SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

anchorage etiquette

16K views 129 replies 44 participants last post by  olddog60 
#1 ·
Being fairly new liveaboards (2yrs) and having hopped from secluded anchorages to marinas, we now find ourselves in a very crowded anchorage. I'm wondering what is proper generator running etiquette? Time guidelines? Perhaps this has been discussed in another thread, but my "search" isn't functioning correctly. Thanks!
 
#3 · (Edited)
8am to 10 pm is pretty typical, most of our parks have similar noise restrictions.

However the issue is more than the noise.. There are few things worse than trying to enjoy a meal at the cockpit table engulfed in someone's diesel exhaust fumes. I always appreciate it if a nearby boater talks to us about it first ( "sorry, an hour or so should do it") and I really don't appreciate it when someone starts a genset ( esp a noisy on-deck set) and then goes ashore while it runs because its too noisy for them.

Power boats are most problematic because they often need to run AC appliances at mealtimes, not to mention the often-present animosity between camps.

It can be a difficult issue from both sides...
 
#19 ·
I really don't appreciate it when someone starts a genset ( esp a noisy on-deck set) and then goes ashore while it runs because its too noisy for them.
One of my biggest frustration are people with the Honda suitcase generators who insist they are quiet. Those things have the irritating whine of a mosquito circling your head.
 
#5 ·
Hard to say the precise hours that will not offend. Well after sunrise, I suppose. 10pm sounds late to me.

If I'm unsure if I will bother anyone, I usually look around to see if I'm the only one that will be running one. Herd mentality, I guess.

If the wind is howling and fetch is slapping, no one is going to hear it.
 
#7 ·
We try not to anchor in the middle of the anchorage, but down wind as much as practical. However, when we are there first and someone anchors astern of us (or any vessel with two exhausts), then they can expect some fumes and noise, though I doubt anyone more than 30' away can hear our Onan. On the other hand we really don't appreciate it when a boat squeezes in up wind of us, then runs their gene all night long, but hey what you gonna do? Also the little, noisy gas generators running on deck make an anchorage most unpleasant.
 
#8 · (Edited)
This is the proper phoilosphy.
In regards to " Hey what you gonna do". There have been times, and it's happened plenty, that some one would anchor 2 boat lengths in front of me and fill my cabin with their exhaust. Most times I move with a mean stare in thieir direction. As I have to sail off the hook and don't have a generator or engine my self I had could hardly return the gesture. There are however more creative way's of dealing with these people. I learned many techniques cruising with Grandad as a boy.
I remember several all night gen. runners waking to their halyards on deck. ( my grandpa was A D-day jump'n 82nd airborn Original Bad A$$ with a low Horse Sh!t tollerance)
My fav. was the power boater in Eluthra back in '83, who woke up to find his Colmen deck gen. ( after many other display's of rude) missing completely. They did however find it tied to their anchor when they raised it to leave.
 
#17 ·
Acceptable,...do you think we're there yet?:)

Personally, I hope not. It's bound to happen in some harbors. I spent an hour or so between a sailboat running their engine on my port side and a powerboat off my bow running a belowdecks gen set. There were both completely audible even though the owners probably didn't think so. You just have to endure it or go ashore. I wouldn't do it myself.

For the most part though, it's still rare in the places we anchor which is the majority of time for us.

Keep up the good work Mainesail promoting big battery banks. :)
 
#12 ·
Someone needs to teach the Chesapeake boats etiquette then.

Power Boaters and sailboaters alike think nothing of running their generators all night in an anchorage to run their air conditioners to stay cool. Ive chastized a few of my friends who have the Honda 2000 ( I have one also) about anchoring upwind of others and then running it all night spewing fumes. They are very aware of fumes comming into their own cabins, but sometimes unwittingly dont think of those downwind. Mmost people are good manered, but it justs take one to ruin the party and ambiance,

I think because it is so brutally hot and humid. here in the Chessie in July and August people run them all night more frequently

Dave
 
#13 ·
10pm is after Cruisers Midnight of 9pm so I would turn it off by then.

I hate those red Honda petrol generators because people run them on deck and they are loud!

Reinforce earlier comments about people who turn generator on then go to shore. How ignorant!

Can we change this to a gun thread so we can discuss how to shoot out a generator sitting on deck? :laugher. 50 Cal should do it.
 
#14 ·
My wife had a little Honda " suitcase" gen. When on eco throtlle, and placed in the foot well of the cockpit of her Ranger 26, you could not hear it when sitting next to the boat in a dinghy. We would watch movies at night out on the anchorage off key west. I would Kayak over to visit her from my boat, which was generally anchored down wind of her, and would'nt know she had the thing on untill I popped my head up over her rail to climb a board.
 
#16 ·
They are unbeleiveably quiet...especially in the eco mode.....I have one. Whe people use the to power their air cons its full throttle and its not so much the noise.....its the fumes downwind which get me. When I go below I hear nothing of them.

