Taking wind gen up and down

[Bi111ion]

I thought I was very clever making this custom bracket for my windgen and when I changed the mizzen mast the riggers mounted it higher than before. Its hard to get on and off especially single handed. I used to use the halyard on front of mizzen mast but it needs to pull more straight up. I improvised rigging a line between this and the main halyard to make an attachment point straight above the centre of mass but it was a pain to get right. Any ideas? I was thinking of making a little wooden crane thing that would sit against the mast hauled on that halyard. There was a nice article on the GGR and how they had wind gens on poles that could be lowered down. A mizzen is a great place for a wind gen, and many people who say theirs are no good simply dont have them high enough.

 

[MontyMariner]

The best thing I did with my wind gen was to ditch it and hang solar from its bracket!

 

[Cerebus]

The best thing I did with my wind gen was to ditch it and hang solar from its bracket!

View attachment 201100

But the wind gen is still there!

I can see it!

I am having a laugh; I assume you took wind gen down later?

Why not leave for night use or winter use or very cloudy use may I ask?

Noisy? Vibration? Needing too much maintenance?

Yes, I have had wind gens before as you can deduce.

 

[NormanS]

I used to have a wind generator mounted on a bracket on the mizzen mast. After it disintegrated in a gale (long story), I gave up, and installed PV panels.
The problem that I found with the mast mounted generator was that it was well nigh impossible to tie it off. OK, the regulator is supposed to be able to slow it down in high wind strengths, but I found that to be inadequate in some circumstances.
I would maybe have a wind generator, but never again up a mast.

 

[Cerebus]

I used to have a wind generator mounted on a bracket on the mizzen mast. After it disintegrated in a gale (long story), I gave up, and installed PV panels.
The problem that I found with the mast mounted generator was that it was well nigh impossible to tie it off. OK, the regulator is supposed to be able to slow it down in high wind strengths, but I found that to be inadequate in some circumstances.
I would maybe have a wind generator, but never again up a mast.

Good point.

Pushpit mounted for me.

I have have had 3 different makes, one had a superb controller, flick a switch and it slowed a heck of a lot (compared to others that needed tying off).

 

[ash2020]

Not sure why you need to take it down. Wouldn't it be easier to make some sort of arrangement to lock it off when you want to keep it stopped?

 

[Bi111ion]

Not sure why you need to take it down. Wouldn't it be easier to make some sort of arrangement to lock it off when you want to keep it stopped?

Maintenance for one. And yes I think even locked they don't survive above Force 8. Obviously by then most solar panels have also been taken away by King Neptune ("I'll have that" splash) already unless they are stuck down flat on deck.

 

[dunedin]

Maintenance for one. And yes I think even locked they don't survive above Force 8. Obviously by then most solar panels have also been taken away by King Neptune ("I'll have that" splash) already unless they are stuck down flat on deck.

Our solar panels have happily survived several F10 storms.
And don’t annoy the neighbours with the incessant noise (apparently not heard by the owners).

 

[Bi111ion]

Our solar panels have happily survived several F10 storms.
And don’t annoy the neighbours with the incessant noise (apparently not heard by the owners).

Ooh photo please! I have a panel currently on a post with a ball joint on the aft deck and it has survived some good storms, but not ones that have big green ones washing over the decks and filling the cockpit.

Neighbours are fish and sea birds when out at sea. They never complained.

 

[NormanS]

Not sure why you need to take it down. Wouldn't it be easier to make some sort of arrangement to lock it off when you want to keep it stopped?

Can you suggest an easy way to tie it off, when it's mounted up on a mast?

 

[Neeves]

Most complaints, usually noise, of wind generators are based on experiences well over 20 years ago and criticisms of old, 40 year old, technology.

Small domestic wind gens are common place now and no-one seems to complain about them disintegrating in strong wind nor that they are noisy. They also appear to be 'permanently' installed, so they must have reliable auto cut off, see:

Home | SkyWind Energy Inc.

for example.

If you want your yacht to be totally 'off grid' you need a solar display that is enormous or revert to camping when the weather is offering you 3 days of overcast skies.

However another alternative to wind and solar is some form of hydro-generator.

Jonathan.

 

[noelex]

Why not leave for night use or winter use or very cloudy use may I ask?

Noisy? Vibration? Needing too much maintenance?

Yes, I have had wind gens before as you can deduce.

One factor to consider is that it is difficult to mount a wind generator on a yacht where it does not produce some shading of the solar panel array.

Solar panels hate any hard shadow.

 

[Cerebus]

Most complaints, usually noise, of wind generators are based on experiences well over 20 years ago and criticisms of old, 40 year old, technology.

Small domestic wind gens are common place now and no-one seems to complain about them disintegrating in strong wind nor that they are noisy. They also appear to be 'permanently' installed, so they must have reliable auto cut off, see:

Home | SkyWind Energy Inc.

for example.

