I have an EU2000i I run on my 265 Express. A Grady dealer last season before I bought it recommended it and recommended getting an adaptor to run from the AC side through the shore power chord and plug it as if
I were at the dock and charge through the battery charger.....after using it and doing more research, I came to find that doing this limits the Honda to only 10A output when its max is 15A, the adapter is limited to 10A unless you ran 2 shore power chords. Also, most Grady chargers are only 10A per leg. Hooking it up DC and clamping it to the batteries would allow a full 15A charge if so required, this is how I plan to run it this year. I was on the phone today with the dealer that had first recommended it and after going over all this they agreed this method would be better. Only issue is ensuring your batteries can take a 15A charge for a long period of time, most can but not all...some will overheat and leak so be careful. I am going to AGM batteries and this should avoid any issues here. You can simply call your battery manufacturer to ask them directly.
I run on eco mode, as we turn stuff on and off it varries the rpm's to match our required draw, it only outputs as much as it needs to, nothing more so this mode saves fuel. Off eco mode will burn a lot more fuel a lot quicker. We burn about 1.5 tanks a night(8hours).
A typical 265 with electronics at about 6 amps, and 2 stock spreader lights at about 9 puts the Honda at it's limit, but with good batteries you will have 0 issues keeping up and supplying all your electrical needs, plus the batteries have a reserve current incase you draw slightly more then you are charging...a battery with a bigger RC is better if your worried about drawing too much. I fish offshore and run 5 spreader lights....24 amps!! We get about 6 hours of power before our lights dim on us.(current batteres are 525CCA and 80RC...too small...going to 880CCA, 130RC AGM batteries this season) I am going to LED lights this season to drop that load, going to be 8amps with 5 lights, and also increasing my lumens of lighting roughly 33% from what I have now with the 5 halogen spreaders.
We strap the Honda EU200i above the hatch on the v berth. We put a rubber mat over the hatch so it does not scratch, and then use 4 ratcheting straps from walmart to hold the generator in place. We straped it to the bow rail. You can add clips in the deck to secure it to if you wish to keep an easier path at the bow, something I will do down the road. In 4 ft seas it never moved last year. We store it in the cabin when underway. Putting the generator up forward keeps most of the fumes away from the cabin to keep CO2 from being an issue. Also carry a meter onboard to alarm us incase there ever is. Putting it in the cockpit would allow fumes to spiral inside the cockpit and into the cabin, not something you want. The 265 does not have a euro transom so you cannot put it back there, and persoanlly I'd rather have it forward and as high as possible to keep it dry and safe.
Feel free to ask any other questions
Tom
