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  1. #11

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    Re 12 volt lights:

    Every single room, including the engine rooms and generator room, on my 1965 boat has both 120v and 12v lighting. Generally the overhead room lights are 120, while the reading lamps over each bed are 12. Each head has two sets of switches, with two lamps. Hatteras designed her with totally redundant systems. We lose the luxuries if the generator quits, but all the important stuff (fresh water, toilets) runs 12. I added the inverter to keep the fridge cool--have not been so spoiled as to add the ice maker yet.
    Jim Grove, Fanfare 1966 50MY Hull #22 (Delivered Jan. 7, 1966)

    "LIFE IS JUST ONE DAMNED THING AFTER ANOTHER." Frank Ward O'Malley, Journalist, Playwright 1875-1932

  2. Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    WOW! I can not even imagine sleeping on our boat in the summer without A/C. This means that we either have to run the ac or not fish overnight. I think we will run the genset. I have 4 co2 detectors. One in each Stateroom and one in the Salon. I will take my chances. there is not any more risk to that then having a fire at your house and not being able to get out cause you are sleeping.

    Ever been to a mooring in florida with non sailboaters? Every non sailboat has a genset running. There is a reason for that.
    Pat Bustle
    Palmetto, Florida
    1984 38 Topaz Express "Aranmore"
    Broker, United Yacht Sales
    Visit My Website

  3. Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    I wouldn't worry that my co2 monitors didn't have a marine certification. I have found from past experience that "marine" monitors are notorious for falsing. I've owned several boats with factory installed alarms only to find the previous owner had installed a toggle switch to be able to shut these damn things off. There are home units available which operate on 110v ac with 9v dc back up batteries. I can't remember the name of the ones I bought, but I bought them at Lowe's (go to Home Depot if you're a Tony Stewart fan, I like Jimmy Johnson myself). You can bet your life that these things are going to be trustworthy. Why do I say that? Can you imagine the size of the settlement the manufacturer would have to pay if somebody croaked because of a faulty alarm? So crank up that genny and do some comfortable snoozin'.
    1974 58TC "Freebird", 1965 41DC "Nancy Cay", For Sale - Click HERE for info - sosectn@aol.com
    Randy Register - Kingston, Tennessee - aka Freeebird aka Sparky1
    www.forumlychallengedboaters.com

  4. #14

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    If I am not at a dock my generator is almost always on. In part this is because I have gotten water backflowing from the waterlift muffler into the generator cylinders when rolling in very rough seas. I quickily learned it was cheaper to run the genny than to rebuild it!
    Wouldn't it be cheaper to fix the exhaust system then running it for that reason. If Installed correct this can not happen. Tony Athens on boat diesel has many threads on this subject and is great reading it may be as easy as rerouting a hose? If not he can build you a riser that will work that guy can do anything and its always the right way!!!
    Dan
    End Of The Line II
    1967 34C

    EOTL II Rebuild Web Page

    ><(((º>´¯`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸><((((º>`•.¸¸.•´¯`•.¸><(( (( º>¸¸.•´¯`•.¸¸¸><(((º>

  5. #15

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    same thing happened to my norpro 18 after i installed an inverter and i started running the boat without the genset. 2 issues... improper exhaust routing, muffler was in original location against hull with a long uphill run from bottom of sound shield to muffler (fixed by moving the muffler close to genset) and also a lower than the orignal Onan exhaust manifold, too close to water line (solved by adding syphon break).
    Pascal
    Miami, FL
    1970 53 MY #325 Cummins 6CTAs
    2014 26' gaff rigged sloop
    2007 Sandbarhopper 13
    12' Westphal Cat boat

  6. #16

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    I agree with Pascal. I run my generator anytime I am out of port. Anchored or not. If I can't trust the safety devises that I or Hatteras have installed on My boat. What good are they. Runaways can happen anytime. IF you do your maintenance Like you are supposed too. You can enjoy the comforts. C/O from a diesel is less dangerous than gas. I worry more when the admiral cooks than anything else. It's the boats that are moored improper with the wrong air flow that run into trouble. Rafting with generators is a real danger anytime. I WILL KEEP COOL.



    BILL

  7. #17

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    I'm not affraid to run the gen at night either. There is some risk, but I believe it is minimal and if you have CO detectors, it is almost zero. As long as I can wake up, I can always make a quick exit out the escape hatch if necessary.

    Now as far as low voltage lights: I think Hatteras set all boats up with both low and high voltage lights in every cabin. My 1985 had some of those 32v lights rewired to 110v. I promptly changed those back to the original design. It wasn't always easy, though. Some of the old 32v wires were just cut and taped and laying in the headliner. Some things that people have done to my boat in the past really make me mad. I wish they would have just left it alone. It takes at least twice as long to fix something that someone else did wrong than to fix the original problem.
    Sky Cheney
    1985 53EDMY, Hull #CN759, "Rebecca"
    ELYC on White Lake--Montague, MI

  8. #18

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    Dan--

    You are right-it was fairly cheap to fix the waterlift muffler so it didn't back flow into the generator. Ended up moving the muffler, and installing a siphon break clear up through the gen room overhead, so it is now under the galley seat. Had to remove the end of a drawer to make room. That was 28 years ago. Since this forum wasn't around I regret that it took me about a year just to figure out why the generator was failing as it did not happen often. Had to be in really super rough seas which I now try to avoid. I think we would roll so much that the generator oil pump would suck air, in which case the low-oil pressure switch automatically shut the thing down. It cost me a new generator, a rebuild, and a lot of trouble. I have had no problem since--but I still never turn the generator off when I am at sea. I might once the anchor is down, but that's when I need the hot water heater, stove, AC, icemaker and lights, so I mostly don't.

