Nextgen generators

[SailorTonyB]

The 5.5kw is a 2 cylinder. I stood next to one at the boat show">Annapolis boat show and could hold a conversation at normal levels. I'm looking at this model too due to weight and size restrictions. This one will fit in my anchor locker at the base of the mast.

[a64pilot]

The 5.5 is a vertical twin, I don't know if the pistons are 180 out or not, it could be either.
The 3.5 is a horizontal single which means primary vibration should be front to back and not up and down, which is smoother? I have no idea. Sound wise the twin should be smoother as there are twice as many power strokes, but vertical twins are not known for lack of vibration.

A three cyl engine ala Northrn Lights should be the smoothest

[Capt Hugh Wilde]

For your AC unit, check on a soft start. It lowers the starting load and that is the worst peak load. As for a watermaker, get a Spectra and run it on DC.

[Agape39]

I installed the 5.5k in June this year and am very happy with its performance. Quieter than expected without much vibration. Can't give you longterm durability on the exhaust elbow but I do know the shop thats makes it along with a few other weldments on the unit and quality is apparent in all their work. IMHO I would recommend the 5.5. I removed my aft head and mounted it there. So far I've had no complaints on the noise.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Capt Hugh Wilde

For your AC unit, check on a soft start. It lowers the starting load and that is the worst peak load. As for a watermaker, get a Spectra and run it on DC.

Intent is to go with an inverter / charger that will help with in rush current.
I haven't set on a watermaker, I won't get one of those until I leave, but I believe even Tellie has said if you have a generator go with a Cruise RO, maybe he was just being nice I don't know, but I have time to figure that out.

Be difficult I think to have enough solar so that I would never need a generator on my boat, so if I'm going to have a generator anyway, doesn't it make more sense to use the AC power for more than just charging batteries? I believe to keep a generator happy, you need to use it a couple of times a week, and when it's used to load it up enough so that it gets fully heated up. I'm thinking a two to three hour run, twice a week, that should give me more water than I could possibly use and keep the generator exercised, but not put significant time on it, ought to last a long time if cared for at a usage rate like that.

I still intend on Solar, just use the gen to get me past the bulk phase in the morning a couple of times a week and letting the Solar handle the absorption part during the day, plus have a back up for those week long times of heavy overcast and rain you sometimes get, without a generator I assume those times are hard on batteries.

[svbravo]

I am thinking of installing a Nextgen 5000. Primary use will be making water w/ a CruiseRO 20, and battery charging to supplement solar. Seems like it would be fine for this use. Other use will be to run a small dive compressor to fill tanks. They all seem to want 7kw or so, primarily for startup loads. When I looked a few years ago, none would guarantee that, even w/ a soft start, that they would run w/ 5kw. I'm now planning on a Victron Quatro w/ it's "PowerAssist" feature to augment the genet output when needed. Does anyone know if the "dirty" power wave form of the Nextgen units will work ok with the PowerAssist feature? Thanks

[a64pilot]

I don’t think Nexgen makes a 5000?
They make a 5.5 KW though, is that what you mean?
I also don’t think they have a dirty waveform and haven’t for years unless I’m mistaken, they changed generator heads a few years ago and now use the 6 KW Syncro Head I believe.
Both the 3.5 and the 5.5 use the same generator, the engine is the limit on power output, so they do well on a short duration surge.

My 3.5 runs everything on the boat with no issues at all, no dirty waveform that I have have noticed. My Magnum inverter and chargers are very happy.

Why a Cruise RO 20gl Watermaker? You know of course the 30 is just a second membrane but you get 50% more water output.
In fact you could run his 40gl Watermaker, the 30 will run on a little Honda, the 40 won’t, but will easily on a Nexgen 5.5.

I know 20 sounds like a lot, but once you have a watermaker, your water use will increase, ours did anyway.

[svbravo]

You're right, I was thinking of the 5.5kw.

Excellent to hear that the dirty waveform is a thing of the past. Working with a manufacturer of a new boat in France, they are having difficulty fitting a Northern Lights, and usually spec a Fischer Panda, which we really don't want. It seems as though the Nextgen might be the ticket. Reviews are certainly more positive than FP for a compact genset.

RE: water maker size. We have been using a CruiseRO 20, continuously cruising SoPac for past 8 years, and find it meets our needs well, so plan to spec the same for the new boat. We typically run batt charger when making water, so a bit more run time is fine.

Thanks for the reply, very happy to hear you're having good luck w/ Nextgen!!!

Cheers,
Adam

[chouliha]

Hey Adam What’s this a new boat? Sounds cool
Cheers chuck
Jacaranda

[Freedom45]

I have a 5.5 with about 500 hours, no problems except raw water pump seals and shaft needed replacement.
It's quiet(has enclosure)16000btu a/c is louder. I believe 5.5 runs at 2800rpm
One quirk, if batteries are low, 80amp battery charger will not charge at max rate unless I turn on water heater, I guess A/C water heater element smooths out dirty sign wave from genset?
I choose this unit because it has about the same footprint as the 3.5.

[svbravo]

Thanks for this info. That is a strange quirk! Hopefully it doesn't foretell an issue in combining the output w/ that of the Victron unit, as they need to synch sine wave forms. I'll ask Nextgen if they have experience w/ this setup. Cheers.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Freedom45

I have a 5.5 with about 500 hours, no problems except raw water pump seals and shaft needed replacement.

It's quiet(has enclosure)16000btu a/c is louder. I believe 5.5 runs at 2800rpm

One quirk, if batteries are low, 80amp battery charger will not charge at max rate unless I turn on water heater, I guess A/C water heater element smooths out dirty sign wave from genset?

That is the telling sign of a dirty waveform, although ours doesn’t do that.
What year is yours?
RE the water pump. My seals went out at a few hundred hours and began to leak / spray salt water around inside of the enclosure. I didn’t like that at all, so what I did was to remove it and install a Mach AC water pump and connected it directly to the AC output of the generator, that way anytime the generator is making power, the pump is pumping. So it doesn’t pump until the generator hits RPM which is about 2 or 3 sec, but it can’t leak water inside of the enclosure and you can’t fill the engine with water from over cranking either.

By the way, call the man at Nexgen, the few times I have called he answers and can answer any technical questions I have had.

[a64pilot]

If you expect to put a lot of hours on it, I think you would be happier with a Northern Lights and get one big enough to run the compressor directly.
Assuming of course they can make it fit.

[malbert73]

We have a next GEN 5.5. Has been flawless for over 500 hours. Usually use it for a few hours at a time to cool the boat but have run it longer during heat spell. Agree that if you want to run it 24/7 get northern lights

[Captain Bill]

I've been talking to Beta Marine about a NextGen 5.5kw with a sound enclosure. I'm trying to plan my installation, but Nextgen doesn't have any dimensioned drawings of of the enclosure. They just say wait until you get it then workout the installation. Are these guys in business or is building gensets just their hobby? I got enough information to know I'm not going to be able to use the bed for my old Onan but not enough to know how the new one will need to be built. So I have to wait a couple of weeks for it to be delivered then I have to workout how to install it and waste a perhaps a couple of more weeks while I figure out how to build the new bed, instead of having everything I need in hand when it arrives? Rant over