# Night fishing generators?



## AznGunner (Jul 21, 2010)

I'm looking at getting a night fishing setup......generator and lights. I'd like to get a portable Honda, but of course that's big $$$$. I've been looking at the cheapies from Harbor Freight.....anybody have knowledge of them:

http://www.harborfreight.com/engine...s-900-max-watts-portable-generator-66619.html

Any suggestions for this setup is appreciated!


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## McDaniel8402 (Dec 7, 2011)

AznGunner said:


> I'm looking at getting a night fishing setup......generator and lights. I'd like to get a portable Honda, but of course that's big $$$$. I've been looking at the cheapies from Harbor Freight.....anybody have knowledge of them:
> 
> http://www.harborfreight.com/engine...s-900-max-watts-portable-generator-66619.html
> 
> Any suggestions for this setup is appreciated!


Stay away from ANY power equipment from Harbor Freight. Hand tools are one thing, little throw away type stuff, ok, but you go buying a generator, or compressor, or anything else along those lines and you are buying the cheapest of cheap, junk made in China. Stuff with ZERO quality control, and very poor design/engineering built into it. I'm with you on trying to save some money, and you can, but don't attemp it by buying Harbor Freight power equipment. You will absolutely regret it. Try searching Craigslist for a used generator. Best bet would be something 2500 watts or bigger. Honda's are quiet as a mouse, and great machines. At work i used to use a small Honeywell, 2000 watt machine. It was quiet, but not durable. It quit on us, and had to be junked out. Yamaha builds a nice machine, but they are pretty noisy.


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## callsignsleepy (Apr 3, 2007)

How strong of lights do you plan on using? I've used two 1000w lights which means I run a 2500-3000w normal run. Not the peak. You usually don't want to run the generator at 100% 

Sent from my MB525 using Tapatalk 2


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## mike (Jun 6, 2011)

I have the honda 2000w . I bought it a few years ago and it was pricey ($800) but is nice. Its fairly quite but still loud if you bring it on a boat. On the bank it's fine you can easily talk over it but, it's definetly not silent by any means.


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## McDaniel8402 (Dec 7, 2011)

My neighbor used to have a little single cylinder, 2-stroke generator. Not sure the brand. It didn't have much power, but we used it. Used to take it with us spear fishing, to be able to power an angle grinder and re-sharpen spear tips after they had been shot in to the rocks at the jetties one to many times. We used it a few times to power a single halogen flood light.


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## Capt. Billy (Mar 6, 2010)

I bought a copy of the Honda and it lasted a few months. Had the Honda now for over a year and works great, but it is expensive.


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## turbodrive (Apr 28, 2012)

just buy some 27 watt leds from customfitz.com. Plenty bright and you can run 6 of them on one 12v battery for 8 hours. No generator noise. But if your looking for a cheap genny look at the kipor

check out all the reviews and pics here

http://bow.fishingcountry.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?13-Lighting


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## flatsmaster14 (Mar 25, 2011)

The harbor freight one works, but.. It's loud, smokes, and you almost have to strap it down or it will walk off your boat! Go led


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## crawdaddct (Sep 14, 2011)

The LED and a good battery sounds like the best way to go. If you want a generator for other things, stay away from harbor freight for the generator. Now their halogen lights are hard to beat at $20 bucks with a stand. I would check out the pawn shops. I was in one last week and they had two rows full of generator. Every brand imaginable. You may have to clean the carbs, but thats where I buy mine.


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## Chase4556 (Aug 26, 2008)

http://www.harborfreight.com/engine...-3500-max-watts-gasoline-generator-67561.html

My buddy bought that one about 4 years ago now. Running two 1000w par 64 bulbs. It will run all night, and we only have to add about 2 1/2 gallons to it for about 9 hours of run time. We obviously took care of it when we got home. We would gently spray it down with water when we got home, blow it dry, then spray corrosion x on all metal. Ran fuel treatment in it at all times, and ran the carb dry every time we stored it.

I have heard the predator series are a little quieter, and get a little better fuel economy.


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## Jean Scurtu (Dec 6, 2011)

:texasflagI use one HONDA 2000 WATT EU generator for my stage light with PAR 64 1000watt halogen bulb without problems.


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## Pasadena1944 (Mar 20, 2010)

I saw a guy fishing the rocks using a home made one...He used an alternator from the junk yard and his gas powered sidewalk trimmer to turn it and it worked as good as the 500 dollar ones there...it was all mounted on a wooden base and he could move it using the wheels on the trimmer...


