Hello Mark,

I am quite sure that the stern swim platform seat on the MkII is too small for the Honda generator. The Honda eu2000i is bigger than my generator and I cannot sit my generator on the swim platform seats. They are fairly small.

I share your wish to keep the generator out of the port side cockpit locker. I am concerned about the possibility of gasoline fumes escaping and leaking down into the bilge. It also takes up room that is better used for a Zodiac life raft and a Zodiac rollup dinghy (which just fit).

As a result I store my Yamaha EF1000iS on the starboard perch seat that is built into the stern pulpit. I have attached a picture of this. The dimensions are 17.7 inches long, 9.4 inches wide and 15.0 inches high. I can just fit across the starboard perch seat. I fasten it with two straps - one goes over the top of the generator and through a routed slot in the seat and back through the handle on the generator and the other goes around the generator including a vertical member of the stern pulpit. The generator doesn't budge underway (and is protected by a Sunbrela cover).

The smaller generator (900 watts continuous) meets our needs to charge the batteries using the Charles 30 amp charger. It will not run the water heater or an air conditioner if you have one. It runs small ac power tools easily and would likely run a small microwave. Our main use is to make up the battery drain for cabin lights, anchor light and refrigeration when we spend more than two nights at anchor. We don't like running the main engine while at anchor for a number of reasons.

When we use the generator at anchor we place it on top of a bathtub mat on the swim platform to reduce the noise (it is fairly quiet but it gets to you after a while). Other people in the anchorage don't get much noise although we avoid running it at night. One of these days I may put it in the dinghy.

_______
Malcolm Young
Shimarak II
C36 Mk II

Mark,

I do not have a generator, but Malcolm's idea gave me a thought. Is there enough room on the backside of the stern seat to mount a platform and have a support leg down to the transom? If there is, then some stainless tubing and startboard can be used to form a platform. Just a thought as I have a Mark I and there would be room to do it.

Hello Mark,

After discharging to just above the yellow (12.3 or 4 volts?) charge time using the Charles 30amp charger is about 2 1/2 to 3 hours for the original two 4D batteries. We usually take a lunch and go exploring in the dinghy.

After 2 1/2 to 3 hours the charging current is usually down to next to nothing - it takes forever to get it to nothing. I do not have a separate starting battery, however I keep a portable jump start battery just in case (have never had to use it although I have tried it).

We do use a separate Davis low draw anchor light which we hang in the from the topping lift. I like it as it turns itself off when the sun rises and I don't feel the compulsion to get out of bed to switch it off at 5:30 in the morning. However I intend to purchase a LED anchor light sometime soon.

This year we are tentatively planning to be in the North Channel for 6 or 7 weeks beginning in mid July. If you do get to Kincardine and don't see us around the boat - give us a call - otherwise we might catch you in the channel. It would be nice to put a face to your name.

By the way, if you (or anyone else) wants to look at our pictures of the North Channel they can be reached at [URL="http://www.shimarak.net"]http://www.shimarak.net[/URL] - click under sailing.

Malcolm, I see you have a Mk II. If your boat is stock, then your two 4Ds are separated into a #1 and a #2 battery. Is this how your boat is wired? Or have you connected them in parallel?

If they are still separate, then I seriously think you are missing an opportunity. It isn't rocket science (albeit, it is unforgiving of error) to install a dedicated starting battery, and to tie the two 4Ds together as your house bank.

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[QUOTE=Mark Wey;593] How much run time do you need to charge your batteries? I have two 4-D batteries for the house. No matter what I do I cannot make it through a full 24 hours on the hook with out charging batteries. I changed over the anchor light last year to a LED bulb. That made a huge difference. But I was still drawing down the batteries to just below 50%. Of course the big current draw is the refrigeration. My wife says also the CD player. [/QUOTE]

Something doesn't sound quite right here. With (2) 4Ds as your house bank you should have 366 AH in your bank. That means you should have 183 AH (50%) usable, which should be almost two days of 100 AH per day. With your fridge and lights and CD player, you should be running about 100 AH per day. If you anchor in the afternoon and wake up in the morning you should have seen less than 100 AH out of the bank. So I don't understand how you could be drawing down to less than 50%, although you were there and that's what you say is happening.

Have you recalibrated your battery monitor and set it for the right bank AHs? Are your CD player loads greater than just an amp or two and are you running it for a long time? What is it that is running your load so high?

Cruisers always run their battery banks between the 50% and the 85 to 90% charge because the last 10 to 15% takes forever to put back in because of battery acceptance. The higher the state of charge, the longer it takes to replenish the charge to full. See this for a discussion of battery acceptance and charging (albeit from alternators, the concept is exactly the same regardless of the charging source' and thanks for noting the C34 information on the Honda eu2000 - glad you took advantage of our information - we love to share and many of us C34ers work with your C36ers here, too): [url]http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,4454.0.html[/url] (read both pages). You can also do a search on "acceptance."

You have a number of choices:

1. Check your energy budget and actual loads and find out why you're using so much.

2. Consider the Honda eu1000. It's smaller and will not give you hot water, but will charge your batteries. It also stows in the port locker on our boats, and most likely yours, or off the stern.

3. Go for the 2000 and stow it somewhere else - you've read how our guys do it.

4. Consider solar.

Have you equalized your batteries?

All that being said, charging between the 50 and 85 to 90% is the best way to do it when on the hook. Don't waste energy to fully 100% charge until you can plug in (or have solar do it for you). The cost of solar may be greater than a eu2000, but the payback over a longer period of time is pretty good. Do a search on the C34 MB on "solar" and solar written by "jentine" and you'll find lots of good input.[The more advanced search engine, using both subject AND names is NOT the upper right hand search, but the search button on the header bar just above the subjects in the main MB.]

I'm not a fan of storing anykind of gas in the port locker as mine vents into the cabin. I've had a 1000 and currently have 2000 which allow hot water or a little more "juice" to the batts. I store it and my gas under the helm seat ie outside. I can't use the orig seat (too low) so have built a wooden one which is about 3 inches higher. We never used the walk-thru on my 36or c30 as I felt this was always a good place for the gas used in the OB and Gen.

Chris Hansen
Lake Mich