    As I think about this, I guess I have to say that I believe the location of the original waterlift muffler was a design flaw. It was in the generator room, just about at the waterline, on the far outboard side of the hull. The old Onan was two feet below it on the centerline. Thus the water inside the muffler had a pretty good drop when at extreme roll angles, particularly if the generator had suddenly stopped while running under load, so it was really full of cooling water. But that is about the only design flaw I can think of in the whole boat. That's not a bad record for Jack Hargrave. Just wish I had figured it out sooner, as it ruined several trips. (I had a bunch of boatyard guys and the Onan people thinking about it too with few suggestions.)

    I also find that for the last few years I have been staying at docks more often. Probably due to the presence of small grandchildren who function better if they can get ashore for exercise. My generator needs exercise too, and I'm just going to try to give it more in the future.
    Jim Grove, Fanfare 1966 50MY Hull #22 (Delivered Jan. 7, 1966)

    "LIFE IS JUST ONE DAMNED THING AFTER ANOTHER." Frank Ward O'Malley, Journalist, Playwright 1875-1932

  9. Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    Quote Originally Posted by SKYCHENEY
    I'm not affraid to run the gen at night either. There is some risk, but I believe it is minimal and if you have CO detectors, it is almost zero. As long as I can wake up, I can always make a quick exit out the escape hatch if necessary.

    Now as far as low voltage lights: I think Hatteras set all boats up with both low and high voltage lights in every cabin. My 1985 had some of those 32v lights rewired to 110v. I promptly changed those back to the original design. It wasn't always easy, though. Some of the old 32v wires were just cut and taped and laying in the headliner. Some things that people have done to my boat in the past really make me mad. I wish they would have just left it alone. It takes at least twice as long to fix something that someone else did wrong than to fix the original problem.
    I think most everybody is in agreement on the generator issue. I'm still hoping somebody will address my original question and make my day. Looks like all my dc lights (except for the one over the dinette) have been converted to 110v. I haven't looked under the headliner, but my overhead lights are fluorescent. Again, I don't know if that's the way it came. I have found a good number of cut wires while inspecting behind the helm, and I also found a number of hot wires (which are numbered) that are not hooked to anything at the electrical panel. I have the wiring diagrams but haven't had time to trace all this stuff yet. I'm like you, it is mind boggling that someone would spend big bucks on the best engineered, best finished boat on the water, and then proceed to screw around with it. You want to find the idiot and give him a good shaking while asking "what the hell were you thinking?" I'm embarassed to have anybody on board enter the master stateroom on the 58 that I just purchased. Believe it or not, an older couple lived on the boat "up north" and among other dumb things they did, they removed the original dresser and night stands and replaced them with mobile home grade "white" ones (somebody in Cincinnati has a hell of a nice piece of furniture in their mobile home!). As if that were not enough, they covered all the walls with white padded vinyl, then covered the wood trim in red velvet! The red velvet theme was carried on to the headboard as well. I'm seriously considering contacting the cable tv networks and see if they will commission a "Pimp My Boat" series. I'd be the hands down winner of a remake. If that doesn't work out, maybe I'll just leave it alone and see if I can find some red light bulbs! The hell of it is, these folks paid good money to screw up a perfectly good boat as the work was professionally done. I can't wait to get this thing home and start ripping all the crap out of it.
    1974 58TC "Freebird", 1965 41DC "Nancy Cay", For Sale - Click HERE for info - sosectn@aol.com
    Randy Register - Kingston, Tennessee - aka Freeebird aka Sparky1
    www.forumlychallengedboaters.com

  10. #20

    Re: Westerbeke Generator Problem

    most of the lights on my 53 are AC, unfortunately... dont' know if or when some where converted but i dont' see why anybody would consider it...

    re your generator, how old is it ? it helps to provide all the info when asking a specific question. dont' know how close it is, I had a 7.5 gas wstbk,98 vintage... the safety switches were bypassed by holding the run switch when starting so if the genny stops when you release the switch, it has to be either the oil press or the overheat switch.

    i can't think of any reason why "playing" with the stop switch would keep it running. Speed is controled by the governor, i'm guessing that's where you problem is... i doubt there is a magic answer.
    Pascal
    Miami, FL
    1970 53 MY #325 Cummins 6CTAs
    2014 26' gaff rigged sloop
    2007 Sandbarhopper 13
    12' Westphal Cat boat

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