I purchased my first small Honda Generator about 30 years ago and it still runs like a top--not a lot of hours on it--but over 100,000 sea miles as a "Back up"--it is about 300 watts continously and 500 watts surge. I used it mostly for running small power tools, an occasional refigerator and lighting. I have owned a Honda EU2000 for over 3 years and it runs a 8300 BTU air conditioner well. There are some 10,000 to 11,000 air conditioners which will run off the EU 2000. The 2000 will run the water heater, small electric heaters, battery chargers etc. It is always placed outside of the cockpit--on top of a platform, to which it is strapped on, which is on a plastic "crate". I make sure that the location is such that there is no chance of wind blowing the exhaust back into the boat. I have a 6 gallon remote fuel tank, and this will give a prolonged run time, even with the air conditioner. There are two "power levels"--one is wide open throttle all of the time, and the other is "eco" mode, where the engine drops to an idle when there is little load. Since the Honda is an alternator inverter, it is extremely quiet at low speed, such as battery charging. The noise level even at full power is just about conversational level. I have found that the Honda is quieter in the boat than many inboard diesel or gas units. If you are directly down wind of the exhaust, there is a noticable noise--and I still don't recommend running in a crowded anchorage. I also own a EU1000 which I have owned over a year. It will run a 5,000 BTU window air conditioner, but will not heat water or run any more than a 700 watt microwave or heater. It is lighter and slightly quieter than the 1000. I will address the carbon monoxide issue here also: What you must remember that carbon monoxide has a far greater affinity for hemoblobin in the red blood cell than oxygen. One bound the carbon monoxide does not freely disassociate, and takes a very long time to be released. Small amounts of carbon monoxide are cummulative in the blood cell, displacing the oxygen and even chronic exposure to low levels will eventually cause death. So, even though the amount of CO in diesel exhaust is 1/30th of the amount of a gas engine, a chonic exposure to low levels will cause symptoms and death. Do not assume that CO poisoning cannot occure with diesels--it can. A few years ago, we were anchored in a cove and the other folks were on our boat. We heard an alarm, which turned out to be a smoke detector in the engine room of a single engine trawler--where the genset had been left running and the exhaust hose failed and filled the engine room with diesel exhaust. I went below and in several minutes developed angina (I have significant cardiac disease) from the lowered oxygen level due to carbon monoxide in the boat. The owner had symptoms of significant carbon monoxide poisoning after about 10 minutes in the engine room. Bob Austin

Thanks a lot, Bob, and others, for the information on small generators. >I have owned a Honda EU2000 for over 3 years . . . It is always >placed outside of the cockpit--on >top of a platform, to which it is strapped on, which is on a plastic "crate". >I make sure that the location is such that there is no chance of wind blowing >the exhaust back into the boat. I have a 6 gallon remote fuel tank Do you have a any photos posted on the C-Brats site showing your set-up "outside the cockpit?" Where do you keep the extra fuel tank? --Georgs