GenSet Replacement

[Ben]

Hi All -

38yo Genny is kaput. 1984 Onan MDKD 8kW w/3cyl Kubota engine.



Looking at 9kW Onan/Cummins and 9.5kW Beta Marine to start.


Genny recommendations (or avoids) in the 8-10kW range?


Sincere Thanks!

 

[diver dave]

Put Next Gen 9.5kW on ur list. I just toured their factory in Jax. I believe its also a 3 cyl Kubota.

 

[jimdavi]

Northern lights fan. Proven, over and over. Excellent support, someone answers the phone when you call.

 

[hjorgan]

Also a Next gen fan. NEXT GENERATION POWER ENGINEERING INC. Have a small 3.5kw that has been flawless (except for 1 minor issue that I'm too lazy to chase down). Good tech support when needed.

 

[twistedtree]

NorthernLights 9kw

 

[mvweebles]

I went through a similar exercise 3 years ago. I can only speak to my decision.

Nexgen seemed popular with folks who were fairly new to generators (sailors who were tired of their Honda 2000w), or those where space and weight were a concern. Or who were ultra price sensitive. I found generally strong owners, but a few troubling reports of issues and lack of customer support. One Florida owner uninstalled the generator and drove it up to NexGen....twice.

In the end, the NexGen are 2800 rpm generators which was by far my biggest issue with them. In the end, saving a couple grand over a Northern Lights (6kw) just wasn't compelling when all other install costs were factored in.

Want customer service? I had the pleasure of spending a couple hours yesterday afternoon with a good friend who happens to work for NL. His job in life is more or less to talk to NL owners and solve problems, assist with install issue considerations, etc. That says a lot about NL.

Several very short videos explaining the engineering that goes into a NL. There is so much more than just base engine selection.

https://youtu.be/xLF5oIxhbA8

https://youtu.be/KmsEsBnGeXI

https://youtu.be/ylKGIolbD8g

https://youtu.be/c2uSIxdu36Q

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

Just replaced my 30+year old Onan. I replaced with a Northern Lights 9kw. Genny, Removal and installed was $22. Worth every penny.

 

[Bigsalmonfish]

Northern Lights, simple, efficient the best!

 

[High Wire]

I put in a new 8 kw Phasor back in 2018. Kubota D1105 engine and brushless gen have been flawless. The seawater pump impeller failed almost exactly at 500 hours but that’s it. Nice, simple machine.

 

[Keysdisease]

I will put Phasor right up there as a close 2nd to Northern Lights.

 

[sunchaser]

Put Next Gen 9.5kW on ur list. I just toured their factory in Jax. I believe its also a 3 cyl Kubota.

Also they are 1800 RPM. Given delivery time delays some genset builders are seeing NG is indeed worth a look. BTW, our Westerbeke 12.5 has been flawless. With gensets many of the issues are either install, exhaust or maintenance shortfall related.

 

[mvweebles]

When i was searching, the Phasor (an 1800 rpm generator, same as NL) was about $1200 less expensive than similar NL. But here are some specifics why I ended up chosing NL.

Here's what 50+ years of R&D gets you. Matinization. Yea, the engine seems off-the-shelf, but a company the size of NL can work with the engine (or Gen head) OEM to make specific design tweaks. Other companies such as NexGen have had to retool their designs when an engine manufacturer made a change (several years ago, NexGen had to adapt their raw water cooling system due to change in PTO output configuration by Kubota).

NL enjoys an extremely intimate relationship with their customers and adapt to recurring issues. They have changed alloys in exhaust elbows when they didn't last as long as needed, changed main seals, etc. As a result, NL has an extremely loyal following with some serial boat owners having purchased a dozen generators or more over the years.

The research NL puts into their marinization is second to none. One of the videos I posted above discusses how NL tweaked the design of the exhaust to dramatically reduce noise. Other manufacturers talk about sound shields and gen-seps. NL goes further.

Global parts and support. We've all heard people on forums say "Kubota is great - walk into any tractor supply place and get the same part for 50% of the same at a marine store." Except rod bearings, valve guides, and piston rings are not what normally breaks. What does break are the bolt-on items: Relays, sensors, pumps, belts, seals, exhaust elbows (as Sunchaser notes), heat exchangers are what give out long before the engine or powerhead. Good luck finding them at a farm store. You will need customer support. NL has a global network and a proven track record of topnotch response.

Northern Lights has a YouTube channel which is understated and borders on awful. I swear, if these guys ran a sushi restaurant, they would market their food as "raw, dead fish." But I'd encourage anyone thinking about a new generator to spend some time watching their videos.

Peter

 

[mvweebles]

Also they are 1800 RPM. Given delivery time delays some genset builders are seeing NG is indeed worth a look. BTW, our Westerbeke 12.5 has been flawless. With gensets many of the issues are either install, exhaust or maintenance shortfall related.

NexGen lists the 9.5 as 2800 rpm. Is there an option for an 1800 rpm model?

http://nextgenerationpower.com/95kwmarine.html

 

[diver dave]

NexGen lists the 9.5 as 2800 rpm. Is there an option for an 1800 rpm model?

http://nextgenerationpower.com/95kwmarine.htmlView attachment 131510

No. Low rpm motors are contrary to lightweight. NG are ribbed, flat belt driven to step up gen rpm to 3600. .

 

[sunchaser]

No. Low rpm motors are contrary to lightweight. NG are ribbed, flat belt driven to step up gen rpm to 3600. .

