www.iFourWinns.com

Looking for some advice on a generator; we just place our order for a 2008 V248 with A/C and heat as well as most of the other gadgets. We did not include the TV much to the dismay of my son.
I am considering purchasing a HONDA EU2000 generator and I am concerned about two things, does it have enough power to run the AC or Heat, lights and refrigerator at the same time and the noise that it will generate. Thanks!

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
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2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS

Bob,

The answer in terms of power is yes you have enough to run everything. The generator is great and on the platform does not make any noise.

The most important thing you want to have is multiple working CO detectors in the cabin. Safety is the most important issue when dealing with these generators.

-W

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Walter

2003 248 Vista - VP 5.0 GXi
2009 Toyota Tundra SR5 5.7L 4x4

The generator will handle the load. Also, a new 2008 248 will already have a CO monitor in the mid cabin and one in the main cabin. So you should be fine. The noise that the genny makes will not be obtrusive in the cabin with the cabin door shut, but anyone near you will definately hear it. But it is not as loud as sleeping next to a running lawn mower.

So I take it you will not have this boat in a slip with shore power? Thus the "need" for a genny while on the water ?

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One of 4 Previous (Sold) Boats:
2000 Four Winns 268 Vista

Current Boat: 2004 Chaparral 235 ssi cuddy

Thanks for the feedback; at our home port we will have shore power. In the Long Island Sound/Rhode Island area there are many great spots to just drop your hook for the night and that’s where the generator comes in. I don’t mind not using the air (never needed it before) but running the lights and refrigerator would be nice.

The 2008 does indeed come with two CO detectors.

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
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2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS

Have you thought about a inverter then. It would power everything but your A/C. We had one on our 268 worked great. We are also thinking of putting one on our 348.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

I picked up a brand new Kipor 2000 sinemaster on ebay from a guy in Florida for 700 shipped to the house. I got in three days and worked great last summer. I normally run it on the platform to make coffee in the am and harge the batteries. Never needed it run the ac while on the hook. I have a couple of deep cycle batteries that run the fridge, lights, radio and a small fan with no problems. The unit is quite so it doesnt really bother anyone. I have also run it on the bow all the way at the front. Keeps the noise out of the cockpit while you are hanging out waiting for coffee and pancakes in the am.

I guess I like the security that running off a generator would provide. That’s why I am leery of using the boats batteries, deep cycle or not. The 2000 sounds like the one. thanks

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
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2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS

248Vista,

Why pay 700 for a Kipor when for 875 you can get the Honda from http://www.mayberrys.com (shipped). Go with the Honda Bob you will not be dissapointed!

As for the lights on the vista they are all DC and run off the battery, the only thing that requires AC power is the Air Conditioning, Microwave and Stove and the generator won't run all those at once but it will run the AC, charge the batteries, run the frigerator no problem.. I shut the air off if I use the stove or microwave. The 248 has amazing cabin ventilation and there are nights where you probably won't need the AC, but during the day while on the hook it sure is nice!

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Brett DiMichele

BeachBob, First Congratulatons on your new boat! Great Boat!

I copied the info below from a really old post. You may want to go back and check the archives for a thread on Portable Generators!

The AC Output of the HondaEU2000i at the max rating of 2,000W is 16.7 Amps and at the 1,600 rated W is 13.3 Amps. I think that most of the appliances aboard can be run with this, although not at the same time. I believe that a typical 5,000 BTU A/C uses approx 530W and draws approx 5 amps. Other appliances approx usages are:
Small 1.7CuFt Fridge - 200Watts - Under 2 amps
Fan - 200W/2amps
TV - 100W/1amp
Coffee Maker - 900 - 1000W or approx 8 amps!!
Laptop Computer - 20W
Cell Phone Charger - 5W

Appliances that would be a problem with the portable generator:
Microwave - Close call at 1,000 to 1,500Watts - Check your model
Hair Dryer; Portable Heater; Toaster Oven, etc all around 1,500Watts &up

As you can probably see, to figure out Ampere Usage divide the total Watts by the voltage that the appliance is rated for like 115V or 120V. As an example if the appliance uses 6,000Watts, then it probably draws approx 5Amps.