Dave
 
#15 ·
lol mark---i still love ye....
i got here first, way back in december--am anchored in zihuatenejo right in the middle of the playa madera/playa principal anchorage.
i was nice n quiet until my mechanic arrived--now we use a daylight only generator--used to be a red honda now is a plain wrap--err unwrapped honda 2000.
because i use the genny i now have a beautiful bit of independence--my electric windlass works perfectly well...as does my manual one.(manny and ellie on my bow)
now when we finish alignment and motor mounts i can sail as a buddy boat with my mechanic --and not have to concern myself with finding crew..
but i wanna shoot souls who donot have a clue as to how the anchors are set in a south facing bay with 360 circling daily...
.some folks seem to think pulling up someone else's anchor is a fun thing to do--and do not take responsibility for their actions .....
 
#21 ·
I've never understood the need for an AC at anchor. In a windless Marina at a cement dock in the summer time, o.k. but why these tenderfooted, soft pawed, landlubber, suburbanites, need to anchor right up on me with the their gadget boat full of ammenities for the dandy cruiser, when there is a whole frik'n ocean out there baffles me to no end.........and sailing gloves, really?
 
#29 ·
These are probably the same people that always park next to my car... which I always park at the edges of a parking lot away from everyone else. Whenever I come out.. there is always one car parked right next to mine (if not two) while there are probably 50 more spaces all around sitting empty
 
#23 ·
That's exactly how I feel. I'm glad that someone else chimed in on this thread who is anti-generator. So far with my limited cruising in the PNW most anchorages have been quiet. We did have to move once at Stuart Island when a large boat moved in next door to us and prompted turned on the gen-set. Such a nuisance when you've gone a long way to find quietness.

With modern LED lights and lower power consumption tablet computers I just don't see where all of the power is going, at least in places like the PNW where air conditioning isn't useful.
 
#24 ·
I have to say that we don't run into overly offensive generators very often, and it's most likely to happen in popular anchorages and marinas than your typical 'one or two boat' coves that we tend to favour. However it does happen, and there's no need for it with today's DC technology.

What boggles my mind is why would anyone design a galley on any boat that runs on AC and requires a generator running to even make a pot of coffee? And this is not just on the large yachts either..
 
#26 ·
We did a "visit to the dark side" last month at the Atlantic City Boat show and checked out some power boats. What shocked me was so many of them had electric ranges :eek:

That means firing up a generator just to cook dinner.

I just can't understand why anyone would design a boat that way?????
 
  • Like
Reactions: CatMan22
#27 ·
Funny, I have never used my HOnda 2000 on the boat yet and dont carry it. It sits at home for the many outages us in MD have I have used it twice in 4 years. Once we were without power for 4 days ( Irene) and last year for 6 days after the Deracho. The first time it power my refrigerator and the fan on our pellet stove so we had heat. The second time the refrigerator. It paid for itself in food not lost already.

I primarily bought it for that thinking I might also take it on our next cruising boat
 
#28 ·
This is a timely topic for me. For the past week, the Admiral and I have discussed whether or not to install a diesel generator. Yesterday we decided against it. Besides the noise factor, it just adds complexity to the boat. We like to keep things simple.

By the way, I think the anti-generator sailors are a very large majority. A few years ago on a beautiful summer eveing we were anchored in a crowded anchorage. Shortly after dusk one boat fired up a loud generator. After a while, someone yelled repeatedly "Turn the generator off." Several of the rest of us quickly chimed in. Eventually the guy got the message and turned the thing off.. . and everyone in the anchorage applauded. It was a beautiful moment.
 
#40 ·
This is a timely topic for me. For the past week, the Admiral and I have discussed whether or not to install a diesel generator. Yesterday we decided against it. Besides the noise factor, it just adds complexity to the boat. We like to keep things simple.
Complexity is definitely true.

In addition to multiple layers of noise insulation there are water separators that route the cooled exhaust gas out the side of the boat and the water out a thru-hull below the waterline. It's amazingly effective and very quiet.
 
#31 ·
I have the Honda 2000 genny and never used it but my neighbor next door turns on his diesel engine to run the generator for his batteries for hours on end... talk about noise and smell... trust me the Honda genny is feeble in noise and generation of fumes... anything downwind isn't good in my book!
 
#32 ·
after the Derecho and hurrican sandy.. my neighbor across the street ran his 24/7 until power came back... it's near impossible to sleep with that thing droning on and on and on when you are in a house. I could not imagine being on a boat
 
#34 ·
Anyone that runs their generator overnight, while they are sleeping, is going to win the Darwin award eventually.

There must not be much wind around all these sensitive anchorages. Way more often than not, we will have too much wind noise to know if someone's generator is running at the next mooring. Personally, I do not recall seeing a Honda Gen on the deck, so I'll reserve anchorage judgement, until I hear one for myself. I have one at home.
 
#36 ·
Not all genny's are noisy. I have 3-4 inches of insulation around the engine room plus the genny has it own insulation on top of that. That said, you cannot hear my genny 20 ft away. The fumes are altogether a different story. Like someone else said must be no wind for it to bother anyone. But most I know do not run genny's at nite unless it miserable hot.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top