After much searching I concluded they were relatively expensive and, in general, came from companies that were run out of a garage (those strapping alternators to Kabuta engines) or which would not likely be around to support their more sophisticated technology (Polar Power). ----------------------------------------------------- I wonder what the cost would be to build-it-yourself- small engine, large alternator, and the various bits and pieces, all bolted to a homemade base. Everything needed is generic and readily available. After all, from what I've been told, it is cold and snowy in many places with nothing else to do. Rudy and Jill Jacksonville, Fl Briney Bug- a 34 foot sail-assisted trawler 850-832-7748

I've had the same idea. I have the parts for one all collected, just need time to bolt together. If you have the on-deck locker space, consider a Honda OHV gasoline engine driving a large-frame alternator. Smart regulator not needed, just a fixed 14.4v will do nicely. The engine can be had for around $300, and they're reliable and quieter than most small diesels. If you carry a spare alternator, try that for size and see how it goes. Mark Richter Mark's Mobile Marine Ortona, FL Sent from my iPhone > > > I wonder what the cost would be to build-it-yourself- small engine, large alternator, and the various bits and pieces, all bolted to a homemade base. Everything needed is generic and readily available. After all, from what I've been told, it is cold and snowy in many places with nothing else to do. > > Rudy and Jill > Jacksonville, Fl > Briney Bug- a 34 foot sail-assisted trawler >

Hi all. The trouble with a home built rig is that it is home built. For a belt driven unit to work properly the alignment needs to be very good or the belt will be chewed up. Beyond that some provision needs to be made for tightening the belt which will inevitably go slack. I have a 6KW generator with a Direct drive Subaru ($400) start every time engine. Enough power to run a table saw etc. and with the addition of a cheap battery charger, not a expensive charger/inverter, can charge the batteries. I'd have to see a decibel rating to believe that a small gas engine is quieter than a small air cooled diesel. A muffler upgrade would help either. I remounted my set up on a simple oak base which eliminated a lot of the bulk. I kept it covered on deck. Battery chargers are cheap, inverters are expensive and always die sooner or later and represent an upside down situation where every amp of AC requires 10 A of DC. As an experiment try running a table saw on an inverter. Stand back and watch the feed wires glow with current sufficient to weld. That having been said I'm sure that in the hands of an expert like Mark the Briggs & Stratton route would work. I tried it on a small SNUBA/hookah and even though I had a Brownie rig I could never keep the belt tightened long enough for a couple of dives.BTW All the new Brownie units are direct drive. Peter Denton On Tue, Jan 6, 2015 at 10:40 AM, Mark Richter via Trawlers-and-Trawlering < trawlers@lists.trawlering.com> wrote: > I've had the same idea. I have the parts for one all collected, just need > time to bolt together. > > If you have the on-deck locker space, consider a Honda OHV gasoline engine > driving a large-frame alternator. Smart regulator not needed, just a fixed > 14.4v will do nicely. The engine can be had for around $300, and they're > reliable and quieter than most small diesels. If you carry a spare > alternator, try that for size and see how it goes. > > Mark Richter > Mark's Mobile Marine > Ortona, FL > > Sent from my iPhone > > > > > > > I wonder what the cost would be to build-it-yourself- small engine, > large alternator, and the various bits and pieces, all bolted to a homemade > base. Everything needed is generic and readily available. After all, from > what I've been told, it is cold and snowy in many places with nothing else > to do. > > > > Rudy and Jill > > Jacksonville, Fl > > Briney Bug- a 34 foot sail-assisted trawler > > > > _______________________________________________ > http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers_lists.trawlering.com > > To unsubscribe or modify your subscription options (get password, change > email address, etc) go to: > http://lists.trawlering.com/mailman/listinfo/trawlers_lists.trawlering.com > Trawlers & Trawlering and T&T are trademarks of Water World > Productions. Unauthorized use is prohibited. >