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## atcNick (Apr 7, 2005)

A guy in Houston is selling a used Honda in Houston for $550 on another forum I visit

http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?p=674042

-Nick


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## McDaniel8402 (Dec 7, 2011)

atcNick said:


> A guy in Houston is selling a used Honda in Houston for $550 on another forum I visit
> 
> http://forum.texasbbqrub.com/showthread.php?p=674042
> 
> -Nick


You two-timer...:rotfl:


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## rcortinas (Oct 10, 2009)

We bought a champion from TSC and have had it for 3 years. Fair price and always starts when i need it


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## imnotsure (May 8, 2012)

what about using an inverter? Thinking about trying that with 1 1000w.


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

McDaniel8402 said:


> Stay away from ANY power equipment from Harbor Freight. Hand tools are one thing, little throw away type stuff, ok, but you go buying a generator, or compressor, or anything else along those lines and you are buying the cheapest of cheap, junk made in China. Stuff with ZERO quality control, and very poor design/engineering built into it. I'm with you on trying to save some money, and you can, but don't attemp it by buying Harbor Freight power equipment. You will absolutely regret it. Try searching Craigslist for a used generator. Best bet would be something 2500 watts or bigger. Honda's are quiet as a mouse, and great machines. At work i used to use a small Honeywell, 2000 watt machine. It was quiet, but not durable. It quit on us, and had to be junked out. Yamaha builds a nice machine, but they are pretty noisy.


Ummm, yeah. I'm going to have to go ahead and kind of disagree with you there. (From Office Space)

The little Chicago Electric is a great little gen for the money. They key is to change the spark plug before you even start it. I believe you need an Autolite #64. When you put it together, check the gas tank for metal shavings too. Once that's done, you've got a great little powerhouse. The thing is, if you're trying to run lights from it, you won't get a lot of wattage. You can find lots of youtube videos on these and their capabilities. Yes, they are quite noisy at higher RPM. Hey, it's a 2 stroke. I've been using mine for over a year with circular saws, reciprocating saws, etc. I wouldn't use any sensitive electronics with it though.

I can't believe you said Honda is quiet and Yamaha is noisy. I've actually found Yamaha to be a superior machine in several ways. There's a guy offering a Honda 2000 on 2cool for $800 right now in the classifieds somewhere and there's a guy offering a Yamaha 2000 for $850 down in the RC car classifieds. Both are good buys, if not screaming deals.

If you want quiet, there are only 2 ways to go, Honda and Yamaha. You'll be pleased with either. Buy new from Wise Sales. They have the best prices. Just look 'em up on Yahoo. Keep in mind that the 2000 watt Honda and Yamaha are only rated to 1600 continuous watts, so you're only going to be able to run a single 1000 watt Par64.

You can get dependability from some real cheapies, but you'll never get quiet from them. I would stay away from anything that tries to look like a Honda or Yamaha, like the Honeywell.


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

imnotsure said:


> what about using an inverter? Thinking about trying that with 1 1000w.


If you do that, you'd better have a whole bunch of batteries. 1000 watts will drain a battery pretty darn fast. I know because I've done this


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## ComeFrom? (May 21, 2004)

*That Reminds Me of the Oldendays*

This is one of many nights on Dagger Island (off A.P.) with my late brother and all of his late in-laws... I'll call the pic 'ready for the slaughter.' It was a Honda (don't remember the watts) but we paid $450.00 or something like that. He did all the lights and were 500 watt railroad lights; four in each can. Many, Many moons ago. Say, 1974. CF?


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## Number_Five (Feb 14, 2012)

coachlaw said:


> If you want quiet, there are only 2 ways to go, Honda and Yamaha.


Actually there is a third option for quiet....I have a Subaru genny that is bad arse....it powered most of the things my brother needed, after hurricane Ike had power off in the Houston area for about 2 weeks straight.

Subaru Robin Generators:

http://robinamerica.com/generators.aspx

Five


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## AG (May 7, 2012)

i bought a EU2000i last year. satisfied is an understatement. i run 1- 1000watt light. fuel tank is .95gal and last about 5-6 hours. quiet and efficient. chk out Lansdowne-Moody. got'em in stock and offer 12 months interest free if needed. good luck


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## jeff.w (Jan 22, 2006)

McDaniel8402 said:


> Yamaha builds a nice machine, but they are *pretty noisy*.


WRONG. i think you're confused. I've got the Yamaha ef2000 from Wise Sales. It's an amazing little machine. I compared both the Yamaha and the Honda eu2000 and chose the Yamaha. Hasn't missed a lick and quiet as a mouse. 51dB to 60dB compared to Honda's 53dB to 61db.

I don't think the Yamaha's are as popular for only one reason. The price difference. But the pure quality and design of this machine is worth every penny. But you can't go wrong with either one.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

ComeFrom? said:


> This is one of many nights on Dagger Island (off A.P.) with my late brother and all of his late in-laws... I'll call the pic 'ready for the slaughter.' It was a Honda (don't remember the watts) but we paid $450.00 or something like that. He did all the lights and were 500 watt railroad lights; four in each can. Many, Many moons ago. Say, 1974. CF?