If you want your yacht to be totally 'off grid' you need a solar display that is enormous or revert to camping when the weather is offering you 3 days of overcast skies.

However another alternative to wind and solar is some form of hydro-generator.

Jonathan.

I am glad to hear that.

I have a brand new modern wind gen still boxed.

Have not had to time to fit.

I have some older Marlec / Rutland ones that cost a bit to be refurbished (not a lot to do in there actually; pretty simple engineering.

One is on boat, gives amps and voltage, swinging mooring so snouts no one, easy start up.

One in garden that powers batteries for garden lights. A beast of a machine, has a special tail so when wind is too strong it ‘moves itself out of harm’s way’

Link here ; very clever design imo:

Rutland FM910-3

Customer services are also excellent ; some of the most polite people I have spoken to work for marlec.

 

[Cerebus]

One factor to consider is that it is difficult to mount a wind generator on a yacht where it does not produce some shading of the solar panel array.

Solar panels hate any hard shadow.

True. Size of boat, positioning of panels and turbine in relation to each other is important as you state.

 

[NormanS]

Most complaints, usually noise, of wind generators are based on experiences well over 20 years ago and criticisms of old, 40 year old, technology.

Small domestic wind gens are common place now and no-one seems to complain about them disintegrating in strong wind nor that they are noisy. They also appear to be 'permanently' installed, so they must have reliable auto cut off, see:

Home | SkyWind Energy Inc.

for example.

If you want your yacht to be totally 'off grid' you need a solar display that is enormous or revert to camping when the weather is offering you 3 days of overcast skies.

However another alternative to wind and solar is some form of hydro-generator.

Jonathan.

That's probably because people have moved on also.

 

[Cerebus]

Not sure why you need to take it down. Wouldn't it be easier to make some sort of arrangement to lock it off when you want to keep it stopped?

I like this idea.

The photo in OP however does show the turbine VERY high up, AND a halyard loose and nearby (that will cost a lot of it wraps).

Lower down with a simple boat hook in brackets vertically positioned could be made to ‘lock the position of turbine’ - off the top of my head…(a quick bodge job).

… other methods ranging from the very simple I just mentioned to remote controlled relay (with gearing) may be possible -

 

[MontyMariner]

I am having a laugh; I assume you took wind gen down later?

Yes, when it reached the end of economic life.
Best thing I did, should have done it sooner.

 

[Neeves]

That's probably because people have moved on also.

But - unsurprisingly wind has also moved on

Its interesting that despite huge acres of desert and reputed 12hr x 365 sunshine - Australia is investing in wind. China the leading supplier of solar panels and with huge solar farms - has massive wind farms. And returning to Oz - the mantra is when the wind does not blow and the sun does not shine - we will turn on the gas.

No-one is relying 'solely' on solar.

Today it is gorgeous, good sunshine and 23 degrees

Tomorrow through the weekend showers

Tuesday 10mm of rain, Wednesday 25mm or rain easing on Thursday to 3mm - not much chance to rely on solar over the next week - its a bit of a lottery.

Personally if I were relying on being 'off grid' I'd want more certainty - but then I'd have fridge and a decent sized deep freeze, induction hot plates. I'd also want a hydro generator when at sea, not reliant either on wind nor solar. (nor a combination of)

It would be interesting to read a thread up dating with the data how many actually are green and off grid and what size of solar is required, how big are the batteries - and details of the main consumers. You need a pretty big yacht to have room for 'enough' solar.

Jonathan

 

[geem]

Ooh photo please! I have a panel currently on a post with a ball joint on the aft deck and it has survived some good storms, but not ones that have big green ones washing over the decks and filling the cockpit.

Neighbours are fish and sea birds when out at sea. They never complained.

I have had green water in the cockpit and still had no panel damage. Panels mounted on the guardrails. Wave came in under the guardrails and missed the panel. I might have been lucky but several ocean crossings with panels mounted this way suggests otherwise

 

[noelex]

No-one is relying 'solely' on solar.

This is referring to the grid power supply, which is quite different from a boat’s power supply.

Australia has lots of solar with incentives for households (and businesses) to fit solar to their roofs.

The problem in Australia is supplying enough electricity for periods of peak demand. This is during late afternoon to early evening (around 3 p.m. to 9 p.m.). Unfortunately, this is a time when solar contributes little or nothing. Hence the desire to use wind to have a renewable energy source that still works during periods of peak demand.

Boats do not have the same problem, especially with the development of lithium, we have plenty of battery power to cover our electricity need when solar is not working. Our goal is to make sure we are making on average more energy than we are using. If this goal is met, it does not matter if for many hours of the day we are not producing enough electricity to keep up with demand.