Newbie question about Shore pwr

J

JamVox

Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2012
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12
Fluid Motion Model
C-24 C
Can you connect a Honda 2000 generator up to the shore power inlet? Think I read somewhere this could be done. Will this also charge the batteries?


Thanks, JamVox
No boat yet, but in the future!
 
Yes and yes...
You need the adapter for a standard extension cord to plug into the shorepower receptacle on the hull...
 
And don't be concerned when you get the reverse polarity light on your panel. Without getting into a bunch of technical gibberish, this is normal when using the generator and it has to do with the way it distributes the power. By the way if you have an air conditioner it may or may not power it. Sometimes it will and sometimes it won't. The problem is on the initial surge.
 
I agree. We have a Honda 2000i and it works great. We have even powered our A/C for ~7 hours on a single tank of fuel. And it is so quiet!
 
Thanks to all. Doing alot of research before buying. Love this boat!
 
You can purchase the adapters at most Marine stores like West Marine.
Bob
 
Levitation":1v8erfoc said:
Yes and yes...
You need the adapter for a standard extension cord to plug into the shorepower receptacle on the hull...
Click to expand...

While I do not have a portable generator I did make an adapter cable so I could plug into a standard 15A power post at the marina while our boat was on the hard for the winter. I had a heavy duty extension cord that I previously cut for another purpose. It still had the male 15A plug and about 25' of 12G wire. I bought a 30A female twist lock connector at a hardware store and attached it to the end (be very careful about the hot-neutral-ground pinout if you do this!)

You could do something similar to make a custom length adapter cable to reach from a generator on the swim platform to the AC power inlet.

Howard
 
While agreeing with the responses, I would have one caution. Some portable generators do not have the best of regulators so do not use a cheap gen set with sensitive electronics like television sets and other electronics. Honda generally has a pretty good system as do some others. Pat, Ladybug, Too
 
Just be sure not to run a gas generator while the diesel engine is running. Also be sure that it will not be stored inside any compartments.
 
There have been a number of air conditioner types and brand used over the years . Not many will run on a single Honda 2000. Heat will increase resistance and cycle times of the A/C . Water temp will make a difference as well .
Its not a gauranteed working setup.
Marc
 
Andrew Custis":3l8nqmdw said:
Just be sure not to run a gas generator while the diesel engine is running. Also be sure that it will not be stored inside any compartments.
Click to expand...

Curious: why should you not run a gas generator while the diesel engine is running? This is the first I've heard of this.

As a side note, the newest Honda 2000i generators can be purchased with a built in 30 amp plug (RV style, so you'd need an adapter, 30 amp RV to 30 amp marine), making it easier to parallel two generators to get full 30 amp output, if desired.

A lot of RVers use two Honda 2000i generators in parallel so they can run the a/c when boondocking. We have been using a Honda 2000i for 6 years now (boat and RV), and it does a great job. The Honda is an inverter/generator and produces "clean" power for sensitive electronics. Having said that, it is hard to be the convenience of a permanently installed generator, where you just push a button from inside the cabin, and you are generating electricity.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I do not quite understand this topic so here goes: I thought I heard that if a person needed to charge batteries while on the hook, for example, the engine should be run for an hour or so. Is that also a way to get the batteries charged? If so, why do folks buy Honda generators?

Also, is it the case that if one uses the refrigerator while on the hook in the NW it drains the battery in 24 hours? I guess I figured if ice lasts 3 days power use would not be so significant. Another surprise to me. I am not experienced with using power for various features on the tug.

Thanks in advance,

Anne Cox
 
We have attached stainless pad eyes on the swim platform and devised a special tray for the generator to sit in when it is running. This way we don't have to worry about being overcome by engine fumes or gasoline vapor explosions. We never run it underway. Only on the hook or where shore power is unavailable.

Running the engine to charge the batteries does work to a degree. However, depending how depleted they are, it could take a lot longer than an hour and is much less efficient ($$ wise) then a small generator. That being said, we have installed solar panels and this makes a huge difference. We only need the generator now for the microwave and the air conditioning. We have a 2007 Ranger R25, which has a smaller AC unit (BTU) then the newer models. We have never had an issue with the AC and the Honda 2000i. Fuel usage depends a lot on the temperature and humidity...

We have run our refridgerator for 2+ days on the batteries in the NE, prior to installing the solar panels. It is important to only open it when necessary when on the batteries. With the solar panels I calculated once that we would last 5-7 days before we needed to use a more aggressive means of charging the batteries.
 
The Honda 2000 companion series actually has the same 30 amp twistlock arrangment as a marine shorepower cord . We have had to parrallel 2 Honda 2000s to get the 16kbtu A/C to start in hot temps on a 2011 R 27.

