which wind generator?
- Thread starter Erwin Swart
- Start date
Graham376
Well-Known Member
The Aerogens AC is rectified at the windmill so DC down the wires whereas some others are rectified at the controller so, that may account for different instructions.
Rappey
Well-Known Member
My friend fitted a rutland 914i. Within 6 months the brushes that rotate on the upright pole seized. I was shocked by how noisy this thing was.
He then bought a new boat and fitted a 1200. The noise is terrible but the output at this time of year has well and truly overtaken the 110w of his solar. He has the display that shows the overall output. Boats are in portsmouth harbour.
Solar all the way but once you have no more space then the wind is a good addition for those cold blowy nights on board.
I have an aerogen, silent up to 20 knts, they just seem to go on and on.
The 6 bladed are a lot more silent than 3 bladed.
He then bought a new boat and fitted a 1200. The noise is terrible but the output at this time of year has well and truly overtaken the 110w of his solar. He has the display that shows the overall output. Boats are in portsmouth harbour.
Solar all the way but once you have no more space then the wind is a good addition for those cold blowy nights on board.
I have an aerogen, silent up to 20 knts, they just seem to go on and on.
The 6 bladed are a lot more silent than 3 bladed.
michael_w
Well-Known Member
Not a Rutland 913. Complete POS, first one burnt out in a gale, Its replacement was noisy and NEVER achieved anything like its claimed output. Plus the supplied mast was always trying to fall overboard.
KAM
Well-Known Member
Too noisy and heavy. Just fit a load of cheap solar panels.
dunedin
Well-Known Member
Yes .......... and if budget not an issue, for longer trips fit A Watt&Sea Watt and Sea, hydrogenerator Cruising 600
Neeves
Well-Known Member
We have solar and an aero4aqua gen and have had them all for 20 years.
We have replaced some panels, all flexible, 3 times - longevity is not high. The aero gen works well when on a swing mooring and we leave as is for short passages. The hydrogen component is 'magic' at decent averages as it produces more than enough power to run the whole vessel. Solar obviously is pretty useless at night and when its teaming with rain, wind gens are not much use when sailing down wind. The Aero4aquagen has been faultless - an amazing bit of kit.
A Wattand Sea would be ideal but are a major investment - and only work when you are sailing.
Monohulls lack the empty spare space to install sufficient solar panels to run a yacht, 24/7.
Don't believe there is one right answer - its all compromises, accept it. We have found a mix of hydro, wind and solar works for us (but we have a cat with lots of flat empty spaces.
With an unlimited budget I'd priories a Watt and Sea, then solar then wind (if possible have all 3) and have a bigger house bank.
As mentioned - efficient management of the power you have available and consciously saving power will make a lot of difference, if you motor to an anchorage using the excess power generated by the motor to charge all your re-chargeable units, run the de-sal unit etc etcwill all save power. Make sure your fridge is efficient, turn off anything you don't actually need when possible.
An interesting theme developing - lots of support for a Watt and Sea (we don't have one) but I don't think many of us have one, for what they do they are very expensive. There is a niche in the market for a cheaper model - it is after all not much different to an electric outboard.
Jonathan
We have replaced some panels, all flexible, 3 times - longevity is not high. The aero gen works well when on a swing mooring and we leave as is for short passages. The hydrogen component is 'magic' at decent averages as it produces more than enough power to run the whole vessel. Solar obviously is pretty useless at night and when its teaming with rain, wind gens are not much use when sailing down wind. The Aero4aquagen has been faultless - an amazing bit of kit.
A Wattand Sea would be ideal but are a major investment - and only work when you are sailing.
Monohulls lack the empty spare space to install sufficient solar panels to run a yacht, 24/7.
Don't believe there is one right answer - its all compromises, accept it. We have found a mix of hydro, wind and solar works for us (but we have a cat with lots of flat empty spaces.
With an unlimited budget I'd priories a Watt and Sea, then solar then wind (if possible have all 3) and have a bigger house bank.
