I agree 100%. Auto start might be a nice *additional* option to have
but probably not for the increase in cost. Boaters who are serious
enough about their batteries and electrical system to buy something
like this will probably want the control and be careful not to draw
their batteries down so low that the automatic option would kick in.

Besides, think of the liability if someone was checking something like
belt tension, fueling, or working on the electrical system when it
kicked in.

For an engine of this size, I would favor a pull rope and the lowest
possible cost unless you go the permanently installed route and it's
in a place you can't got to pull on it. If air-cooled, that isn't
very likely.

I would mount the fuel tank on it in such a way that it can easily be
removed and an extension fuel line attached. You might hook it up to
the boat's main fuel supply and have the option for taking it ashore
to use for other purposes. Or, you could put the generator where it
is most convenient and the fuel tank in the best place.

I wish the fuel tank on my home emergency generator was removable this
way. Then I could leave the gas out in the shed and keep the
generator in the basement so the block and cylinders wouldn't be cold
soaked if I needed to get it running.

Most boater who would buy something like this will also have a very
good 120 V driven battery charger. It very possibly will have
temperature probes to the batteries. Being able to supply just enough
AC to run this unit would be my goal. If it could also run small
power tools, it would have additional uses if portable.

Many battery chargers are hooked up with a standard three prong plug
and an AC outlet. Boat with this set up could simply run a standard
cord to the charger when they wanted to use the generator. It the AC
charger is hard wired, they could use an adapter to the shore power
inlet and turn off everything else in the boat. This would also let
the generator power the boat's AC outlets for running tools.

Think simple. Think flexible. Keep the cost and weight low enough
that I will buy one.

--

Roger Long



"purple_stars" wrote in message
ups.com...
Chuck Cox wrote:
purple_stars wrote:
[snip]
and also remote start so you can mount the starter switch where
ever
you want it.

There really won't be a "Start" button. There will only be
"On/Off" and
the charger will decide when to start and stop. When you suggest
this
feature, are you thinking of a built-in or stand-alone
configuation? I
think this would be required in a built-in configuration, but for a
stand-alone configuration, I'm inclined to forgoe the additional
expense
unless it provides a significant benefit.

Thanks for your feedback.

for the built in configuration is what i meant.

unless it's just going to be a self contained generator with it's
own
fuel tank and everything like you were considering then i think the
run
switch is less than desirable, and let me tell you why. anyone who
is
going to be using this generator in our (rec.boats.cruising) mindset
is
going to have certain things going through their head, and here's
the
basic thought process ... (please feel free to say this isn't your
thought process rec.boats.cruisers! lol) ... maybe i should say,
it's
my thought process!

--

** oh no! it's been rainy & gloomy and calm for days, thick stratus
clouds as far as the eye can see, and they're just sitting there not
moving a bit. my solar panels haven't been producing enough power
to
keep the house battery bank charged up and the wind generator hasn't
been producing any power either because of the lack of wind. what
to
do!!! oh, i know, we can TURN THE SWITCH ON FOR THE DIESEL BATTERY
CHARGER and spend some fuel charging up the house bank so we don't
lose
power to the radio, cooler, and all the other junk we have on board.

and later ...

** oh goodie!!! we're out of the doldrums, the wind is picking up,
the
sun is coming back out, and we're getting power from the solar
panels
and wind generator again! yay! NOW WE CAN TURN THE DIESEL
GENERATOR
OFF AND LEAVE IT OFF UNTIL WE NEED IT TO CHARGE UP THE BATTERIES
AGAIN.
meanwhile, we'll just go back to using this free energy that doesn't
cost us any precious fuel and save the fuel for a rainy day.

--

that's basically the thought process going on. your generator, in
my
thinking, is there to make it so that the cruiser doesn't have to
use
the big marine engine and it's alternator just to charge batteries,
instead, yours is like a mini version, to efficiently turn fuel into
battery bank storage. but it's NOT THE PRIMARY means of charging
batteries, it's the backup to use when the free stuff stops working.
which it does sometimes, due to lack of wind, days of rain, or maybe
you are missing a fuse you need, or your wind generator got lost in
a
storm or something. most battery bank systems are going to be
sophisticated enough (as will their users) to put your generator to
the
proper use on their own. there are already plenty of solar/wind
battery chargers out there that have a built in automatic control
for
turning on/off a generator and managing it without your generator
trying to do that on it's own (and in my opinion getting in the
way).

that said, that's all assuming it's all installed, like you said.
if
it's just one piece and you take it out on deck to recharge the
batteries for a few hours then yeah a run button is the best thing.
you didn't sound so sure about that though since you were asking if
it
should have it's own fuel tank, it sounded like you were going more
for
an installed widget vs. a luggable gadget. but if you are going
luggable then you're in competition with the little honda generator
and
a more general market. and a diesel luggable is going to be really
heavy.

personally i don't want a generator doing what it wants to do, i
want
it doing what i want it to do, i want control over it. there is
enough
stuff going on inside of a boat without having a generator starting
up
at awkward times, at night when you're sleeping, when there's water
in
the bilge or what have you ... it's just not a good idea to have it
starting and running without some kind of basic control over it, in
my
opinion. of course maybe opinions vary, i don't know. i think it's
nice having all the switches right there in one place near the
fuses,
and it gives you more options for where to put the generator and
it's
associated pipes. and with a remote switch you can hook it up to a
relay and have all kinds of flexibility, or let the solar/wind
charger
turn it on and off with a manual override (remote run switch).