rogerthebodger
Well-Known Member
Don't know about you guys but I use my boat all year round and I don't have or need shore power.
Wind generator stop switch
- Thread starter ferroboat
- Start date
Don't know about you guys but I use my boat all year round and I don't have or need shore power.
Babylon
Well-Known Member
Couldn't agree more. Although I only use my boat to go cruising in the summer and for random weekends in the Spring and Autumn, fitting a Rutland 914i (the latest, most efficient version) this year has meant that I did not plug in once in a month's worth of cruising in August, even on the odd occasion when shorepower was available.
Ran the fridge all the time, also a 240v inverter, etc. Of course it helps having two 110Ah domestics and a more powerful than standard alternator on the engine when motoring (don't need to run it when moored any more).
I guess however that we'll be plugging in at Cowes to run the cheap fan-heater over New Year's mini-cruise!
PS I meant to add that Rutland's mid-range controller has an on/off switch. In the off position the blades don't lock but just rotate slowly. The same is true when the wind speed gets too high. Gives me the confidence to leave the generator on when my boat is left on her mooring - full batteries every time.
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jac
Well-Known Member
Slight Fred drift but how do you find the 914i and what sort of Ah do you actually get from it. Is on the short list for me.
Babylon
Well-Known Member
Very pleased. Never had any other make before so can't compare, nor can I give precise data on Ah output because too many variables (varying wind speeds and gusts, running different equipment at different times), but it certainly did the job throughout a month afloat along the South Coast in July and August. Except on the very few breezeless nights we had, it put most if not all the amps back in overnight that we had used during the day (while also keeping the efficient Isotherm fridge running 24hrs). Note however that I don't have a chartplotter or pumps to pressurise domestic water.
It was also pretty quiet by comparison with other (older?) makes I've been moored close to over the years, with just a quiet whirring during stronger gusts.
For more precise comparative data, there have been various group tests done over the years, but see the Rutland website for their own figs on the 914i, which is a recent improved version of the 913.
I didn't go for the top of the range digital controller, as I didn't need the extra functionality. The mid-range LED version I fitted allows for the addition of a solar panel, although I find it unlikely I'll ever really need to fit one for my style of cruising and location.
Just a satisfied customer.