{"id":5818,"date":"2025-03-07T10:04:47","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T10:04:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=5818"},"modified":"2025-03-07T10:04:47","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T10:04:47","slug":"the-benefits-of-direct-current-marine-generators","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/?p=5818","title":{"rendered":"The Benefits of Direct-Current Marine Generators"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>    The Benefits of Direct-Current Marine Generators<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    <!-- no image --><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><\/p>\n<div>\n<section class=\"hydra-container\">\n<div class=\"hydra-canvas\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"800\" height=\"600\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-SPL-DC-Generators-1024x768.jpg?resize=800%2C600&#038;ssl=1\" class=\"hydra-image disable-lazyload\" alt=\"Direct-current marine generator\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-SPL-DC-Generators-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-SPL-DC-Generators-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-SPL-DC-Generators-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-SPL-DC-Generators-1536x1152.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/uploads\/2025\/02\/BTG225-SPL-DC-Generators.jpg 2000w\">                <\/div><figcaption class=\"caption margin_top_xs full border_1 hydra-figcaption\">\n                <span class=\"hydra-image-caption\">A DC generator can eliminate much of the complicated AC shore-power rigging.<\/span><br \/>\n                <span class=\"article_image_credit italic margin_right_xs\">Courtesy Fischer Panda<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/section>\n<p><iframe id=\"wxuzj5efbz\" src=\"https:\/\/boatingmag.dragonforms.com\/wxuzj5efbz\" scrolling=\"no\" style=\"width:100%;height:165px;border:none;overflow:hidden;\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>In the simplest of terms, an AC generator supplies power directly to a 120-volt circuit to run AC accessories throughout a boat, as well as charge the boat\u2019s batteries (through an AC-to-\u00adDC charger). A DC generator, on the other hand, directly charges the boat\u2019s batteries, which can, in turn, provide 120-volt power via an onboard DC-to-AC electrical inverter system.<\/p>\n<p>One important \u00adcaveat: Inverters are generally more limited in the AC power that they can supply versus a more robust AC generator. Accordingly, this generally limits the primary market for DC \u00adgenerators to boats less than about 55 feet in length overall.<\/p>\n<p>That said, a DC generator can eliminate much of the complicated AC shore-power rigging and provide a seamless transition between the DC and AC systems, says Chad Godwin, OEM sales \u00addirector for Fischer Panda, which currently offers two diesel-powered DC generators, as well as a full line of AC generators. The 12-volt AGT5 delivers 12 volts at 272 amps and is rated at 5\u00a0kW; the AGT6 produces 24\/48 volts at 192\/96.5 amps and is rated at 5.5\u00a0kW. The company also builds custom DC generators for boatbuilders.<\/p>\n<p>Lending impetus to the development of DC generators is the growing use of marine lithium-iron-phosphate (LiFePO4) house batteries, which are lighter in weight, provide greater storage capacity, and recharge faster than traditional lead-acid AGM batteries. \u201cA diesel-powered DC generator represents a near-perfect complement, providing faster, quieter, safer, and more-effective low-rpm charging than most outboard engines can deliver,\u201d Godwin contends.<\/p>\n<p>DC generators also weigh less, require less space, and consume less\u00a0fuel than AC \u00adgenerators. \u201cThe AGT generators can weigh 50 percent less than a comparable AC generator and are up to 30 percent smaller in size,\u201d Godwin says. \u201cBecause you don\u2019t have to continuously run a DC generator to power AC accessories, it consumes less fuel than an AC generator.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In many ways, \u00adFischer Panda\u2019s DC generators are an answer to \u00adNavico\u2019s \u00adFathom e-Power \u00adsystem. Instead of a marine \u00adgenerator, Fathom uses high-output alternators in select Mercury outboards to supply DC power to charge a bank of LiFePO4 house batteries. However, outboards need to rev at fairly high rpm to ensure that the battery system can keep up with heavier-\u00adload accessories such as an air conditioner. The Fischer Panda AGT6 8.8\u00a0hp generator provides an \u00adeffective alternative when using outboards at low rpm such as when slow-trolling. Of course, the Fischer \u00adPanda DC generators require that most boats have a separate diesel-fuel system.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Like the Fathom \u00adsystem, Fischer Panda\u2019s AGT generators also have an \u00adautomatic feature that monitors a boat\u2019s battery bank and turns on and off in auto mode to keep \u00adbatteries \u00adcorrectly charged.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>These water-cooled \u00adgenerators are also \u00adextremely quiet, \u00adregistering just 66 dB(A) for the AGT6 when measured at a distance of 7 meters, according to Fischer Panda. These lower sound levels, combined with \u00adintermittent usage, mean you could conceivably run the generator in a mooring or in an anchorage without unduly annoying your \u00adneighboring boaters.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Read Next:<\/strong> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/gear\/agm-vs-lithium-batteries\/\">AGM vs. Lithium Batteries<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The diesel-fuel requirement for the AGT system presents both benefits and drawbacks. On the plus side, diesel exhaust minimizes those dangerous carbon-monoxide fumes associated with gasoline exhaust. On the downside, as pointed out earlier, a fuel tank dedicated to diesel fuel will be needed aboard almost any outboard-\u00adpowered boat equipped with this generator system.<\/p>\n<p>Fischer Panda is currently supplying DC generators to four boatbuilders for outboard-powered models within each of their \u00adlineups. This includes the new \u00adRegal 50 SAV, which features the factory-installed DC generator system that it has dubbed \u201cLivePower.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/boats\/benefits-of-direct-current-marine-generators\/\">The Benefits of Direct-Current Marine Generators<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/\">Boating Mag<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><br \/>\n    Jim Hendricks<br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n<BR><\/BR><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.boatingmag.com\/boats\/benefits-of-direct-current-marine-generators\/\">Go to boatingmag<\/a><br \/>\n \t<BR><br \/>\n <BR><\/BR><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Benefits of Direct-Current Marine Generators A DC generator can eliminate much of the complicated AC shore-power rigging. Courtesy Fischer Panda In the simplest of terms, an AC generator supplies power directly to a 120-volt circuit to run AC accessories throughout a boat, as well as charge the boat\u2019s batteries (through an AC-to-\u00adDC charger). A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126,148,1758,2561],"tags":[127],"class_list":["post-5818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boatingmag","category-boats","category-electronics","category-march-2025","tag-boatingmag"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5818"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5818"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5818\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/krogragg.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}