Replacing Mace generator with Honda

[captstu]

The repairs on my Mase 5.2 got to $2000 and I gave up on it, I'm temporarily using a Honda 2000I - it is quieter, lighter, and far easier to maintain.

I was hoping to install the Honda in the generator compartment on the port side of my 2010 R-25. I understand how to exhaust from the Honda to the old muffler thru-hull - no problem.

My question is: How do I get rid of the heat?

I was thinking of routing it just as Ranger does with the new NextGens. Anyone with a newer NextGen equipped ranger that I could visit or take some photos?

Please . . . /Stu

 

[dclagett]

Don’t forget gas fumes. For your safety and others you will need ventilation for that compartment and probably the bilge since gas fumes are denser than air and that compartment is not sealed. If you have a boat manufacture in your area I would talk to them about what you are trying to do and get their advice.

Also if you route the exhaust thru the same outlet as the Mase generator, remember the Mase exhaust is water cooled, the Honda could make that outlet quite hot.

 

[BB marine]

You should have more concerns then getting rid of heat which is an issue. If you put a gas powered devise in a boat designed for a diesel the guide lines for ventilation change. Rangers and Cutwaters do not have a true ventilation system. Because of the diesel power they are not required to have that. You not only have to worry about getting the compartment cooled because of the heat generated from the air-cooled engine and the inverter you have to install a ventilation system with a lower point pickup and blower to insure you do not have gas fumes in low points in the bilge. Put a gas generator in a boat the Coast Guard requirements change and you should meet the requirements to be legal and safe. Notice: most large powered outboard boats example Boston Whaler .If you want a generator installed it will be diesel. If they installed a gas generator it now has to have a completely different ventilation system installed. I just posted Rangers and Cutwater ventilation Post. I have done a lot of research on this subject. I feel the ventilation system is marginal at best now and putting a gas powered engine in the compartment could possibly be illegal and not safe. Good luck on your install. Google boat ventilation there is a lot of good information out there.
Brian Brown
Cutwater 26
PORT-A-GEE

 

[Irish Mist]

If you search the form this was discussed at length in another post. There where a lot of considerations came to light. The main one being our boats are not built for gas fumes.. There is no seal between the engine compartment and the cabin.Any gas fumes can travel into the cabin. The Honda generator is not made to exhaust through that muffler system and you are asking for troble. On the surface it seems like an easy swap but there are a lot of safety and mechanical issues to consider.

 

[knotflying]

Stu, I carried my Honda in the genset compartment always empty and clear of fumes. when I used it I had the exhaust facing out the stern door. I carried the fuel in a container on the roof under the solar panel. After 3 years I used it maybe 4 times and took it off board. The Honda could not handle my air conditioner draw so I could not use it for that. Maybe your 25 has a smaller air conditioner and the Honda can handle it. I have a propane stove so no issue there. I also have a solar panel and that keeps the batteries topped off when on the hook. Since I never really had a generator I don't miss it.
If you feel you need a genset, for safety and performance you just may have to bit the bullet and fix what you have.

 

[captstu]

Knot,

You describe my situation exactly. Except I purchased a $48 4000 BTU per hour Air ConditionerThat I mounted in the hatch above the stove. It easily calls the boat in South Florida on all but the very hardest days when we were stopped at anchor. We’re outside swimming then. At night it cools the bow cabin down to light blanket temperature.

Taking the diesel generator out of the engine compartment lowered the Ballas the boat so I can easily see where I’m going in crowd waters. Previously I had to stand up. I’m looking for a way to vent the generator out of the existing hole where the diesel generator used to exhaust.

I’ve lined the generator compartment with sound deadening material and I’m in the process of installing a high-volume exhaust fan for the heat.

I understand the objections to using gasoline diesel boat. But in my case the overwhelming reduction in noise, reduction in weight And $2000 lower price make it kind of interesting to try.

My 4000 BTU per our air conditioner is mounted exactly where Rocksborough mounts there’s when you get Air Conditioning from the factory. It’s really a good idea to use an air cooled Air Conditioner, they are more efficient, much less costly and dramatically easier to maintain.

 

[knotflying]

Well then I would say an explosion proof exhaust fan in the engine compartment is definitely in order. Besides the high volume exhaust for the generator compartment you will also need enough area of vent to compensate for makeup air. And of course some kind of reminder to turn on your exhaust fan prior to starting the engine. I would like to see your A/C installation. I will check it out at the Rendezvous. You may be at a dock all by yourself until we check out your blower installation! :lol:

 

[Irish Mist]

I really think the roof mount A/C is a great addition to a trailerable boat.
For the Honda I would think cutting a hole directly across from the exhaust of the generator and extending the exhaust from the Honda with something similar to a diesel heater exhaust would work.. but as mentioned make up air for cooling and combustion is needed. I have also seen propane conversions on the portable generators....
Make sure to post results as there are a lot interested in the results.

 

[captstu]

Propane conversion does not reduce the carbon monoxide (CO) produced by the generator - it is still dangerous and must both be exhausted overboard and tested/guarded against.

A few weeks ago we were running our Honda at a park - i was walking to get the car parked on the other side of a bridge made to low by "global warming." When I got back to the boat, maybe 20 minutes, all three CO alarms were screaming their hearts out.

The very light wind was blowing fro the port/aft side of the boat and carrying the CO back into the boat. The same thing would have happened with a Diesel, I believe, but I did not have multiple CO alarms installed at that time so .. .

Is the problem the gasoline generator, I think not. Not to say it would not have been very serious if someone was sleeping while the alamms were going off.

Propane is OK for a seldom used outboard - but the generator runs hours at a time so transporting a large volume of propane would have issues on its own.

 

[S. Todd]

The amount of CO emissions from a properly tuned diesel engine are much less than those from a properly tuned gasoline engine. If you are using a gas (or any engine while sitting still) you better make sure your CO detector is working and working well or as an alternative make sure your life insurance policy is paid up. We ordered our boat without a generator because I would rather be hot than listen to one of those things run and pollute the air while at anchor, and the added benefit is our boat does not list to the port!

 

[captstu]

I relocated some batteries from the port side to the starboard side -- and moved the thruster battery from the port side to the forward/starboard side under the forward bunk.

I also "lost" 120 pounds by removing the failed Diesel generator and putting in a Honda. The result is flatter trim, a 2 know lower minimum plane speed, and about 3" of drop in the bow when operating at 13 knots.

Gasoline generators make weight and balance management easier - yield higher overall speds, flatter trim and a smoother ride.

While there is a documented 10% to 15% reduction in CO2 for Diesel vs Gasoline from a few years ago, both engines have gotten better. I can't ignore the cases of CO poisoning reported from Diesel engines.

Short answer - both gasoline and Diesel powered generators are very dangerous if their fumes are carried back into the cabin. Diesel engines are marginally safer from a CO perspective but both are dangerous, especially when at a dock where the exhaust may be upwind from the cabin.

Gasoline is also more flammable than Diesel and presents a very real explosion hazard - similar to that presented by propane.