With the Honda EU2000i rated at 13.3 amps, you can quickly figure out what will and what will not work with it.

Hope this helps with your decision.

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

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'04 FW 268Vista "Andiamo"

How are you going to wire it up? I'm considering adding one to our 348 as well. But I'm a little puzzled about how to set it up in an integrated manner. I could just set it up such that it re-routes itself from 12v off the batteries into the shore power circuit. But that would run afoul of the charger thinking it's supposed to then charge the batteries. That'd never work, of course. It seems like there needs to be a "third position" on the breaker panel for the AC source. Right now there's just shore or generator. A choice for shore/inverter/generator and something that cut out the charger automatically would be nice. Trouble is there's no free space on the breaker panel to accommodate anything extra. The 2007+ models have a different breaker panel that has a bit more room (done by moving a bunch of stuff to a panel under the captain's seat). Nor is there any spare room at the port side transom panel.

I've been thinking some sort of secondary breaker panel for shore power mode would work. Re-wire the charger to be slaved to this panel. So to use inverter you'd put the main panel on the shore power setting and then flip this panel to inverter. Trouble is I've yet to find a "good place" to put a second panel! Given that we never use the CD changer it might be acceptable to remove it and put a panel there instead.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Hey Bill I have a friend at the marina that has a electronics Co. He has wire up most of the inverters on our dock. How he does it. Is he puts two batters for the inverter. With a inverter/charger I think it is a 2000w. He then wires it with a Shore Power cord on it. So all we do is plug it in our shore power. And turn what ever breaker on that we want to run. It has work great for him all the years he had his boat. We are planing on putting our inverter in next to our Ref in the cockpit. We keep going back and force about getting one for our 348. But we are putting one in this spring. It would be nice we we get up we can make coffee with out turning the Gen.

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348 Vista ( Last Call )
Raystown PA

248Vista,

Why pay 700 for a Kipor when for 875 you can get the Honda from http://www.mayberrys.com (shipped). Go with the Honda Bob you will not be dissapointed!

The stats on the two are the same. I paid 700 shipped from Florida and got it in three days. Ran all season without any problems at all. Researched both gennys and havent heard of or found any difference except the color and the name. I can use the almost $200 difference for something else, like a tank of fuel. Oh, and they even threw in the cover for it at no charge.

Yep, that'd be pretty much the only reason we'd bother with it too.

I've already added two batteries, well, two 6v golf cart ones wired in series. I put them on the shelf in the stern-most part of the engine compartment. There's just enough room behind the steering gear to accommodate them. There's also JUST barely enough room between the mufflers and the top of the engine compartment lip to fit them back there. I have them each in their own battery box, mainly because it'd be otherwise impossible to get them in and out of a single box once it was mounted back in there.

I just really dislike the idea of running wire out of the boat just to run it back into the shore power outlet. I'd much rather having something better integrated.

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-Bill Kearney, 2005 348 Vista

Okay then! hope it gives you many years of service and many cups of coffee

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Brett DiMichele

Thanks for all the information on the generators. I am still confused about one thing, the amount of time I can expect to run the bare necessities over a weekend on just the batteries. This being said I realize that the generator is needed to run the big draw items: AC/Heat, microwave and coffee pot but what about normal cabin items. Specifically the refrigerator, it will run the entire weekend along with lights, radio and the water heater (I assume?). These items are all new to me; we had a 22’ cuddy and the batteries would last a entire weekend running the lights and radio. As they say the bigger the boat the bigger the draw. In the past I would run on both batteries but when on the hook we would live off one of the two batteries; this would always leave one fresh for starting.

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“Growing Older, But Not Up”
[

2008 Four Winns V248
2004 Stingray 220CS