where to put a wind generator?

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ferroboat

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You would think there would be all the room in the world to mount my new superwind 350 wind generator on our 44' ketch but the mizzan boom almost scrapes the pushpit right round the stern. The importers have suggested putting it on the top of the mizzan mast saying that is where the wind is and it would be out of the way. What do you think? have you seen or heard of one up there, Possibly point me towards a picture. I would be interested in peoples opinion. Thanks in anticipation.
 
I have seen wind generators mounted right on the tip of mizzen masts, although I'm not sure I'd do the same. They should get more wind up there, and are certainly out of the way, but it's also a lot of weight high up, difficult to get at if anything goes wrong, and will need heavy wiring for the distance involved. I also think it looks a bit silly.

Another common place is a kind of bracket sticking out of the front of the mizzen mast, about a third of the way up. Still not ideal though.

It is a conundrum.

Pete
 
We have a ketch and our wind generator is halfway up the mizzen mast on a bracket with the radar underneath. I have seen ketches with them a the top of the mast but I really wouldn't want all that weight up there. The only issue having it on the mast is you can't fly a mizzen staysail.
 
You could rig up a pole with a dog leg in it such that the wind generator was outboard of the stern and clear. The pole could have a lockable swivel that allows the generator to be swung inboard when that was required.
 
Mine is up the mizzen but I didn't put it too high as I didn't want that much weight high up and I wanted to be able to get to it (by standing on the mizzen boom) if it needed to be removed for maintenance / repair.

(I now wish that I had not mounted the radar quite so high!)
 
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ferroboat said:
You would think there would be all the room in the world to mount my new superwind 350 wind generator on our 44' ketch but the mizzan boom almost scrapes the pushpit right round the stern. The importers have suggested putting it on the top of the mizzan mast saying that is where the wind is and it would be out of the way. What do you think? have you seen or heard of one up there, Possibly point me towards a picture. I would be interested in peoples opinion. Thanks in anticipation.
Click to expand...

Fairly common to see them mounted half to two thirds the way up the mizzen.

Even seen an Amel with two on the mizzen.
 
KellysEye said:
. . . The only issue having it on the mast is you can't fly a mizzen staysail.
Click to expand...

I think you are mistaking a 'Mule' sail with a Mizzen Staysail. With a windmill mounted forward on the mizzen, either half way up or on top, would not interfere with a mizzen staysail but would certainly stop you using a Mule.

I fly a Mizzen Staysail on my ketch and it is fully clear of all my equipment forward on the mizzen and there is an identical ketch to mine and it has a Aerogen or similar windmill half way up and forward on the mizzen. I will see if I can take a photograph of it in the morning. :)

A Mule sail can be seen in this link:

http://solent-yacht-brokers.com/sail.aspx?gid=146

and a Mizzen Staysail can be seen in this link:

http://www.doyleplochsails.com/pic-cover-ketch-spin-222.jpg
 
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LadyInBed said:
. . . . Your pic of a Mizzen Staysail looks a lot like my mizzen gennaker (as on avatar).
I have no problems with flying it with the WG but do have to be a bit careful raising and lowering it.
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Horrid, horrid. There is no such thing as a mizzen gennaker. In fact the word 'gennaker' is a made up word probably by the 'Septics' as being a sail between a genoa and a spinnaker.

It is just as bad as people talking about 'hoisting the spi'. :eek: This probably stems from the fact that they cannot spell. :D
 
>I think you are mistaking a 'Mule' sail with a Mizzen Staysail.

No I did mean Staysail. It would worry me if an expensive sail got chewed up by our wind generator. Might not happen from what you are saying but...
 
pictures

lenseman said:
I think you are mistaking a 'Mule' sail with a Mizzen Staysail. With a windmill mounted forward on the mizzen, either half way up or on top, would not interfere with a mizzen staysail but would certainly stop you using a Mule.

I fly a Mizzen Staysail on my ketch and it is fully clear of all my equipment forward on the mizzen and there is an identical ketch to mine and it has a Aerogen or similar windmill half way up and forward on the mizzen. I will see if I can take a photograph of it in the morning. :)

A Mule sail can be seen in this link:

http://solent-yacht-brokers.com/sail.aspx?gid=146

and a Mizzen Staysail can be seen in this link:

http://www.doyleplochsails.com/pic-cover-ketch-spin-222.jpg
Click to expand...

David

yeah go take a picture of the old girl Im getting withdraw symptoms ! I need a fix , fed up going round in circles in 6 meter seas........ Just 1 week to go so long as we get a green light on the helideck !

My generator is a rutland 913 and has no rubber mountings just a rubber grommit on the stainless bracket I made for the job and i got lucky , very little noise, plus i mounted it at ladder height so can get to it with a set of ladders on the coach roof.
 
Our Aerogen is mounted on top of the yawl mast. Had to do it that way because the sail slides up the mast with hoops. Round wooden mast. Even made mounting pole long enough for the blades not to pass the mast. An object behind the blades takes efficiency also.
Pro : the gen runs more and faster than all others. Free air stream, not influenced by turbulence boom.
Contra : It dos look flimsy
I can not easily take the blades off.
No way to stop it in stormy conditions
The weight up there is no point with our boat. Since the rig was changed from gaff to Marconi and the keel was doubled in weight, the boat is way to stiff. Uncomfortable at times. We could use a lot of weight up.
Sailing upwind, that little windgen needs four times its surface in sailcloth to bring it upwind. Do not underestimate the windage of a windgen. That is against all sailing principals, so I would like to be able to take the “Fan” off. Just one screw holding it onto the shaft. Specially with our now under canvassed boat, would be a plus. Climbing the yawl mast, I can not get higher than the stays, just half a meter short of reaching the “Fan”
The Aerogen is designed to withstand a lot of wind, still I would feel more comfortable to be able to stop it. There has been storms, man that was not funny any more. In extreme wind, there is a bi metal switch mounted on the inside of the gen that cuts the power to the field. That is to prevent overheating the diodes. When that happens, the gen go´s free-wheeling. The revs go up so far that the tail starts vibrating. Not funny at all.
 
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