Awesome photos, thanks for sharing

-mac-


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## JFolm (Apr 22, 2012)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Awesome photos, thanks for sharing
> 
> -mac-


x2!

How many did you guys keep that night?

:tongue:


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

Number_Five said:


> Actually there is a third option for quiet....I have a Subaru genny that is bad arse....it powered most of the things my brother needed, after hurricane Ike had power off in the Houston area for about 2 weeks straight.
> 
> Subaru Robin Generators:
> 
> ...


Cool, I didn't know they made a little one! Subaru Robin engines speak for themselves. I used to have a Coleman generator with a Robin engine. Always ran great.


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## SaltwaterJunkie (Jun 25, 2011)

coachlaw said:


> Ummm, yeah. I'm going to have to go ahead and kind of disagree with you there. (From Office Space)
> 
> The little Chicago Electric is a great little gen for the money. They key is to change the spark plug before you even start it. I believe you need an Autolite #64. When you put it together, check the gas tank for metal shavings too. Once that's done, you've got a great little powerhouse. The thing is, if you're trying to run lights from it, you won't get a lot of wattage. You can find lots of youtube videos on these and their capabilities. Yes, they are quite noisy at higher RPM. Hey, it's a 2 stroke. I've been using mine for over a year with circular saws, reciprocating saws, etc. I wouldn't use any sensitive electronics with it though.
> 
> ...


Lumbergh is posting on 2cool now? LOL... good one.


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## Dino777 (Apr 11, 2012)

McDaniel8402 said:


> Stay away from ANY power equipment from Harbor Freight. Hand tools are one thing, little throw away type stuff, ok, but you go buying a generator, or compressor, or anything else along those lines and you are buying the cheapest of cheap, junk made in China. Stuff with ZERO quality control, and very poor design/engineering built into it. I'm with you on trying to save some money, and you can, but don't attemp it by buying Harbor Freight power equipment. You will absolutely regret it. Try searching Craigslist for a used generator. Best bet would be something 2500 watts or bigger. Honda's are quiet as a mouse, and great machines. At work i used to use a small Honeywell, 2000 watt machine. It was quiet, but not durable. It quit on us, and had to be junked out. Yamaha builds a nice machine, but they are pretty noisy.


I have no opinion on the generators since i dont know much about them but "Junk made in China" where do you think Honda and Yamaha are made?


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## jeff.w (Jan 22, 2006)

Dino777 said:


> I have no opinion on the generators since i dont know much about them but "Junk made in China" where do you think Honda and Yamaha are made?


Japan


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## TangChaser (May 25, 2011)

jeff.w said:


> Japan


Not all things made in China are junk. Stuff manufactured from a Chinese company or relabelled products are junk most of the time. Honda and Yamaha may outsource a company in china to assemble their generators, but they undergo very strict quality control and standards set by the parent corporation. Furthermore, companies like Honda and Yamaha stand by their products with solid warranties to back up their brand name. You pay more for them, but in all honestly you truly do get what you pay for when it comes to generators. Read the customer reviews on various sites for those cheap Chinese generators and you'll get the gist.


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## jeff.w (Jan 22, 2006)

Last time I checked, Japan and China were different countries . Honda and Yamaha do not outsource anything to China. They are built in Japan. Japan is traditionally known for higher quality items. Look at the old school Shimanos, built in Japan. China on the other hand, is known for mass producing junk that ends up on every shelf in Wal-Mart.


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## seabo (Jun 29, 2006)

ComeFrom? said:


> This is one of many nights on Dagger Island (off A.P.) with my late brother and all of his late in-laws... I'll call the pic 'ready for the slaughter.' It was a Honda (don't remember the watts) but we paid $450.00 or something like that. He did all the lights and were 500 watt railroad lights; four in each can. Many, Many moons ago. Say, 1974. CF?


i like your setup! it was hard to leave i imagine.....tfs! to the op ,agreed on yamaha or honda on just about anything. good stuff


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## Tortuga (May 21, 2004)

Know absolutely nothing about generators except that they are loud and drink a lot of gasoline...but did save my life after Ike. Always wondered why they have to be so loud. Seems like a mini=muffler could be incorporated in the manufacture...or does that decrease the output ?

Just curious....


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## buckaroo (Nov 12, 2006)

I have two Honda 2000e's invertors, little noise, little gas can hook together for 4000w


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## coachlaw (Oct 26, 2005)

Used my little Chicago Electric for a long time today for a project out on the bayou. As alway, ran like a champ. Forgot to mention if anyone gets one from Harbor Freight. Make sure you use PLUS gasoline in your 50:1 mix. It needs 89 octane.


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