Hoisted wind generator

Roberto

Roberto

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I once saw a boat at anchor with a wind generator hoisted by the mainsail halyard, about three quarters up the mast height.
I did not take a picture and could not find any similar arrangement on the internet, has anyone a picture, a drawing or any info/idea about how to make this type of installation ?

I am specifically interested in this solution, no stern poles, stern gantries and the like.


thanks
 
Roberto said:
I once saw a boat at anchor with a wind generator hoisted by the mainsail halyard, about three quarters up the mast height.
I did not take a picture and could not find any similar arrangement on the internet, has anyone a picture, a drawing or any info/idea about how to make this type of installation ?

I am specifically interested in this solution, no stern poles, stern gantries and the like.


thanks
Click to expand...

Ampair do one and it was likely this set up you saw. I had one when I was cruising in the 90s and it gave good service for 7 years mostly in hoisted mode. It can convert to water driven on passage.

http://www.ampair.com/downloads/CD 3113A_Ampair_Catalogue_Web_(2010).pdf

Mine was utterly reliable and much quieter than other wind generators although not as much output.
 
With a little ingenuity any wind generator could be converted to hoist mode. I would consider a Kiss or the latest variant of the Air Breeze as well as the Ampair.

A machine shop could knock one up for you.

I used my mainsail halyard to hoist. A pulley on my backstay with a strop down to the genny and three lines from the base. As I was almost always at anchor it did not twist much.
 
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TQA said:
With a little ingenuity any wind generator could be converted to hoist mode. I would consider a Kiss or the latest variant of the Air Breeze as well as the Ampair.
Click to expand...

As I will probably sail through Trinidad early next year the KISS is high on the list (yacht in transit blabla no import tax, no vat etc), at 1000ish *USD* it's very difficult to beat, b oth for its performance and feedbak from users


I already have 2x90W solar panels on a stern arch, which has also a fitting for a wind generator, but having seen how dramatically their output drops when there is the shadow of a simple rope, I really need to find another location, hence the hoisting idea

having quickly read the Ampair water/wind generator description, it has some interesting pluses indeed

The Forgen seems a bitmore difficult to adapt to be hoisted (?)
 
The most common hoisted wind gens are made by or call windbuggers, really I'm not making it up.
www.windbugger.com/
But they no long manufacture their units, only repair.

As to the efficiency of solar panels and shadow not all panels are created equal and some are definitely more equal than others as far shadow loss is concerned.

We have a KISS wind gen and love how quiet it is compared to any other unit we've seen, the second best on the market but without doubt the best value out there, the best is the Supawind but it is a lot more expensive.
All MHO of course

Mark
 
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