The Next Gen 12.5 Kubota powered model KCM4-12.5 is 1800 RPM. As best I recall NG has a light weight and heavy weight product line.

 

[diver dave]

The Next Gen 12.5 Kubota powered model KCM4-12.5 is 1800 RPM. As best I recall NG has a light weight and heavy weight product line.

You are correct. I was thinking only of the compact series.

 

[Alaskan Sea-Duction]

All service ports on my NL are on the right side of the engine. Takes 5 minutes to change oil and filter. Simple and user friendly. 67 hours so far.

 

[Fletcher500]

I have almost 1,000 hours on a Cummins/Onan 9KW. The engine is a Kubota and it runs quiet at 1,800 rpm and no issues getting to the impeller and oil for routine servicing . Overall, no major issues with the Genset, but I would give it an overall Grade of “B” due to some minor repairs on the cooling side of the house. As others have noted, the marinisation is key and some do it better than others. Its a solid Gen Set and no major complaints as it has been a workhorse for us, but if I was ordering a new Gen I would likely go with the NL who may have an edge on the raw water cooling. No hard facts on this as I have never had an NL Gen, just dock talk and from what I have read on forums.

 

[pjtemplin]

Remember to treat a new 9/9.5/10kW genset as if it is an 8kW until you go over EVERY step of the current pathway and confirm that it can do a higher current.

 

[twistedtree]

Northern Lights has a YouTube channel which is understated and borders on awful. I swear, if these guys ran a sushi restaurant, they would market their food as "raw, dead fish." But I'd encourage anyone thinking about a new generator to spend some time watching their videos.

Peter

Because with the right added accoutrements, and well presented, raw dead fish tastes really, really good. Just like a tractor engine with all the Northern Lights marine components added to it works really, really well.

 

[tpfbdf]

I know there are companies out there that sell propane conversion kits for the Hondas. Does anyone have experience with such a conversion for use on a boat?

 

[catalinajack]

No. Low rpm motors are contrary to lightweight. NG are ribbed, flat belt driven to step up gen rpm to 3600. .

Just wondering about that 2,800 RPM spec - isn't that just the rated horsepower spec, not the governed speed of the engine for the generator head?

 

[catalinajack]

I know there are companies out there that sell propane conversion kits for the Hondas. Does anyone have experience with such a conversion for use on a boat?

Why? You already have a large supply of diesel fuel for the generator yet you want to lug around 20# propane bottles which really don't last very long. You never run out of diesel fuel. Makes no sense plus a propane leak in your engine room will make the whole boat go boom.

 

[diver dave]

Just wondering about that 2,800 RPM spec - isn't that just the rated horsepower spec, not the governed speed of the engine for the generator head?

Notice the pulley diameter change

 

[tpfbdf]

Why? Makes no sense plus a propane leak in your engine room will make the whole boat go boom.

Good point about the large supply of diesel. But, I was not suggesting propane in the bildge. I know some folks have a small gasoline gen for occasional use (which are quieter than big diesel in the engin room) that they plug into the shore power plug. I figure if you already have propane galley and grill... maybe a small converted to propane gen would be convenient. But you are right... if someone needs long generator run times... diesel is the way to go.

 

[mvweebles]

A good friend is building an off-grid cabin and augments his solar with a dual-fuel generator that he uses propane to power. He gets around 7-10 hours on a 20lb tank so he has several bottles. Not really practical on a boat, especially since most boats have gasoline powered outboards aboard.

Peter

 

[grahamdouglass]

Get a Northern Lights

I got lucky when I came across a used 5kw Northern Lights with 700 hrs on it. Did the removal of my old Onan and install of my new to me genset without too much trouble.

With out doubt every thing they say about Northern Lights is true. Great genset, you can talk to the guys in Seattle and it is easy to work on.

There is no other genset worth considering.

 

[mvweebles]

I got lucky when I came across a used 5kw Northern Lights with 700 hrs on it.

You got very lucky. I looked for a few months and found nothing small in a used NL. Found quite a few Fisher Pandas and a few others......I finally decided there was a reason for what I was finding (and not finding) and just bit the bullet on a 6kw NL

Peter .

 

[Tator]

I have been happy with our new (2021) NL6kw except for one incident.

We were having a problem with it heavily smoking for about 2 minutes after start-up. After several conversations with NL, I contacted the seller/installer and he came by to take a look. With about 95 hours on it, he said we hadn't been running it hard enough and we hadn't adjusted the valves at 50hrs. We had been running as per break-in instructions-variable loads from about 25% to around 90%- and the info in our manual said to do the initial valve adjustment at 100hrs. He showed his sheet which said 50hrs. and told us to run it full bore until the smoke cleared up when starting. He also adjusted the valves. The problem appears to have cleared up.

I guess I was a little peeved that after having spent years keeping my old 1978 Onan MDJE running and spending $18k for the removal of it and the purchase and installation of the new NL6kw, I was looking forward to a no hassle genset experience. I wish that NL had mentioned the change in valve setting schedule when I talked with them several times on the phone. Or wish that they had notified me by email of the maintenance change as they had my contact info. Instead I wasted time following their suggestions to change the fuel filter and air cleaner. This was on top of having to pay the mechanic for the valve adjustment-something that I am capable of doing and had planned on doing when the genset reached 100hrs. Gripe over.

Tator

 

[Xlantic]

I replaced my ancient Onan with 2 kW of solar panels and two 100A externally regulated alternators.

I had removed three AC units and installed 10 Caframo fans. Replaced electric cooker with a propane one.

I couldn't be happier!

For the OP, now is a good time to consider solar.