terry
New Member
Posts: 1
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Post by terry on May 27, 2020 13:54:29 GMT -5
I just purchased a 2020 Regal 26 X. I am looking for recommendations on portable generators that will power the AC when we are on the water.
Honda EU2200I has great reviews but is $1,149.00. Westinghouse IGen2200 seems very comparable at $369.00.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
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Post by lg260ss on May 27, 2020 18:34:43 GMT -5
I used to use a Yamaha 2400 i SHC on my 28 Express. I could run the AC, Battery charger, and fridge at the same time with power to spare. Don't go cheap on a generator, you get what you pay for.
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Post by gofast24 on May 28, 2020 10:11:44 GMT -5
Surprised you didnt get a gen on your boat? A 26XX with Air con but no gen set? OK, you can run air con when on shore power but not at sea. My recommendation is determine what size gen you need to run boat AC and house battery charger, etc. and then as lg260 indicated dont go cheep on the gen set. I have Honda 3kW quiet inverter set to use at home and my son has the 2000 watt Honda EU2200I that he has used a couple of times on his 4160 while anchored at sea overnight in order to not have on board 7 kW Westerbeke running pushing exhaust fumes into boat tied up next to him over night.Go with the Honda "super Quiet" set, most likely the 2200 will work on your vessel? Still true= You get what you pay for (in most cases)!
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Post by 3060blue on Jun 2, 2020 19:16:16 GMT -5
Surprised you didnt get a gen on your boat? A 26XX with Air con but no gen set? OK, you can run air con when on shore power but not at sea. My recommendation is determine what size gen you need to run boat AC and house battery charger, etc. and then as lg260 indicated dont go cheep on the gen set. I have Honda 3kW quiet inverter set to use at home and my son has the 2000 watt Honda EU2200I that he has used a couple of times on his 4160 while anchored at sea overnight in order to not have on board 7 kW Westerbeke running pushing exhaust fumes into boat tied up next to him over night.Go with the Honda "super Quiet" set, most likely the 2200 will work on your vessel? Still true= You get what you pay for (in most cases)! Attached is the option sheet for 2019 that I received when looking at one, and looking at the website I don't think you can option a genset in the 26 Express. Outside my boat, I have an 2200W inverter generator that I paid about $500 for at Sam's Club that does a great job...but not trying to run A/C. You'll want to find out the startup wattage (surge watts) and running wattage the AC requires and hopefully a unit like that would fit your needs, as they are highly portable (even though they are 40-50 lbs). Attachments:26xx.pdf (417.36 KB)
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Post by gofast24 on Jun 3, 2020 9:18:18 GMT -5
Interesting a AC is available but no gen set? Probably there isn't enough room in engine room to install one?
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Post by gofast24 on Jun 4, 2020 10:00:01 GMT -5
We have a 12k BTU fwd AC unit and a 16k BtU aft unit. The 2200W Honda quiet set can overcome the compressor starting current load so we can use Honda for AC, house battery charger and all the DC stuff that runs off the house battery (PS: Galley Fridge/Freezer can run on either AC or DC so it runs off house battery on DC when honda powering house battery charger. No other important 120 VAC loads to manage while on Honda set (can power LED TV and Direct TV receiver but never watch TV while on the lake!! To grill we have a Propane fueled grill on the swim platform if we want to grill something, forget about the galley hot plate and microwave  |
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Post by partizancudjoe on Nov 27, 2020 20:29:03 GMT -5
How much wattage does your a/c require? I would think the Honda EU2200, which is rated at 1800 watts continuous and up to 2200 for surge, would be able to handle the demands of the single Dometic a/c on your boat plus a few additional items.
When it comes to these portable inverter generators, pay attention to the size of the engine. Size does matter. The Honda has a 121 cc engine. Most of these little units have an 80 cc or a 98 cc. The smaller engines will not handle the claimed full load or the surge as well as the bigger Honda engine. You'll see that the Westinghouse used in the example above has a smaller engine than does the Honda. If you hook it up to full load and then do the same with the Honda side by side, you will see that the Honda handles load and surge better. Someone did that on a video and the Honda Eu2200 clearly handled surge and more load better than did the Westinghouse i2500.
I'm not a mechanic, but have benefitted from the good advice given to me by a friend whose business does a great deal of small gas engine repairs. A good chunk of what they do is generator repair. Hits from hurricane Andrew (3 weeks without power), Wilma (a week without power but using my boat's 3 KW Onan to bring power to the house), Irma (3 weeks plus without power) a few others and - not to mention a few decades of boating - bring you to appreciate good generators.
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Post by gofast24 on Nov 29, 2020 12:12:47 GMT -5
Sorry, too much Champaign! Yes, the Honda 2200 VA CAN start and run the fwd and aft AC units but just one at a time, never both together |
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Post by partizancudjoe on Dec 1, 2020 23:16:04 GMT -5
I'm planning on doing the same thing you are.
I have a brand new, still-in-the-box Honda EU2200 and a far less costly Pulsar G2319N. The Pulsar is rated at 1800 watts running and 2300 watt surge. I ran a little experiment with it today powering our house's refrigerator first, our 14,000 btu portable (on rollers) a/c made by LG next and then the combination of the 14,000 btu a/c with a tire compressor. The Pulsar held up fine. I'm also inclined to believe that the Honda with its 121 cc engine would handle surges and loads better than the the Pulsar with its much smaller 80 cc engine.
