Replacing our Generator, Bayliner 4788 Motor Yacht: Westerbeke to Northern Lights
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- Опубликовано: 3 окт 2024
- After dealing with the 1999 Westerbeke 12.5 KW generator that came with our boat having continual brown out issues for months (and lots of diagnostics time) - we decided to replace it.
We selected a Northern Lights 6 KW (1/2 the size physically and power, and about a 1/3 the energy use) which is an overall better fit for our power needs.
This video goes over why we replaced our generator and then the removal of the old one, installation of the new one and installing a sound shield after that fact.
Hopefully an enjoyable and educational ride :)
Here's also our full blog post going over this project:
www.technomadia...
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Big huge thanks to AskCaptainChris.com for filming from the ground and for his excellent commentary.. and for Eddie the mechanic for welcoming us in sharing his work (East Coast Power Systems - Ft. Pierce, FL).
Watch the FULL unedited commentary from Captain Chris:
• Removing a Generator f...
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Cherie & Chris have been full time technomads since 2006. In the winter we explore land in our 1961 GM 4106 bus conversion. In the spring/summer we move aboard our 1999 Bayliner 4788 slowly exploring America's waterways along the Great Loop.
We share for fun in our spare time and our travelogue content is supported by our Patrons at / technomadia .
We love sharing a slice of our life with others at www.technomadia..., Facebook and Instagram. Want to come share more behind the scenes, you can also join us on Patreon. We use the name 'Technomadia' in all those places. Come join the adventure however you choose!
We have full time jobs that fund our adventures (this channel is our fun after-hours hobby space). Our career is running www.MobileInter... - where we track mobile internet options for RVers and cruisers. We have a dedicated RUclips channel for that content at / mobileinternetresource... you can subscribe to.
© Technomadia 2018
For entertainment purposes only. See our website for a full disclaimer.
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I am hoping to purchase a Bayliner 4788 or Meridian 490 very soon and I am driven to educate myself about all aspects of the boat. I really appreciate your thorough explanations and comprehensive video documentation. Thank you for all that you do!
You guys are very capable people. I always feel like you are competely on top of all your research and make good decisions. I hope things are going well for the two of you. Thanks for the video!
Awesome. You guys deserve a hero cookie!
Glad the old Westerbeke generator lives on!
We also have a Bayliner cabin cruiser. Not as big as yours as its our lake boa up in Tennessee. When we retire we'll sell both boats n move onto something alittle bigger. Have fun kids n enjoy what youre doing.
I always watch but seldom comment but this video needs a comment --- It was amazing to watch the docking process and the removal and install of the new generator - I enjoyed it very much
Nice job. Professional and quality work, but wow boat life is costly.
I just started watching your channel and love it! I as well have a Bayliner..mine is only a 21 footer but I love it. I live in the midwest and just boat in lakes but I dream of a big boat in crystal clear waters!
Change out looked well done and I'm sure you will be happy about your decision due to fuel savings and dependability. It sounds a lot quieter than the old one. It may not have been a good choice if you were planning to sell the boat, but since you plan to have it for a long time, I think you made the right choice. Happy sailing.
We agree.. for our long term plans, we think it was the right choice.
Nice video. In our modern world electricity is a must have for almost everyone everywhere.
Nice Job! Great to see pros at work. Your generator job cost more than my whole 6 month sailing season budget -including the cost of my boat. However, I'm pretty minimalistic and won't have your level of comfort. Same views though. Love seeing the Bridge of Lions in the background. Keep up the good work!
Indeed... same glorious views. Love that you can't put a price on those :)
Very very very smart purchase!!! That 12.5 was WAY too big for your needs, and you are correct in saying that generators should be ran at load. 60% load is a good starting point. Personally, I would have gone with a similar size genny, and upgraded electrical loads. Led lights, efficient refers, 3M solar film on windows, etc is a better use for your money.
Thanks for another great video.
Oh, we'll be doing all that too (already have all LED lights) - but cruising in the summer time as we will be - we do want the flexibility to comfortably run at least 2 ACs when needed.
Technomadia I ran 28k worth of ac in a camper on 5kw, but i couldn't run the microwave at the same time, so I'm sure you'll run into something similar as you noted in the video. There really is no sense in running the oven, stove, 3 ac, etc all at the same time.
I meant to ask what is your fuel consumption rate per hour while typical cruising and running the genset?
Check our '1 Year Loopivesary' post back in April.. we shared all that then.
Technomadia great, thx. I just got through your launching video after the channel marker incident, so I'm way behind!
Good video. Good information. Great job by the mechanic and the Captain. It likes a good investment. Thanks
Northern Lights best generator you can buy!
Not to mention less weight. Just figured I’d throw that in. Good Luck, 👍 Vinny 🇺🇸
Impressed by the machinery!
Hey! I'm a new sub and find you guys very pleasant to listen too! I live in Washington State on an island in the San Juans, I'm just about to start school in the fall for marine technology. Looking forward to learning from your channel what it is like to live aboard a boat in this day and age. Great job of reveling cost, this is often overlooked by many.
How awesome you're going into marine tech..that sounds exciting! Happy to have you aboard!
You should look into the motor starters caps on your A/C s an get the start load under control...being there 20 yrs old this might be or not a option...wynes had a nice video on the subject...have fun
Yup, as we noted in the article that goes along with this video - that's in the plans.
The lighter generator should also free up a little fuel milage distance per tank of cruising fuel
That was some BIG old generator!
Love this video!
As a resident of Vero Beach I know the Taylor Marine guys fairly well they are a rarity on the icw they are very helpful and are extremely honest oftentimes to a fault
Technomadia looks like you were at Taylor as you went up Taylor Creek
Technomadia you probably are correct I always thought that it was all owned by Taylor
Really enjoyed this video.
