SILENT NIGHTS

Are the days of noisy generators numbered? Thanks to Fathom’s e-Power system and Integrel’s new ‘super’ alternator, there is a quieter, cleaner alternative. Hugo Andreae investigates

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One of the great ironies of motor boating is that when the time comes to switch off the main engines, drop the hook and revel in the silence of a blissfully tranquil bay, you often have to fire up another diesel-powered generator to keep the electrical systems running. The advent of power-hungry devices like gyro stabilisers and air-conditioning has only made matters worse.

However, salvation may be at hand thanks to a new partnership between the Brunswick/Navico group, whose portfolio includes Mercury, Mastervolt, C-Zone and Simrad among others, and British company, Integrel Solutions. Together they have come up with a comprehensive alternative to a conventional diesel-powered generator that offers the same power and convenience but without the noise, fumes or maintenance issues that come with it.

NEW GENERATION

The package is built around Navico's new Lithium-Ion based Fathom e-Power system. This was originally designed to take advantage of the high output alternator on Mercury's latest range of V10 and V12 Verado outboard engines to provide a cleaner, quieter, more compact source of AC electric power than a diesel generator. Saxdor already offers this as a factory fit option on its 400 GTO and GTC models.

Now, however, thanks to Integrel’s new E-Power on-engine generator (OEG), that slots directly onto the power take-off shaft of most inboard diesels, it will soon be available on a much wider range of craft powered by Volvos, Yanmars, Nannis, MANs, MTUs or CATs.