As mentioned - efficient management of the power you have available and consciously saving power will make a lot of difference, if you motor to an anchorage using the excess power generated by the motor to charge all your re-chargeable units, run the de-sal unit etc etcwill all save power. Make sure your fridge is efficient, turn off anything you don't actually need when possible.
An interesting theme developing - lots of support for a Watt and Sea (we don't have one) but I don't think many of us have one, for what they do they are very expensive. There is a niche in the market for a cheaper model - it is after all not much different to an electric outboard.
Jonathan
ajames
New Member
I have a rutland 1200, its a fantastic bit of kit, however for the price per amp hour i would recommend solar. Wind generators are great if you have limited available deck space to fit more solar but i always find solar to be a better cost/benefit ratio
Graham376
Well-Known Member
Here we go again, fake news
We manage fine with our 320w on gantry and haven't had to start engine or generator to charge batteries for a couple of years, since uprating from 200w. 7a draw fridge running 24/7, computer, TV etc.
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
I wondered about the output of the 1200 model. I assumed it might be a little more efficient than the 913 and the swept area is approx. 1.75 the 913 (after allowing for the fact that hub will take approx. same area). I'd think max. I'd get in Scotland would be about 2x the 913 i.e. averaging 15 - 20 Ah /per day over the summer months.
Not great but still useful. Does that estimate match up with your output measurements?
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
Here we go again, fake news
We manage fine with our 320w on gantry and haven't had to start engine or generator to charge batteries for a couple of years, since uprating from 200w. 7a draw fridge running 24/7, computer, TV etc.
Must be hundreds of monohulls in Greece barely getting by with 300-400W or more.
I must admit my 355W is borderline outside of peak months and a spare 100W is needed in May and September. Even a cat completely covered in solar would struggle in December/January.I run fridge/freezer, lights, 2 laptops, 2 tablets, 2 phones, TV, etc. and normally only use a generator outside peak summer. We often anchor for many days in the same spot.
Neeves mentioned a water maker and I don't have one of those. I'd like to bet money on OP not having one either if he sails in Holland. I doubt he has much problem filling up with fresh water from a tap.
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Neeves
Well-Known Member
Here we go again, fake news
We manage fine with our 320w on gantry and haven't had to start engine or generator to charge batteries for a couple of years, since uprating from 200w. 7a draw fridge running 24/7, computer, TV etc.
I really think you need to borrow 3 granddaughters
. 2 showers are a well known birthright.On passage I assume you hand steer, overnight and don't need a de-sal unit (due to the absence of granddaughters
).If you dispense with late 20th Century and 21st Century technology, autopilot, chart plotter, Desal unit, fridge, laptop, phone, tablet then you don't really need any new fangled methods of producing and storing electricity - (if a wind gen is considered new fangled). Lights can be paraffin (or whale oil), you can define your location by DR or sextant and speed by a Walker Log. How much power you need is how much technology you want on board, how much of the 21st century you want to support (the numbers of granddaughters you wish as crew) and a killer being - if you sail overnight.
You can almost define those who make night passages by the number of power generating devices they carry.
Interestingly - on the VG a Watt and Sea is now standard kit, not solar, not wind. Admittedly there is only 1 POB, those power hungry granddaughters are left behind) but that's indicative of reliability of power generation (at a large capital cost) and an expectation of reasonable boat speed.
Jonathan
The OP suggests he wanted advice on wind gens and one reason being he envisaged '7 day offshore trips'. He did not elaborate. But if he is going to sail for 7 days continuously or even anchor overnight (offshore from Holland) then unless he has 7 sunny days, gimballed solar panels and very parsimonious use of stored electricity then he will need a larger solar display than mentioned above. He will also have problems finding fresh water from a tap if he is anchoring (or sailing overnight)
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dolabriform
Well-Known Member
I have Rutland 913 with a brand new mast and HRDI controller sitting around that I haven't fitted yet .
It's one of those projects that I need to get round to. I'm also fitting solar, and given what is said on this thread I wonder if I should even bother with the windgen?
However, it's free power. Even if it only adds 30 AH a day, that's still a free 30 AH especially on days when there is no sun.
