# Costco - Smarter Tools 2000W Gen by Yamaha



## TheWollard (Jan 24, 2013)

I just purchased a Smarter Tools brand portable generator, 2000W, from Costco. It's powered by a Yamaha MZ80 Engine. It's the AP200i.

Today I unpacked the generator, added oil and gas, and pulled the chord to start. It purred to life instantly.

I'm home this week, getting ready for a 6 day cruise from the Keys to Titusville, FL. I plan to use this generator during the trip to run an a/c unit at night.

I'll add any relevent feedback to this thread after the trip.

So far, I'm very impressed with the low noise level and weight of the generator.

The only negatives so far, when compared to the category leader Honda, are that this model cannot be linked to another in tandem. The $500 I saved more than make up for this feature.

Do you use a portable generator aboard? Where do you setup on deck?


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## Fstbttms (Feb 25, 2003)

TheWollard said:


> The $500 I saved more than make up for this feature.


Honda generators are whisper-quiet and bullet-proof, IMHO. I have owned several for use in my business and they run like champs forever with very little maintenance. I suspect the additional $500 buys you more than the ability to parallel two generators. Hopefully you don't find out that you wished you'd spent the extra money.


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## TheWollard (Jan 24, 2013)

Fstbttms said:


> Honda generators are whisper-quiet and bullet-proof, IMHO. I have owned several for use in my business and they run like champs forever with very little maintenance. I suspect the additional $500 buys you more than the ability to parallel two generators. Hopefully you don't find out that you wished you'd spent the extra money.


I agree. I also hope it was a smart buy. Those Honda's are hands down the best, based on the reviews I've read online. I just couldn't afford one.

So my goal was to find the next best thing when it comes to noise, reliability, etc. etc. This model is rated at 51 db at 1/4 load. That's very good compared to many of the other portable units.

Only time will tell whether it was the right decision. I'm optimistic based on my intitial use.


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## deniseO30 (Nov 27, 2006)

Carbon monoxide has a insidious way of getting in closed quarters often when it's too late. Be careful and get 2 detectors!


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## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

TheWollard said:


> Do you use a portable generator aboard? Where do you setup on deck?


I used a generator on board, but NEVER like you intend to....ie - let it run the AC while you are sleeping.

NEVER, as you have no idea where or when the CO is going to be pulled back in to the boat and how. The AC running causes air to be pulled in and such.

When it was used, it was placed as far downwind as possible from where I was. Sometimes that was on the bow, sometimes on the stern, and sometimes not at all when I was anchored near someone else, even when I wanted AC, as it would be too loud or possibly fatal to someone nearby.

CO is fatal.

btw, many 2K generators will not start/run the AC without modifying the AC system.

YMMV


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## MMR (Oct 5, 2007)

We also had been planning to get the Honda generator. Then we spotted this at our local Home Depot:

Ryobi 2200 Watt Generator

So far we've been very pleased with it. It compares favorably the Honda, but for a lot less.


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## Scallywag2 (Feb 9, 2010)

Hopefully, you can try running the airconditioner at home with the generator before lugging everything to the boat. My Honda will run the 4500 BTU airconditioner but will not run a 7500 BTU airconditioner. I had planned to use the airconditioner on the boat but there are too many vents to plug up so the fumes would not enter the boat. We found a wind scoop provided enough air in the cabin at night. We ran the airconditioner at marinas but found it made the cabin too cold and turned the unit off in the middle of the night. This was in August South of Tampa.

Dot and John


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

What is the continuous rated amp output for this costco generator ?
Honda 2k is about 13 amps
Check with dometic. They make a 'soft start' kit for aircon to allow use of a honda 2k
My aircon does not draw air from the outside, but from inside the boat. I think most boat aircons are this way. So the a/c sucking in fumes from outside is not an issue. But care should always be taken to make sure fumes are vented away from the boat and a co detector is a must


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## kd3pc (Oct 19, 2006)

xort said:


> My aircon does not draw air from the outside, but from inside the boat. I think most boat aircons are this way. So the a/c sucking in fumes from outside is not an issue.


I would suggest this risk is a potentially flawed one. Although the actual unit may only draw air from "inside" the cabin, the air that is inside the cabin, came from the outside a few minutes ago, and unless you are an airtight boat, which is nigh impossible, even more will be drawn in as the AC does it's thing.

The AC may not suck air from the outside, but I guarantee that outside air makes up a lot of the inside air and even more so as the night falls, and convection and thermal being what they are. There are tons of places where CO can be drawn in, just think of the normal vents that are in the headliner, engine air intakes, etc.

.....all of this still makes the use of a CO producing generator, unattended, at night, while sleeping even with detectors, very, very unwise. You just don't know where the wind, if any, or if it goes away completely will let the CO collect.

On the lakes here in TN and KY it only takes a very few minutes for the CO to kill, and that was only the CO that collects at the stern, under a shallow swim platform and such. Google for your own comfort


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## hopcar (Jul 6, 2013)

You really should test to see if it will start the air conditioner. I have a 5000 BTU AC on my boat. It only needs about 600 watts to run but it takes more than 3000 watts to start.
My Honda 2000i wouldn't start it until I installed a hard start capacitor that I bought from a refrigeration supply. I think it was only about twenty dollars and it works great. I can now start and run my air conditioner with just a 1000 watt generator.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

The co risk is certainly not zero. There are hundreds of thousands of boats with generators that run their ac all night. Placing a portable gen needs to be carefully thought out for all the possible issues. I have seen hondas mounted up high on the bow blowing fumes right down the length of the boat into multiple open hatches! Strapped to the mast seems popular too.
And as I said and as others have said, a co detector is mandatory


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## hopcar (Jul 6, 2013)

Because of the CO issue, I'm thinking of converting my Honda to propane. It doesn't eliminate the CO but it does reduce it quite a bit.


