![]() However, when the boat is moored a gensets noise level is very noticeable and often objectionable, not only to the owner but particularly to those nearby. The noise made by a genset may be of moderate concern when underway, especially if the main engine is being used. Particular attention was centered on each gensets sound shield. Electrical cables and controls were led to a plywood panel. The exhaust was piped outdoors and through a muffler. Fuel and cooling water lines were attached. Taking them one at a time, the gensets were unpacked and mounted in the same position on a rubber mat. The water then goes through a heat exchanger for the engine. The Fischer Panda circulates raw water (there is a freshwater option) through a housing that cools the generator. ![]() The Mase has the usual heat exchanger on the diesel and uses raw water to cool a small radiator over which is drawn internal, recirculating air to cool the generator. The 1,800 rpm gensets-Kohler, Northern Lights and Kilo-Pak-have standard sea water-cooled heat exchangers for the diesels and air-cooled generators. Thats why the genset repair business is very good in the Caribbean and other tropical areas. If either temperature were higher (such as 95 ambient in an engine compartment and 78 water in the tropics), the performance would deteriorate. The workshop provided very advantageous conditions for gensets: Ambient air temperature of 56 and cooling water at a constant 42. It happens to be directly under our second-floor office. Our own test site was the workshop of Dan Kerrs Kiwi Marine Services in the Ted Hood Marine Center in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. In the case of Westerbeke, the figures produced by the tests run by Westerbeke personnel can be compared with those we obtained in our testing of other makes. Instead, they offered to supply us with their own test data, but despite several reminders, it was never received.īecause both Westerbeke and Onan are prominent in the diesel genset business, basic data about their 8 kW units are included in the chart on page 14 and a short report on the testing we observed at Westerbekes plant in Avon, Massachusetts is on page 17. Another big manufacturer, Onan, also declined. After initially declining to participate, Westerbeke offered a session at their own test facility in Massachusetts, with the testing set up to specifications like those used in the Practical Sailor bench test. Included in our bench tests were Fischer Panda, Kilo-Pak, Kohler, Mase and Northern Lights. So the list was pared first to diesel-powered sets, then to those in the 8 kW range (the size most commonly installed on 40-50′ sailboats), then to seven manufacturers. Obviously, some pruning was necessary…if the test results were to be published before the Millennium excitement starts. To test that many would be a monumental undertaking involving about $275,000 worth of gensets. The original Market Scan included six gasoline-powered and 26 diesel-powered gensets. Readers wrote that theyd like to see actual tests. Either way, the results varied and positions changed depending on the size (output) of the 32 gensets. Because this is heavy equipment and weight aboard is always a factor, pounds per kilowatt also was calculated. For the gensets, it was purchase price dollars per kilowatt. The intent is to determine which brands and models offer the best value. The report was of the type we call a Market Scan, in which, to make recommendations for a given type of equipment, we laboriously assemble, review and examine features, specifications and prices. It’s the small things that add up to the most reliable, durable and simple to use power solutions on the market.An article in the June, 1997 issue about small gensets struck a chord with readers. Most service points are arranged on one common side to put regular maintenance points right at your fingertips. Maintenance is quick and easy with Northern Lights generators. Additionally, including a corrosion-resistant epoxy coating ensures protection against the harsh marine elements. The hand-wound and skewed stator makes electricity using a symmetrical sine wave for today’s sensitive electrical equipment. High copper content within the brushless generator end enables motor starting. It’s the meticulous craftsmanship that makes Northern Lights power the industry’s most reliable. Northern Lights manufactures a complete line of 50 and 60 Hz marine generator sets from 4.5 to 520 kW. Northern Lights generators provide unmatched quality and reliability that are powered by rugged Lugger diesels and proven in commercial fishing boats, high-performance yachts and passenger vessels.
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