Crossing the bridge in St. Augustine and what do I see?
Y not.
My daughter lives and work in St Augustine at the St George Inn by the fort. Brittany
Hello! I am enjoying your videos. My girlfriend and I are interested in buying the same boat you have. 4788. Possibly in the area of Florida you are in. I have 35 years experience in boating and currently have a Seay 370 sport cruiser. We are in the Buffalo New York area living on Grand Island and would like to do a liver board even if it’s for nine months out of the year and then come home for Christmas. But would like to get information on living aboard and finding a marina and looking for a boat, hope to hear from you thank you, Ron
The 4788 is a great boat for live aboard! We have lots of videos on the channel about shopping for our boat, and marina experiences. Enjoy!
Presumably the mountings to the boat in the old and new generators didn't line up? How did Eddie/you solve that?
We removed the original base plate after the old generator was out, and Eddie made a new one before the new generator was brought in. No biggie.
Ah, thanks.
Nice video. Do you install a second set of isolation mounts between the boat and the base plate? Thanks.
Wow that thing is very quiet..
That is an incredible video!!! I would have freaked watching that generator going out while the boat is moving at the same time. Wow. I do fail to understand why they didn't have the new generator ready to put back at the same lift out. It's not like haul out is cheap, and I"m sure they charged you both times :-(((
I was just reading Nigel Calder yesterday who suggested that for most loads except AC, it was best and more $$$$ effective to use the inverter instead. I THINK that's what I understood. Id love to hear your input.
We have long given the same advice - it is silly to run a generator for small loads like charging a laptop or making coffee.
As for why we needed to haul twice - we weren't certain how much time would be needed for any repairs or prep work once the old generator came out. Considering the cost of reserving the lift and crane, it didn't make any sense to keep them on standby for potentially hours.
There was a lot of potential work to do between removal and installation to get the bay ready for the new genset (cleaning, new mount to be built, fittings, etc) ... they would have had to block us and keep us there while that was attended to (more costs, and no AC while on the hard). It was easier to return to our nearby slip and be in comfort... where we also had our living room remodeling going on too with our carpenter. Haul-out was cheap in comparison to the alternatives :)
Not even consideting the usual delays, missing parts, etc, I get it. It's RV headaches, times 100. But the lure of the water, and the challenge, are more piwerful than reason...
Couple of questions. Not criticizing, I know you must of had reasons. I’m just curious as I plan to follow your footsteps in about a year or two.
Didn’t look like you took an opportunity for a fast bottom inspection while hauled out?
Why two haul out. Seems like would’ve put the removal off until the new generator and sound shield were on the dock and ready to go?
We actually did inspect during both haul outs (even did had a pressure wash) - and remember, we had just spent 5 weeks on the hard in Miami. Also, lots of prep in between to prepare the new generator for install - had to take out a lot of tubing, do some re-wiring, installed a new floor and do a lot of clean-up. Wasn't practical to do it in the yard - as it took several days.
And sound shield was back-ordered by more than a month... as we covered in the video.
B.O.A.T. = Break Out Another Thousand this is a 20x ;)
We've found that BOAT is more accurately: Break Out Another Ten Thousand :)
Oh how I know that :) having had to feed both a 65 & 90C Hatteras I have a very close family member that makes my old 90C Hatteras tiny. It is nice to see someone that gets to enjoy it. I sold mine a few years ago, I still have a day boat but it is trailerable.
were looking into a bayliner 4587 but its generator is busted and we need to install a new one what would you recommend? the old one was a 12kw but we cant imagine needing that much power
We are very happy with our 6kw Northern Lights. But we selected that after running our own energy use evaluation keeping in mind our eventual (and now installed) plans for solar & lithium batteries.
Seems pricey, are you on Boat Owners United fb page. If not get on there yesterday.
Nice work. Is the cooling system raw water?
Yes
Have inverters for power. Swap them out for sinewave converters. They run true ac and some models will even keep your bats conditioned. Ordainary inverters shorten bat life.
We always use pure sine wave inverters in our power applications. We currently have the Victron Quattro Pro with our lithium batteries.
@@Technomadia
Great to see young sailers like yourselves doing it right.
You have an A/C powered windlass?
Our windlass is DC powered. But it had been set up to run off the house battery, which was not charging.
@@Technomadia If house batt(s) don't charge from engine... makes sense. Thanks.
Any chance of that blue oil line being cut from engine harmonics?
There are no sharp edges touching any critical lines.
are yous going to use both wind and solar as backups to the gen set?
Just solar
FYI, I read that the best boat crew would be 5ft tall, arms about 6 ft and super thin, two thumbs on each hand double jointed, and magnetic fingertips. Silent of course. Just saying, any aliens available?
I have a 12.5 KW Ownan on my motor home
Your verbal tabulation of costs is super confusing... "overall remove replace was $16K" includes what? Is that the sum of all the following items you list out? -thx
Yes.. that's the summary of the costs that I then outlined.
wow, new record for fastest reply! Thanks!
i think it is safe to say, the bus is less to maintain than the boat. YES
For sure.. but boating is a whole new adventure for us. And we're loving it.
20 hours to disconnect and re connect a generator =3,000? Takes less time to install a pair of engines...Good greif!
$16K!😳😳😳
I wish I had not bought a Westerbeke the miami guy back then was a jerk , I won’t mention more
You know than owning a boat is having a hole in the water you pour money into!
It's our home however... :)
You must be a bank.....right. 😆
So is a house. I've owned 3 and a horse ranch. More expensive/year than my 50' boat, and I couldn't sail away in my house.