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## xort (Aug 4, 2006)

Hop
Can you provide more detail on the capacitor?
How is it different from dometics soft start kit for 10 X the cost?


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## jppp (Jul 13, 2008)

It wins the db contest.


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## hopcar (Jul 6, 2013)

xort, I haven't made enough posts here to be allowed to post links yet. Just google "hard start capacitor" and you will find a lot of info on them. The brand I used is Supco.

I don't know how it differs from the Dometic's magic box. I once saw inside Mermaid's version of the magic box and there was a Supco Hard Start along with circuit boards inside.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

If you don't want to put the generator over the side in the dink...at least do consider putting up a small riding sail, to keep your bow ppinted into the wind, and then running an exhaust hose from the generator over the transom and down to the water, so you are ensuring it is downwind of the boat and outside of it.

Stuff that is doing combustion while I sleep makes me uncomfortable.


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## goehner2 (Feb 18, 2007)

Two boaters get carbon monoxide poisoning at Nacimiento Lake

Published: May 28, 2013 

A man and woman were hospitalized Sunday suffering from carbon monoxide poisoning while boating on Nacimiento Lake.

The incident began Sunday at 4 p.m. when sheriff’s deputies were flagged down to give aid to a man and a woman in Las Tablas Cove. They had evidently been sitting in the stern of their boat and inhaled exhaust from the engine, said Tony Cipolla, spokesman for the San Luis Obispo County Sheriff’s Office.

“The woman was not breathing, and deputies performed CPR,” he said. “They were both transported to the hospital.”

In addition to sheriff’s deputies, Monterey County park rangers and Cal Fire responded. A California Highway Patrol helicopter was also dispatched, but the patients were taken to Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton via ambulance.

The woman involved died May 27th.


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## MSter (Apr 1, 2008)

TheWollard said:


> I just purchased a Smarter Tools brand portable generator, 2000W, from Costco. It's powered by a Yamaha MZ80 Engine. It's the AP200i.
> 
> Today I unpacked the generator, added oil and gas, and pulled the chord to start. It purred to life instantly.
> 
> ...


CO is always a concern while running our Honda Gen at night. We typically put it in the dink as it eliminates the vibration and greatly reduces the risk of poisoning ourselves. We have 2 CO detectors as well. We keep one in the v-berth and one just off the galley as you walk up the companionway.


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## TheWollard (Jan 24, 2013)

MSter said:


> CO2 is always a concern while running our Honda Gen at night. We typically put it in the dink as it eliminates the vibration and greatly reduces the risk of poisoning ourselves. We have 2 CO2 detectors as well. We keep one in the v-berth and one just off the galley as you walk up the companionway.


I've got 3 detectors now. When I get to the boat, I am going to play with varoious configurations for generator placement and exhaust venting. Two ideas I really like are putting it in the dink and also building an exhuast extension hose.


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## MSter (Apr 1, 2008)

TheWollard said:


> I've got 3 detectors now. When I get to the boat, I am going to play with varoious configurations for generator placement and exhaust venting. Two ideas I really like are putting it in the dink and also building an exhuast extension hose.


Our previous boat was also a Watkins 27'. We got into the habit of putting the generator in dink as there was too much noise/vibration with it on deck and no way was I going to try running it in the cockpit.

I have looked for other solutions including fitting a length of copper line to extend the muffler overboard. While this would fully exhaust the fumes away from the boat and possibly even reduce the noise, I don't think the gen could handle the back pressure. I have also seen an aftermarket venturi extension made for the RV market, but found putting the gen in the dink was the most logical solution.


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## bljones (Oct 13, 2008)

Chances are, after running a genny all night in an achorage for a night or two, carbon monoxide will not be a problem.

Try a couple of cofamo or hella high cfm fans and a windscoop before pulling the pin on the AC grenade. you may be surprised at how comfy it is.


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## chucklesR (Sep 17, 2007)

I have a Ryobi 2800 I picked up from Home Depot for $599.

I can't verify the db's at various levels of load because I don't carry a meter to do so, I can say I've used both the Honda 2000 and my 2800 - the 2800 is at a minimum no louder.
It' also capable of 2200 watts continuous, 2800 peak, has economy mode that can either charge my batt's, run my microwave, or run my 7200 btu air conditioner.
None of that can be done by the Honda in eco mode, and it's 60% of the cost.


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## hellosailor (Apr 11, 2006)

chuckles-
Got a smartphone? If not, steal an iphone. There are plenty of free "db meter" apps for all of them. Calibration of course is a whole other issue, but the basic equipment is commonly out there. Frequency response will differ from a real db meter as well, but again...good enough for gummint work.


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## JonEisberg (Dec 3, 2010)

Yeah, putting a generator - and who knows what else - in a dink, is certainly the option of choice for the locals in Marathon...

Probably the #1 reason why the ONLY time I'll anchor in Boot Key Harbor is to ride out a front... It's always a relief when one finally does arrive, and the wind and rain finally drowns out the cacophony of all those "whisper quiet" and "virtually silent" gensets...


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