The engine alternantor on a Yanmar BY 150/180 is 125 amps. The fastest way to charge is running the engine . The onboard 110v charger is 20 amps or 40 amps with the inverter/charger combo.
Definitley want those gens on the swim step and make sure the CO detectors are working properly.
Marc
 
Just another added comment here. I have the Honda 2000 and have not had a need to use it. With the solar panel the biggest hog is the refrigerator and I have been 4 days without shore power before needing to add a charge, but once you start running the engine to cruise somewhere else the house batteries are right back up where they should be in a short amount of time. My observation is that the Honda generator is there in case, while trailering, we can't get power in the evening and need it. On land a water cooled A/C or generator aren't much good. On the water having to run the built in generator for power in a pinch is nice, but you definitely wouldn't want that running all night, especially if others are anchored near by and the Honda 2000 is much quieter. We also found that at night even in Florida (January through March at least) while anchored we were fine without A/C.
In general everybody had different needs and desires and you have to figure the pros and cons and what fits you best.
 
Power options as I understand them now when the batteries are low:

The solar panel sounds very appealing; I am very curious how much power might be generated during summer months in the northern area of W. WA and throughout the Salish Sea in BC. Until I learn from others who travel in this geographical area solar is a possibility that needs more research.

It seems that different people have had different experiences with the amount of power generated while running the engine on the hook. I am not keen on doing that, but it sounds as though the choice is to motor on long enough to charge up the batteries or run the engine if anchored out.

The option of traveling with the Honda 2000 sounds like it works for quite a few Tugnuts. I have never observed a generator of any size being used so the idea of placing one on the swim step and hoping for calm water in anchorages seems a bit daunting to me.

Obviously there are connection issues with solar and a generator, which Is also more to learn.

As a rookie, I am guessing at this stage I will be running the engine and solar might be an interesting option perhaps sometime in the future.

It is very enlightening to read the discussions on this site, and thanks to all for sharing!

Anne Cox
 
BaseCampAnne":37lmzbrs said:
The option of traveling with the Honda 2000 sounds like it works for quite a few Tugnuts. I have never observed a generator of any size being used so the idea of placing one on the swim step and hoping for calm water in anchorages seems a bit daunting to me.
Click to expand...

It needn't sit on the step itself, it's just important that the exhaust fumes don't enter the cockpit or cabin.
There's no reason it couldn't be stood on a milk crate or something similar to prevent it from being splashed, as long as both are made secure to the swim step.
 
To address the statement/question by Anne Cox of running the engin to charge the batteries, not a good idea. I recently attended a one day Mack Boring Deisel 101 class south of Boston. Larry Berlin is their lead instructor. I asked this very question of charging batteries at idle while in the hook. He made a very BIG point of telling me not to do this. I have an R27 with a 4BY2 and he said that a diesel wants to work under a load, thats it's purpose and the engine would have to be brought up to 1600/1800 rpm for the batteries to charge. So you have an engine at speed and no load, made sense to me.
The 15A/30A adapter can be found as a one piece unit for less than $40 and even cheaper than that but there may be quality issues and you don't have to carry that cord, plug, socket assembly around. It's a boat and space matters even a little.
Mike/Knotflying is correct and he worked out the numbers for me in that the refrigerator is a power hog. But I have found that door opening management and turning the dial down to around 3 was enough to keep things cold and a sunny day helps, I have solar and no genset. Keep your beer in a cooler and use block ice.
Regards,
JD
 
On Solitude, we used the Honda Generator to run the air conditioning overnight. Since we were using her on Lake Mead and Mohave when night time temperatures did not drop below 90 degrees it was necessary. I did find that you could not run the Honda on it economy mode as it would shut down on the power up of the AC. The only drawback of using this generator to run AC was, it would burn a tank of fuel (1 qt) in four hours. That meant getting up twice overnight to refill the tank. And, I will tell you, DO NOT let it run out of fuel.... There is no way to prime the carburetor other than the pull start. Not something you want to do at 2 in the morning when it is 90+ degrees outside.

One thing I would note here. We were the only boat in the anchorage so running the generator overnight did not disturb others. Maureen can sleep through a hurricane and I can sleep with a "constant" noise so it did not bother us. Maureen was always amazed that I woke up just before the tank ran dry to refill it without the aid of an alarm.

We placed the generator on the swim platform and ran a cord to the shore power inlet. While running the AC, we could not run the battery charger or water heater. The AC demanded all of the power. We used solar panels during the day to take care of the battery needs. For hot water, we used solar showers (still do, great way to conserve water in your tanks).

On Karma, we went with the Mase Generator. We used it to run the reverse cycle of the AC to provide heat when on the hook as we had no Diesel Heater.

On Destiny we have chosen not to get a generator. Our plan today is, if we find our power needs require additional charging capabilities, we will mount solar panels on the pilot house roof. Along with that, we have room to add additional house batteries to increase our amp hours. In the event we still find we need "some" additional power, we would purchase a Honda Generator. Right now though, we do not think that is going to be necessary.
 
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