I have a chance to see a DC WhisperGen at the
Norwalk Boat Show today. I was very impressed.

The price was $12k. It provided 800 watts of power,
70 amps at 12 Volts for 1/5 gal per hour or about
..75 ltrs/hr.

It provided heat for hot water and was efficent enough
such that the exhaust was comfortable to touch.

Most impressive was the quiet sound it made--quieter
than a small window AC unit. With the sound cover
on it was difficult to hear.

Until noisy diesel gensets that are so annoying, this
unit can be set up to start when needed and was
quiet enough not to be a nuisance when running.

If agumented with solar cells, or even a wind generator,
I think the daily fuel consumption would be quite low.

So anyone considering a new genset, and/or heater, and
possibly AC for their boat, this with a good battery bank
would make a nice system.

Bart wrote:
I have a chance to see a DC WhisperGen at the
Norwalk Boat Show today. I was very impressed.

The price was $12k. It provided 800 watts of power,
70 amps at 12 Volts for 1/5 gal per hour or about
.75 ltrs/hr.

It provided heat for hot water and was efficent enough
such that the exhaust was comfortable to touch.

Most impressive was the quiet sound it made--quieter
than a small window AC unit. With the sound cover
on it was difficult to hear.

Until noisy diesel gensets that are so annoying, this
unit can be set up to start when needed and was
quiet enough not to be a nuisance when running.

If agumented with solar cells, or even a wind generator,
I think the daily fuel consumption would be quite low.

So anyone considering a new genset, and/or heater, and
possibly AC for their boat, this with a good battery bank
would make a nice system.

Everything but the 12 K sounds cool.

Joe

Yes, I checked it out at Newport last week. Very slick. But the Bang for
the Buck is a bit lacking - its $12K and doesn't put out enough to run a
coffeemaker. On the other hand, its a neat trickle charger, and would be a
good match for a lightweight boat that uses outboards instead of diesels
(like a catamaran).

(Bart - sorry for the personal email - I'm on my MIL's machine and "reply"
is different - jeff)

"Bart" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a chance to see a DC WhisperGen at the
Norwalk Boat Show today. I was very impressed.

The price was $12k. It provided 800 watts of power,
70 amps at 12 Volts for 1/5 gal per hour or about
.75 ltrs/hr.

It provided heat for hot water and was efficent enough
such that the exhaust was comfortable to touch.

Most impressive was the quiet sound it made--quieter
than a small window AC unit. With the sound cover
on it was difficult to hear.

Until noisy diesel gensets that are so annoying, this
unit can be set up to start when needed and was
quiet enough not to be a nuisance when running.

If agumented with solar cells, or even a wind generator,
I think the daily fuel consumption would be quite low.

So anyone considering a new genset, and/or heater, and
possibly AC for their boat, this with a good battery bank
would make a nice system.

Hey, it's only about 6 or 7K too much for a near useless (for most
folks) amount of power.



RB
35s5
NY

Capt. Rob wrote:
Hey, it's only about 6 or 7K too much for a near useless (for most
folks) amount of power.

More like *at least* $11K too much. Who in their right mind would pay
that much for that little?

PDW

$12 k !!!! Holy ****! You could buy a dozen Honda gens
for that.

SBV


"Bart" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a chance to see a DC WhisperGen at the
Norwalk Boat Show today. I was very impressed.

The price was $12k. It provided 800 watts of power,
70 amps at 12 Volts for 1/5 gal per hour or about
.75 ltrs/hr.

It provided heat for hot water and was efficent enough
such that the exhaust was comfortable to touch.

Most impressive was the quiet sound it made--quieter
than a small window AC unit. With the sound cover
on it was difficult to hear.

Until noisy diesel gensets that are so annoying, this
unit can be set up to start when needed and was
quiet enough not to be a nuisance when running.

If agumented with solar cells, or even a wind generator,
I think the daily fuel consumption would be quite low.

So anyone considering a new genset, and/or heater, and
possibly AC for their boat, this with a good battery bank
would make a nice system.

$12 k !!!! Holy ****! You could buy a dozen Honda gens
for that.



Uh, ok.



RB
35s5
NY

A 5 cup DC 12 V coffee maker requires 240 watts of power.
This could easily run that.

The concept behind it is you run it longer than a Genset
and it is quite enough that it is not annoying.

Look at it like its a battery charger and a heater.
From the perspective it works better than a genset.
And you don't need as big a battery bank.

Jeff wrote:
Yes, I checked it out at Newport last week. Very slick. But the Bang for
the Buck is a bit lacking - its $12K and doesn't put out enough to run a
coffeemaker. On the other hand, its a neat trickle charger, and would be a
good match for a lightweight boat that uses outboards instead of diesels
(like a catamaran).

Look at it from the prespective of A-H produced
per gal of fuel. Then balance that against the
benefit of quiet power and it's versatility as a
heat source for hot water. I think it is a winner.

BTW. There are no libricants and only easy to
replace seals.

The big question is the lifespan of the unit. If it
last far longer than a genset per A-H produced
then I'm sure it will have a broader appeal.

Longevity is the question I'd want to ask, and I
have not gotten a straight answer to that one.

Peter wrote:

More like *at least* $11K too much. Who in their right mind would pay
that much for that little?

These are a different beast - because they are "external combustion"
(like a house furnace) they are very efficient and can be set to run
unattended, so they claim. Also, they are extremely quiet. I stood
next to one at the show and could barely hear it running. Also, I
could hold the exhaust flew in my hand (briefly). I can see an
situation where it would fit in nicely. However, for my purposes, I
can see better uses for $12K.


Scotty wrote:
$12 k !!!! Holy ****! You could buy a dozen Honda gens
for that.

SBV


"Bart" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a chance to see a DC WhisperGen at the
Norwalk Boat Show today. I was very impressed.

The price was $12k. It provided 800 watts of power,
70 amps at 12 Volts for 1/5 gal per hour or about
.75 ltrs/hr.

It provided heat for hot water and was efficent enough
such that the exhaust was comfortable to touch.

Most impressive was the quiet sound it made--quieter
than a small window AC unit. With the sound cover
on it was difficult to hear.

Until noisy diesel gensets that are so annoying, this
unit can be set up to start when needed and was
quiet enough not to be a nuisance when running.

If agumented with solar cells, or even a wind generator,
I think the daily fuel consumption would be quite low.

So anyone considering a new genset, and/or heater, and
possibly AC for their boat, this with a good battery bank
would make a nice system.