Motorvader
Member
- Mar 18, 2022
- 87
- Boat Info
- 2001 Sundancer 310
- Engines
- 350 MAG MPI Horizon FWC Inboards
V-Drives
Westerbeke 4.5 KW
JimFromMD, I can confirm Westerbeke winning the patent infringement suit. Courts ordered a cease and desist and Kohler was forced to exist the gas engine generator market. Westerbeke has several proprietary features - the most important of which are low carbon monoxide exhaust and 1800 rpm operation at full load (equates to quiet operation and long life). Was recently looking at several different 310's with Westerbekes or Kohler gensets. The more I learn about Westerbeke the more I feel good about buying my 310 with one (this is my first Westerbeke). It's very quiet and compact - ran beautifully under full load with AC, two burner cook top and water heater on.
Martin777, Good luck with your Kohler - hopefully an aftermarket manufacturer will jump in soon to fill the need for replacement parts. This will likely depend on number of installed units out there and whether they can justify the tooling investment. Honda 2KW portables on the swim platform with soft start module on AC unit are not a bad option either. They'll run about 72 hours on 6 gallons - they have an internal fuel pump that's capable of drawing fuel from an external tank. At one Dometic had a video of this setup under test.
By the way, recently received a quote for a new 4.5 KW Westerbeke and price was $12K (not including installation) and delivery was 4 months out. Thankfully the boat I ended up purchasing a few weeks ago had a Westerbeke in good condition.