RUTLAND 913 WEIGHT ALOFT

alisdair4

alisdair4

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18 Jan 2004
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Isle of Bute
midnightdrifter.net
Having had some very strong recommendations on this forum for the Rutland 913 windcharger, I am contemplating splashing out. One of the concerns I have is the weight (some 15kg?) aloft (in my case on the stern of MD, attached to the gantry in some way!). I imagine this will not make a huge difference to a boat like a Rival 32. Having seen lots of similar-sized yachts with this set-up, I assume there is little adverse effect? Have other forumites noticed a problem?
 
Re: Rutland 913...

It felt a lot more than that when I was mounting my 913 on the transom single handed and trying to secure the stays while holding onto the mount! /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Re: Rutland 913...

After 3 Atlantic crossings and 7 years of non stop operation on my Sadler 34 I can confidently say you should not have a weight aloft problem. Mine is on an arch at the stern about 12ft above the waterline. Incidentally, for a long life NEVER stop the thing rotating - it needs to be able to rotate to ensure water does not reach and wreck the bearings.
Hope it works well for you.
 
Re: Rutland 913...

OK, thanks to all - particularly the note from Simon. I too have an arch at the stern. Presumably the mounting pole can be welded or bolted to that, with a base plate on the deck?
 
Re: Rutland 913...

I used the short support post provided by Rutland and had that welded to my support frame - on which I also have two Solarex solar panels.The Rutland is offset to one side and clears the single backstay and avoids shading panels too much. You will need good support at the base (of the short pole)with suitable brackets/clamps/welding etc. Whether you extend it to the deck will depend on how rigid your frame is; I have not found it necessary.
 
Re: Rutland 913...

Simon, thanks for that. As a matter of interest, did you install the electrics yourself? I have been recommended to use the Rutland HRDX regulator - my concern is that I also have an Adverc charge regulator fitted, and how this was all going to knit together. I emailed Adverc to ask their recommendation -but nothing back! /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

Alisdair
 
A neighbour has a Rutland 913 on a post at the stern of his Rival 32 (nb don't forget to brace it with poles or guys!), and a hydrovane, and has never given any negative comments about the arrangement.
 
HRDX is worth the extra and it shouldn’t cause an issue with the Adverc. Once the Adverc is putting >14V into the batteries the HRDX stalls the 913 so there’s no issue with two regulators trying to decide what the other one’s doing. I have seen an issue with a mains charger (i.e. when plugged into shore power) getting confused when it’s windy and my advice would be to tie the genny off if you have a ‘smart’ mains charger running.

Out of interest, which units have you thought about other than the Rutland? I've just replaced a Rutland with a bigger unit (D400) because the 913 just didn't make enough power and has an awful resonation that drones through the boat (and is part of the reason why the HRDX is worth the extra - it has a stop switch!). If you only have minimal electrical usage or if you're just after a trickle charger to put some power back in between week-ends then the 913 is fine and is certainly a reliable and well built unit at a very good price. If however you want useful power whilst you're sailing (fridge, lights, instruments, PC etc) then my advice is to buy the most powerful unit you can (a) afford and (b) looks right on the boat. The D400 looks just about OK on my 38 so may be too big for a 32 but its power output is way ahead of the 913 and it has significantly less vibration. As always, horses for courses.
 
Sorry to hi jack the thread but it's touched on a couple of points I was planning to post on in the next couple of days.

Firstly I have a 913 with the cheaper HR controller and also a dolphin shore power charger. I get "conflict" between the two. (excuse my lack of techy speak) When on shore power teh Dolphin never reaches trickle state as the Rutland regulator kicks in. Then with no shor epower connection but the windy chucking out a cpl of amps the cooling fan on the mains charger kicks in!

The rutland is hooked up to the always on positive bus bar as is the domestic output from the Dolphin charger....

Any ideas?

Second point.... has anyone come up with a simple way/device for physically stopping the Rutland. Obviously using the boat hook to get it off the wind slows her down but the rutland pole mounts it sonme way out of reach (safety first!)


Cheers


Jim
 
Re: Rutland 913...

For the first few years I had the Rutland supplied regulator which takes the input from solar panels and wind gen. Rutland said this worked well with a smart regulator - and it seemed to. If alternator is pushing out a lot of power then Windgen is effectively dumped to a resistor in the control box. I later learnt that if you have solar panels the system operates better with a dedicated controller for the panels as more use can be made of the potentially high voltage output from the panels. Solar controllers are able to give 'bursts' of input when batteries are nominally up to charge to achieve a higher charge level - thats putting it in the simple way I understand. Rutlands combined controller of the type I have also (I am told) only takes the output from one source at a time. Incidentally Rutland are extremely helpful if you phone them.
Yes, I did wire in the things myself, easy!
Finally, as I can hand start my engine if necessary, I keep all three of my batteries in use so that no battery suffers from doing all work or bringing down another. This works!
 
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