I don't recall the size of the Dometic a/c on the 26 XO, but I suspect the portable generators you have in mind will do the trick. You may have to do some juggling if you turn on the stove, the microwave and/or the water heater at the same time, but I suspect you (and I) will figure it all out.
Conclusion: the Honda will work. If not, I'm in trouble too.
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Post by gofast24 on Dec 2, 2020 11:46:45 GMT -5
So, not having the option for a gen set on you boat you probably saved $4k/$6k+ (or more)? I would suggest you go with the highly rated Honda 2kW invertor gen set, in the long run you, again, get what you pay for? Assuming you would want to use it to run you AC while at sea, anchored or tied up with other folks?
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Post by partizancudjoe on Dec 2, 2020 12:19:17 GMT -5
Regal does now offer the 3.5 Westerbeke as a factory installed option. They list it at over $15K but "discount" it to you at just over $12K. So, you could buy 12 Hondas for the price of one Westerbeke. Throw in Honda reliability vs. Westerbeke and I suspect you'll be saving even more. Interestingly, the dealer I purchased through would not sell you a boat with the Westerbeke because of the bad history they have had with them.
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Post by gofast24 on Dec 3, 2020 11:29:31 GMT -5
Some what agree, the Westerbeke really crazy pricy! But, our 2001 7.0 kW Westerbeke (over 1000 hours and never a problem) still running like a sewing machine, 1800 RPM with 3 cyl., internally counter balanced Mitsu marinized automotive derivative engine great. No sound cover, and no problems, only change oil/filtr every 100 hours and sea water pump impellor once every two years. So, you could buy 6X Honda 3 kW invertor gen set for $2k each but the inconvenience of no on board gen the problem?!
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Post by partizancudjoe on Dec 3, 2020 16:52:40 GMT -5
I've been an Onan guy all my life. We had a pair of 41' Chris Craft double cabins. Each had an Onan 6.5 MCCK. More recently, my 27 Wellcraft had an Onan 3KW MAJB.
I've never owned a Westerbeke. It is only the purchase of the Regal 26 XO that got me looking into the 3.5KW. The comments I've gotten about the 3.5 specifically from folks who really do know marine generators have concerned me. But I'm also wondering if the issues are specific to the 3.5 model. Westerbeke has been around a long time, and I doubt they would have made it this long if they were not producing a quality product. The guy I've used for marine generator work for the last 15 years tells me that improvements were recently made to the 3.5, but that the jury is still out on whether they will pan out.
All options are on the table. My 3KW Onan MAJB is sitting in the garage. I could use it. For now, however, before I go drilling holes in my hull, I'm going to give the Honda a try for the short term and see how that goes. A new Westerbeke 3.5 will be in the back of my mind, but we'll see.
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Post by grandpaw on Dec 18, 2020 6:23:46 GMT -5
My favorite topic , My Regals Generator
2004 Regal 2860
twin 4,3 volvo penta
Regal installed Kohler 5 E in a 2004 , next too port engine , under deck ,
Major work like starter , cant be done in place ,generator must be removed , Port engine must come out too get too generator
Generator started often too keep moving , ran poorly , fumes , stalling , loud , RAN LIKE CRAP
One day something major happened , black smoke coming from generator looking like boat was on fire - seized
Even though I never used generator , drove me crazy a non working generator in engine room ,
Last year Port engine had too come out (fly wheel ) access too generator , PULLED IT
Got quotes on rebuilding or swapping , $ 6 thousand , They could go thru mine possibly shaving few bucks but if time is
a consideration easier too buy a rebuilt leaving my core,
Recently installed New long blocks not eager for another 6 grand on a generator
On this forum while back I have been in contact with other 2860 owners ,
Weight distribution on the 2860 . Like mine their boats leaned too starboard , never sat even in water
From what I understand galley , cabinets , bathroom on starboard. was cause ,
I made the decision not too re install generator , put port engine back , Figuring storage , less weight
Boat back in water ,
WOW -Lean too starboard was noticeable . marina calling thinking boat was taking on water
150 lb lead plate , moving batteries from starboard too port plus adding one battery boat is level
For occasional use a portable Honda or other with 30 amp would work fine , Take home as back up , Lot cheaper then fixing a or installing a gas generator, Gives you something else too maintain ,
Purchased a 3000 watt power inverter , Runs everything fans, tv , micro , except no a/c Refrigerator is 12 volts
After 6 years we decided time too sell , looking for something more room , easier access too engines , ability too cruise longer periods of time and lot more frugal on fuel burn . First thing people ask for GOT A GENERATOR ,
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Post by gofast24 on Dec 18, 2020 11:15:26 GMT -5
Yes, again, wonder why Kohler went out of the gasoline powered marine gen set business? Also regarding the small displacement invertor gen sets= As the gen end is actually producing DC current and the DC/AC invertor module is creating a terrible semi sine wave 60 HZ 120 VAC the engine speed doesn't matter, so small cu. inch displacement engine can just run 4000/4200/4400 RPM vs 3600/3000/ etc. to be able to produce (advertise) a "X" kW rating, combo of creative marketing and engineering to advertise a set with X kW!
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