Generator replacement for a Carver 404

My advice would be, by a Onan silent diesel genset!

My friend above has a new Oh-No diesel gen-set and is very proud of it. Dual fuel for a gen-set is not a big deal and turning very common. Depending on your generator use, a portable diesel fuel tank could last a long time before refueling. Long life and little fuel use makes them attractive.
Diesels have way less CO than gas and the exhaust & fuel are safer to deal with.

You will find there is no cheap quality gen-set no matter what fuel used. It's bux and you need to spend the bux if you like to be vertical the next morning.

Newer gas gen-sets have come a long way in the last few years. I have a lean toward Kohler.

...not proud, just happy , almost 500hrs in 8 month now, without any issue!

Ya see, another happy camper & vertical. Proud & happy for him, family and his guest & friends.

When you're talking about gen-sets, the motors that you leave running while you sleep, You can not cut corners. I hate to beat this drum, but many have not woke up.
THIS IS SERIOUS STUFF.
Get a good reliable set. Installed correctly. Do not cut corners.
I still lean towards the Kohler sets, but no (large brand) company makes a bad set these days.
The installation is just as important.
Don't forget a fresh CO detector onboard either.

Vertical the next morning is good, there is no second choice.

I'm not usually so negative on other subjects. On CO topics, I do have a history here.

If you re going to put in a diesel Genset in a gas boat, make sure it is ignition protected and can be installed in a gas boat. I believe very few diesel gensets are ignition protected

I can't see how adding a second fuel system can be worth it. Unless you barely use the boat, you re looking at a significant tank. Figure 3/4 GPH fuel burn so you lol need roughly 18 gal per day out on the hook. That's 72 USG tank for a four day extended week end on the hook. Unless you never anchor out, it s really not a practical option.

Whatever you choose, make sure you get an 1800 rpm unit not a high buzzing 3600...

Personally I ve had good experience with Westerbeke and I believe they make low CO gas Gensets. Simple, reliable. It s been a while since I ve had a gasser but the last one was a Weterbeke (late 90s) and all I did in 5 years / 700 hours was one impeller. Do A search online and you lol see quite a few posts about gas kohler requiring frequent plug changes as well as impellers.

I read somewhere that a boat can have no more than two types of fuel onboard. If your 404 is like mine with a propane cooktop/range you could be in violation.

I wouldn't change the fuel type. I would stick with a gas generator. Yeah diesel is more reliable and better on fuel, but then you're adding a tank, making sure it's ignition protected, dealing with fueling two types of fuel and then algae. Some of the gas generators are pretty reliable. In fact I deal with a Kohler one on a boat the owner has not even seen nor used in 3.5 years. It starts up every month, runs it's 30 minutes with a load and shuts off. I agree, go for an 1800 rpm unit if you can.

Can you quote this?

USCG rules in 46CFR I, J, and K outline the requirements for boats that use gasoline fuel for propulsion, generation, or powering other devices. The wording of the rules does not exclude a combination of fuel types but the rules make it highly unlikely that retrofitting a permanently installed gasoline powered generator in a boat powered by diesel engines would be economically practical.

The modification requirements for electrical systems, ventilation, and fuel storage alone would probably make the cost of a diesel generator insignificant in comparison.

The same general rules probably apply to vessels under the jurisdiction of other national maritime administrations. Look up your local standards for specifics before taking advice from unknown sources on the internet.

After numerous web searches I cannot find any information on multiple fuels on a boat. I can only conclude the information I had is completely false.
Lesson learned.

That seems to happen from time to time, especially regarding laws, rules and regulations.

5 KW Kohler Marine gasoline generator in like new condition, 15 total hours...

I would stick with gas rather than complicate things. The issues with duel fuel don't stop with installation of a second tank. They include every time you fuel. Put diesel in this one and gas in this one. Seems I recall a NY captain not long ago who had a very bad day as a result of a marina starting to fill his diesel tank with gas. But the odds of issues multiply with duel fuels. That's not to say it's uncommon as many larger boats have second fuel tanks for their gas tenders. I just don't see an overwhelming reason in this case to complicate life.

There is also currently another factor. The efficiency of diesel is often given as a factor but today that is offset in price. These are highway prices but the relationship still counts. Last week gas was $2.679 a gallon and diesel $3.535 a gallon national average and we're not even into winter yet where diesel prices normally increase and gas prices decrease.

I don't agree with your statement about the price differential between diesel and gas. Yes, on the road gas may be cheaper but at th dock or truck diesel is cheaper than gas.

That is true, but don't you think the gas prices at the dock will drop as the road prices did? I haven't purchased gas on the water and wasn't aware how high they still are until I just looked. A bit shocking. Anyone got an explanation?

Yes, Gasoline on the water has both the road taxes and the marine taxes. Diesel does not have the road tax, only the marine taxes.

Still the disparity between road and marine gas right now seems greater than I ever recall. Average on road down to $2.68 and water around $4.50. Maybe I've just not paid that much attention in the past on the coast but I know on the lake I never saw it that much higher. I did check the lake just now too and it was just as high.

It's just because they haven't sold what they've bought at the high price. They're not going to lower the price a $1 a gallon and lose thousands of dollars, so they hope they finally sell it off at the high price that they bought it at.

This gasoline dilemna won't last. OPEC is simply trying to break the drillers who are fracking to drill oil. At the pump, I paid in the range of 1.80 a gallon pre-Katrina. It hasn't been that cheap since. In this area, it is hovering in the 2.20 range, but I don't expect it to last.

Our marina currently sells fuel for 5.00 a gallon, but if you are a resident, it is 4.25 I don't see them dropping the price any time soon. This past summer, that was the price while local fuel stations were 3.50+-. About all I see is the general principle of business staying in place, buy low, sell high.

Personally, I wouldn't invite problems with splitting up fuels onboard because it is merely a temporary fix. When the dust settles, gas will go back up, and diesel will go even higher. For me, the cost of operation per hour is not based on a small two cylinder generator, but the two V-8's that flank it.