Bertram33 User Forum

My boat is a 1987 SF with a 5KW Northern Lights generator mounted aft of the fuel tank in a sound box. I think I am interested in moving the genny forward under the salon. I am not concerned so much about the change in weight distribution as I do not think it will make that much difference. The boat will gain about a knot of speed if I put the bow down a little anyway. I would like to hear from you that have done this. Noise? Cost? Pictures? Configuration of water tanks, water heater, ac ect? Any thoughts that you have will be greatly appreciated. Thanks! Scott 1987 B33 SF Dealer's Choice V Edisto Beach, SC

Scott, What about at rest? The SF sits a bit bow low already. I suppose if you moved your fresh water tank aft it would work out. I'm installing my genset this winter and am planning to use a fiberglass board under , mounting it as high as practical and then sealing the hatch.

Gas or diesel? Either way, I wouldn't move it. Use the tabs if you want to bring the bow down.

Why do you want move it? To gain more speed or to keep it dry? If it's to keep it dry I installed a magnetic block heater. I wasn't having problems with water coming in from my hatch. I had a condensation problem, since adding the block heater it hasn't been an issue. Buzz

Frank, when I installed your old Westerbeke I raised up the fiberglass panel with 2 x 4 mahogany on edge, running fore & aft and scribed in to form a level plane to mount the panel to. The bolt holes from the factory mounts even lined up with yours! Countersink the top of the risers to allow for nuts to keep the studs and risers in place.

Bill, Now that you mention it , there is a bunch of teak from the deck of an old ship around the shop where my boat is. I bet I can find a couple of pieces to do the same thing.

The reason I want to move the gen set is to keep it dry. I have 50 gallons of water I could move aft if the boat became too bow heavy. I think the sound box does a wonderful job keeping most of the water away from the unit and all of my hatches have drain hose going to the bilge. But the condensation inside the box seems to be excessive to me but I know I am very particular about my machanical stuff. Doug I have diesels. Buzz is your set in a box or not. I would also like to hear more about the block heater. Does it run all the time or is it temperature controlled? Maybe I'm just too paranoid about the gen set but I spent a ton of money it this past summer. I cringe every time someone grabs a bucket of seawater to put the quick rinse on the deck after a couple of dolphin have bled all over the place. I have also been considering selling in order to move up maybe to a 42B and it seems to me that a lot of people that have upgraded their boats have moved the gen sets forward in order to get them out of the elements. Does anyone have their set under the salon floor? Thanks for all of the responses and Merry Christmas to All! Scott 1987 B33 SF Dealer's Choice V Edisto Beach, SC

Scott, Very few 33 owners have moved the gennie. I just don't think there's that much room for it.

Scott, my generator is not in a box. I bought my block heater at NAPA Auto Parts. It's magnetic and I attached it to the oil pan. I think it's 250 watts. I hard wired it into my electrical panel. When it's cut on it's on all the time. I cut it off when I'm running the generator. I didn't have trouble with water getting on my generator from the hatch it was from condensation. Since adding the block heater it hasn't been a problem. Normally freezing isn't a problem in my area and I leave the block heaters on in my engine room to stop condensation too. In the summer condensation isn't a problem here. I thought about putting a temperture controlled marine heater in the area but the block heater has fixed the problem. To me running block heaters is just a part of the cost of owning a boat. Buzz

Moving the geny has really worked out very well for me. It still looks brand new with over 750 hrs & is very quiet with no sound shield. I moved my water tanks aft where the geny originally sat. When I repowered with the 8.1's, I also moved the engines back about 8". This was due to the new gear boxes being shorter than the old 72 series BW's. This also gave me more room in front of the engines to work. So even with the water tanks empty, the engines moved aft compensates for the geny being moved forward. With the tanks full, the boat drains aft perfectly instead of forward as many SF's do. I also feel that the boat behaves better when drift fishing. Much less roll with the aft end deeper in the water. I seem to use the same amount of tab getting on plane as before. Joe Tomaini 1988 Sportfish Attitude Adjustment II Fort Lauderdale, FL

How big are your trim tabs with that arrangement? Do you still have the little stock hull-pocket tabs? I would think moving all that weight aft would have a big effect on how the boat rides (?) Earlier this year I pulled out all the built-in furniture on my boat, and found that I needed larger tabs because of the loss of all that forward weight. I have the 3208s' that make the boat aft-heavy to begin with, of course... I often wonder what I will do when my aluminum water tank inevitably springs a leak. It never occurred to me to swap it's location with the generator, that is something to think about (thanks)

Joe, Where did you mount the unit and did it fit through the existing hatch? Just forward of the rear bulkhead looked like a good spot to me. Right now I have a couple of trays in that area to store tools and filters. A/C and h2o heater on starboard side, waste tank and pump forward, and dual h2o tanks on the port side. I primarily use Dealer's Choice for fishing so I just feel the unit takes a lot of abuse back there. Thanks for all the help. Scott 1987 B33 SF Dealer's Choice V Edisto Beach, SC