Wind Generators

[Guest]

Hi there,
as a live aboard, does anyone have any view on the best wind charger to go for in terms of reliablity/generating capacity. Thinking of an Ampair 100 or Aero4gen or Aero6Gen, with about 750 Amp Hours a week use........
Any thoughts/comments greatfully received.
Kind Regards
Colin
Galago
Brighton.
PS anyone know a good stainless fabricator to make up a set of goalposts/gantry for the pushpit?


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[qsiv]

that would have to depend on where you are based, how much time at anchor/on passage...

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[snowleopard]

imo you can forget getting 750 ah/week out of a wind gen.

i have an air marine rated at 400 watts. i have occasionally seen 35 amps from it but most of the time it's no more than 2 or 3. this is because the batteries are normally over 75% charged. let's say 40-50 ah per day in a tradewind anchorage.

for a liveaboard you need the big ones, nothing less than the aero6, air marine or windbugger.

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[qsiv]

Thats where I was headed!!!

The usual problem is that you seek an anchorage because it's sheltered - at which point your wind genny isnt doing as well as you hoped. The target here is 5 amps, all day every day, which unless your in a tradewind anchorage, or maybe the Falklands<g> is likely to be ambitious. Theres a good reason that quite a number of liveaboards have two wind gennys, or one and lots of solar. If a significant amount of time is on passage then a towed turbine has to be the best way.

I'm just contemplating coughing up for a DuoGen - but I dont like the early breakages, nor would I rely on it's wind mode. I do like the ability to cope with speeds above 10 knots with a different prop, though.

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[heerenleed]

aren\'t you deaf yet?

I know that the Air gennies are very powerful. But whenever I see one, it's because I heard its noise first. Or do you have the latest one which the manufacturer claims to be very much less noisy?

People in our marina bought the latest .one, their boat is still at the boatyard for maintenance. I can't wait to see (hear) their new Air genny.

If it's very noisy after all, I think I go for solar or perhaps solar and a very silent wind genny like Aero6 or Rutland.

Anyone any comments please?

happy sailing



<hr width=100% size=1>Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands

 

[Guest]

Post deleted by danfoley

 

[snowleopard]

WHAT DID YOU SAY??

Yes, it's annoyingly loud but nothing to do with balance. at the speed the blades turn it would shake itself to bits if it was out of balance. at max speed the blades are doing around mach 0.5!

the noise is down to the tips of the blades which are designed to twist and provide braking in strong winds. we met some people who had cut their blades short after one hit a rope and broke. the power output remained the same but no more noise! the down side is that it has to be turned off manually in strong winds as it is no longer self-limiting and would destroy itself.

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[JerryHawkins]

I have a DuoGen

... and am very pleased with it - that's my Fisher 25 on their web site!

Agree that there have been some teathing problems with the early models, but then there were bound to be. You can only do so much testing "in the lab" before you have to get your product out "in the field" or "on the water" in our case!!

The latest spec has a new stiffer tower, better mounting bracketry and a different air-drive mechanism. Being able to switch from the water mode to air mode wirhing a couple of minutes is great.

PM me if you have any specific queries or, of course, contact Pete Anderson. He's the top man at DuoGen and is very approachable and helpful.

Cheers,

Jerry

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[PaulJ]

Colin, I can't add to what has already been said about wind gennies except perhaps that I have been told that the more blades it has the quieter it will be.....
As for stainless fabricators, try John Pomfrey of Pomfrey Metal Fabrications, Unit N, Quarry Rd., Newhaven. (01273 517333) He did a lovely job of all the stainless work on my boat.

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[Guest]

Thanks Paul,
Especially for the heads up on Pomfrey. I'll give them a call.

Kind Regards
Colin
PS lift out today, hope they haven't dropped her!

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