to fix a DOA generator, so the buyer took had pants down and got a screaming buy on a pristine boat just because he was willing to do the work necessary to replace the generator when the seller was not.

Alex is also correct. Correct cranking voltage is important for diesel engines because they are compression fired, not ignition fired. That means you must have nearly full voltage in the battery banks to spin the engines fast enough to get them to ignite fuel. In addition to being very hard on the starter motor, you also run the risk of getting stuck. You will not be cranking a pair of Cats even using the emergency crossover with batteries you have been running down all day listening to the radio or keeping your beer cool. If you try this, be sure you have a paid up SeaTow membership.
 
My generator saved me a jump or a tow once last summer.

We spent the night on the hook and ran the batteries a little too low to fire the engine. A few minutes of running the generator (while brewing morning coffee in a real coffee pot) and charging the batteries had me back underway.

I would fix it.
 
I say take the $3k, bet it all on black 9, if you win, free fix, if you lose you're in the same position.
 
I am going to agree with everyone here, and advise you to fix it now, and enjoy the thing. You're going to have to fix it at some point anyway.

And Frank, one thing. You discussed another member who was willing to do the work "himself" to replace a generator an a boat he bought for a steep discount. The only problem is, I only remember him buying lunch and supplying cold sodas.......He WAS wiling to let others do the work!

Dale
 
MasterFab said:
I am going to agree with everyone here, and advise you to fix it now, and enjoy the thing. You're going to have to fix it at some point anyway.

And Frank, one thing. You discussed another member who was willing to do the work "himself" to replace a generator an a boat he bought for a steep discount. The only problem is, I only remember him buying lunch and supplying cold sodas.......He WAS wiling to let others do the work!

Dale
Click to expand...

Ain't that the truth... and he sold the old one without giving anyone he knows a chance to buy it.
 
"I can't injure my hands" I think is what he said

[video=youtube;PZxX3-rJoNI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZxX3-rJoNI[/video]
 
mistercomputerman said:
Ain't that the truth... and he sold the old one without giving anyone he knows a chance to buy it.
Click to expand...


Dale,

You guys up north think all southerners are stupid hicks that marry cousins, wear no shoes and have less than 32 teeth. But, this one was smart enough to watch that generator thing from 2000 miles away..............



Rick,

The story I got was that the generator's seller didn't want to give the generator away and he didn't want to listen to his friends whine about the price until the next millennium.
 
Yep. I hear you. But, here is part of an email I got last night, so I think I am being made fun of:

"Stupid Merc Gateway place and stupid joystick place (Defender)
didn't take paypal so I couldn't use your generator funds
to pay for that $650 worth of s$%^"

To which I replied:

#%^& you.

I could have used that generator. Now mine will blow up and I am gonna have to buy a new one from the guy, Vito, that you bought one from.


What he meant was the funds he got from the generator he didn't sell me...
 
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merlin said:
The back half on my Westerbeke is dead. The engine runs but produces no electricity. It will cost $3,000 or more to replace the back half. I might want to moor at Catalina without shore power for a weekend. Would running my engines be enough to charge the batteries? I would shut off the freezer, not run the air conditioning just the lights. I wonder if I don't need a working generator. I'd like to hear opinions. Many thanks. Merlin
Click to expand...

Absolutely, and while I agree with everyone else's reasons, I want to add one more. The engine is in good working condition right now. If you don't run that it will start to deteriorate and when you go to sell or decide you want it repaired, you will have to get the generation part AS WELL AS the engine repaired. Now you start talking about new gernerator prices. Fix it now and enjoy it!

Bryan
 
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