Genset replacement

[Talisman1]

I have an Entec West 4200 3500w generator installed in the center of the boat just aft of the aft stateroom. It is no longer in production and no parts are available and I want to replace it. Can anyone tell me what diesel generator currently in production has the smallest footprint? The space available is 27" depth, 20" high and 18" wide. Do they currently make a genset that will fit in that space?

BTW The boat is an Island Packet 42 and I am also wondering what anyone else with a similar boat has done to outfit it with a genset?

Thanks

[a64pilot]

I believe the Fischer Panda May be the smallest, but it seems they don’t have the best reviews. Based on reviews I chose not to go with one.
I put a Nexgen 3.5 in my Lazarette of my IP38. I always wonder if so shouldn’t have gone with the 5.5, but the 3.5 works, just maybe the 5.5 being a two cylinder may be smoother and quieter, but larger of course.
I think you could show horn a 3.5 in there, but it would be real tough to service it. All servicing is done from one side so you need that side accessible.
That space your talking about I believe is where my water heater is, where is yours?

I think you could do it, but I believe it would have to be mounted on slides, so that you could slide it into the Stateroom to service / maintain it.

[Oceansailor]

Check out Whisper Power Piccolo 4

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by Oceansailor

Check out Whisper Power Piccolo 4

And if you do, please come back to us with your findings. I’ve been looking at these too but can’t find a single report by anyone who’s used one or installed one.

[GordMay]

Greetings and welcome aboard the CF, Talisman.

[Sailmonkey]

Are you sure it’s no longer made?

Mastry took over the line.

https://mastry.com/products/MasPowerGenerators4kW.asp

[jeff356]

Agree with Sailmonkey that you should reach out as I have the same generator and have talked to the rep in the last half year, very helpful.

Don't have a lot of hours on it but run it almost every week when we are out on the hook.

Jeff

[Oceansailor]

Originally Posted by Tillsbury

And if you do, please come back to us with your findings. I’ve been looking at these too but can’t find a single report by anyone who’s used one or installed one.

Whisper Power is by no means new on generators. They built all the Mastervolt generators. When Mastervolt was sold the owner kept his facility for manufacturing generators. As you can see Whisper Power have more or less the same product range as Mastervolt.

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by Oceansailor

Whisper Power is by no means new on generators. They built all the Mastervolt generators. When Mastervolt was sold the owner kept his facility for manufacturing generators. As you can see Whisper Power have more or less the same product range as Mastervolt.

Oh yes I know the brand. But no reference to the Piccolo, anywhere I can see, which is a very different type of generator from their others.

[Oceansailor]

Yes you are correct that the new designs a “genverter” models. They change RPM depending on load. I have met some cruisers with the Piccolo generators. They have all been satisfied. But it has been new installs. Question is how they do after some years in service?

[Tillsbury]

Originally Posted by Oceansailor

Yes you are correct that the new designs a “genverter” models. They change RPM depending on load. I have met some cruisers with the Piccolo generators. They have all been satisfied. But it has been new installs. Question is how they do after some years in service?

If we wait for that information we'll be installing old tech

Yours is the first I've heard (albeit second-hand) that people have been satisfied with their installations.

[crayiii]

DO NOT get a VTE Paguro generator!

[malbert73]

Next gen 5.5 for me has been bulletproof except for the capacitor blows every 5 years or so- an easy 10 Min swap

[Dockhead]

For whatever it may be worth:


Where small generators are concerned, I personally intensely dislike the extremely complicated and overstressed one cylinder jobs by Fisher Panda, Whisper, and others, and I have never heard anyone being really happy with the Italian jobs like Paguro etc.


If I were the OP, and assuming that his existing generator is basically sound, I would first of all try to get my own old generator in top condition and lay in a good supply of spare parts -- if that's possible. A new generator is a big expense and hassle and becomes an old generator soon enough. I don't think there has been any overwhelming technological advances which would make it worthwhile on that basis.


If he does replace his generator, then there are two small ones which to my eye and way of thinking are head and shoulders above the rest -- NexGen, and Phazer. These are built according to a totally different principle from the likes of Fisher Panda -- they are simple, overbuilt, and understressed, easy to service -- just what you want on a boat. I have also heard good things about NexGen support, not that you will really need much of it. There's a guy on here, A64Pilot, who has one of these, you might want to track him down and pick his brains.



Yet another approach might be to ditch the generator altogether and put on a second heavy duty alternator on the main engine. Combined with a decent inverter, and depending on your power needs, this might well be all you need, and you can save a bunch of weight, space, maintenance, etc. This won't work if you need the generator to run air conditioning, but otherwise depending on your needs might work very well.



I have very intense electrical loads on my boat, with washer, dryer, and all manner of electrical gear, and I have a heavy duty Kohler generator to run it all and keep the batteries up. HOWEVER, I also have a 2.5kW school bus alternator on the main engine, and I can just about run the whole boat on that and just not use the generator. For many people, something like that might very well be enough, and just imagine having one less diesel engine to take care of.

[a64pilot]

There has to be a reason why the major manufacturers haven’t gone the inverter / generator route. I believe it’s complexity is why, it takes a pretty complex throttle control system and the electrical side can’t be simple either.
Most larger generator manufacturers buy an engine, and then buy a generator head and bolt them together and the engine runs at either full speed for a mono pole generator 3600 RPM div by 60 to get 60 Hz or 3000 RPM div by 60 to get 50 Hz, or half that RPM if they are a two pole generator.
Problem with the slower generators is of course at 1500 or 1800 RPM, the motor can’t make much HP without being overloaded so it takes a BIG motor to make up the difference, which means large and heavy.
However the other option is 3000 or 3600 RPM, which usually means louder and harsher and may shorten engine life.
Then you have a very few like Nexgen who gear their drives so the engine can run at an RPM much higher than 1800, but also much lower than 3600.
I visited the folks at Nexgen, it’s assembly plant is in Jacksonville Fl and according to them they had a Patent on the belt drive that allows their engine to run at mid RPM while turning the generator head at full RPM.
I was surprised that such a simple thing could be patented.

But anyway maybe inverter generators will grow up, but time will tell.
They may not too, because I don’t believe there is much advantage to them in bigger generators myself. Would their be much advantage to slowing down a NL? The advantage is I believe in speeding one up to get more power out of a smaller generator, but then you give up that smooth, quiet operation of the steady low RPM.