It's one of those projects that I need to get round to. I'm also fitting solar, and given what is said on this thread I wonder if I should even bother with the windgen?
However, it's free power. Even if it only adds 30 AH a day, that's still a free 30 AH especially on days when there is no sun.
Iliade
Well-Known Member
I've taken the solar panel off for the winter leaving just the Rutland 913 running. I don't need to turn the fridge on at this time of year because the milk keeps fine at ambient temperature when not running the heating and there aren't enough hours of daylight to do much charging anyway...
Said Rutland must be thirty years old and it is still spinning away quietly; I believe that leaving them stopped is a major cause of bearing failure. Certainly that is how I killed my Rutland 504.
Said Rutland must be thirty years old and it is still spinning away quietly; I believe that leaving them stopped is a major cause of bearing failure. Certainly that is how I killed my Rutland 504.
geem
Well-Known Member
We have a 44ft mono with 760w of solar and a Duogen. So we also have wind, solar and hydropower. The Duogen can be converted from wind to hydro in about 2 mins. Ours is 17 years old and has done four Atlantic crossings. We have just taken it back to the manufacturer for a refurb. We dont have a power problem?.
In addition we have a diesel genset but that rarely gets used for battery charging. It just runs our watermaker.
davethedog
Well-Known Member
We have a Rutland 1200 windgen and also 4 x 125W solar panels, the solar are much better and if I was doing it again I do not know if I would bother with a wind gen.
Neeves
Well-Known Member
I think you underline the issue - if you sail long passages, overnight - and days on end - you need significantly more resource to generate power than those who choose to day sail. Overnight passage making with a couple as crew demands some form of autopilot and those 'autopilots' that require power - use a lot of power. You don't need the minimum of power but the ability to produce excess power for those days when sun or boat speed are not sufficient.
350w of solar might be enough for day sailing (in the sunny Med) but totally inadequate if you want to be 'independent' for a week or more (in places with less dependable sun). De-sal demands even more.
There are lots of different correct answers - because we all have different needs. I would not condemn hydro, nor wind and prioritise solar - because the sun does not shine overnight nor sometimes it is insufficient during the day (even in the summer in sunny Oz) - a combination works for us.
Jonathan
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
I think the problem was that Neeves said "Monohulls lack the empty spare space to install sufficient solar panels to run a yacht, 24/7." It was a bit black and white and the majority would probably think that it was not true. It is true that it is easier to find space for solar on a cat.
Increased efficiency of solar panels since early models, better regulators, more efficient electrical devices all make it possible to fit enough panels on a mono-hull. Many people don't sail overnight regularly, nor have large groups on board or actually need a water maker etc. It doesn't mean that they aren't living comfortably.
I doubt I'd ever bother with a water-maker in Scotland or Holland, it's not exactly difficult to fill up. It might be in short supply on a Greek island but is normally plentiful in Scotland.
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geem
Well-Known Member
Arent you saying the same thing?I think the problem was that Neeves said "Monohulls lack the empty spare space to install sufficient solar panels to run a yacht, 24/7." It was a bit black and white and the majority would probably think that it was not true. It is true that it is easier to find space for solar on a cat.
Increased efficiency of solar panels since early models, better regulators, more efficient electrical devices all make it possible to fit enough panels on a mono-hull. Many people don't sail overnight regularly, nor have large groups on board or actually need a water maker etc. It doesn't mean that they aren't living comfortably.
I doubt I'd ever bother with a water-maker in Scotland or Holland, it's not exactly difficult to fill up. It might be is short supply on a Greek island but is normally plentiful in Scotland.
Mistroma
Well-Known Member
I was saying that Neeves statement was being interpreted as "you can't fit enough panels on a mono-hull, only a cat has enough space". He didn't actually say that but I think "Monohulls lack the empty spare space to install sufficient solar panels to run a yacht, 24/7" was close enough to give some people that impression.
A later explanation was that with many people on board, multiple daily showers, overnight sails, locations with little sun, etc. you'd struggle. I don't think anyone would argue with that statement.
A mix is obviously good but wind should not be prioritised over solar for most people.
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