I don’t rave about specific brands as a rule. If you do that someone who sells another brand is likely to ask why you haven’t given them this same amount of publicity. Of course when it comes to gen sets and engines everyone has an opinion. I have mine and this is my blog so here goes.
Gen sets are fantastic tools to have on board a boat. They allow you to run every electrical appliance you have without the “umbilical cord” being attached to the grid. On our Back Cove 37 the standard equipment includes the Onan EQD gen set which in my view is the best gen set available today. About five years or so ago Onan made up it’s corporate mind to create the best gen sets and staffed an engineering group to create it. Technically they are superior as you can read on their web site. System diagnostics are easy so that technicians can readily detect and correct problems should they occur. In our history with Onan we have had few issues and a couple of operator errors, but little to speak of. Everything from control panels to sound shields, just works.
But let’s face it there are a lot of places where powerboat generators are not welcomed because of noise. Gen sets have gotten a bad wrap. High speed (3600 rpm) gen sets that were popular in smaller sizes and installed on less expensive boats, created a poor image in many a quiet anchorage. Today’s gen sets that are slower turning and are fully enclosed not only in a sound shield but also within a well sound-proofed engine compartment. They are barely audible from the next boat in the anchorage.
I like to tell the story about one client who was very concerned about gen set noise and who asked that we start the gen set so he could hear how loud it was from within the cabin of the boat. I then told him that the set was already running and watched as his jaw dropped.
