Philiz
Well-Known Member
Has anyone bought one of the cheap ones off Ebay? If so, any good?
Wind generators
- Thread starter Philiz
- Start date
SamanthaTabs
Well-Known Member
No, but we do have a duo gen which is unremarkable to say the least. Our domestic solar panels which cost a mere £180 each (we have 2 of them) on a good day in the Med, get up to 30 A.
geem
Well-Known Member
Wind turbines are poor performer compared to solar on a cost per amp basis. The duogen kicks out more amps than most in wind mode due to its 1.1m turbine. Compared to my solar panels its is a tiny contributor. Give me solar every time.
Ps.i have duogen
robertj
Well-Known Member
I have a rutland 913 and its a poor performer too.
TradewindSailor
Well-Known Member
If you have the space solar panels are the best way to go. The noise from wind generators are annoying .... to their owners and other people in the anchorage, unless they have an Air-X of course (their hearing will be so damaged I don't think they'd notice!)
Solar panels are of course no use if you don't have any sun. Wind generators make it sound like you are in a gale ..... if there's enough wind to turn them of course.
Solar panels are of course no use if you don't have any sun. Wind generators make it sound like you are in a gale ..... if there's enough wind to turn them of course.
Moonbeam
Well-Known Member
Yep, we bought a boat with both a Rutland 913 and a big solar panel... the Rutland is rarely untied, and when it is, we find the noise so annoying, it's tied up again pronto. The solar panel supplies our fridge, anchor light, nav gear and chartplotter etc with no probs from April thru to October in the UK. I'd get another solar panel if I had the space and ditch the wind gen.
SeamanStaines
Well-Known Member
That is not strictly true, ours work remarkably well on an overcast day in the summer and of course the cooler they are, the more efficient they become
TradewindSailor
Well-Known Member
You are absolutely right. I think I get better charging if the sun light is dispersed through light cloud than if the panel was not correctly targeted on a clear day.
Neeves
Well-Known Member
We have one of the LVM aero4aquagens. In wind mode its 'OK' but not noisy at all - but it is much better in watergen mode (as long as you make 8 knots). The a4a has lasted much longer, over 12 years, than the flexible solar panels that started to fail after about 6 years (despite expensive German source). Whatever you do you must include Parkinson's Law - 'the power consumption on a yacht always exceeds the capacity to produce it by at least 10%'.
Jonathan
Jonathan
macd
Well-Known Member
You were lucky they lasted that long. In my experience only rigids seem truly durable on a boat.
BrianH
Well-Known Member
I've had an Air-X for about 10 years now and since installing a 100W solar panel it is rarely in use; the 'Stop' switch shorts the output and it windmills slowly and silently. Actually, it never was that noisy - not to the extent that many complain about, and no, I'm not deaf. It has always been possible to source stiffer blades from a Portuguese supplier that do not flutter at the tapered tip, which is too flexible and the cause of the noise.
The original Air-X (not the current Air Breeze) had one advantage - high output with its 400W potential - I've seen 41A on the meter with low battery and 25kts of wind. With a wind of 8kts, which is when I can start to properly sail, the Air-X will be generating enough Amps to compensate the drain from fridge, computer and instruments.
But with today's cost-effective solar panels there is not usually the need for anything else and I would never go down the wind generator path again. Providing there is space to mount the panels; I have the ideal location, the wheelhouse roof.
Edit:
It occurs to me that I should point out that my cruising area for the above installation is the Adriatic where sunshine is probably more prevalent and wind less so, than UK latitudes.
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john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
Just to ad some balance to the argument that seems to be so negative about wind generators; we have a Superwind and its almost silent.
I have experienced the noise of various wind generators in the past and agree that they make it sound as though you are in half a gale but our Superwind with its latest blades is very very quiet. The batteries are charged nicely when the boat is on her mooring.
However we intend to add some solar panels when we go off long distance cruising but in Scotland it seems a little pointless!
I have experienced the noise of various wind generators in the past and agree that they make it sound as though you are in half a gale but our Superwind with its latest blades is very very quiet. The batteries are charged nicely when the boat is on her mooring.
However we intend to add some solar panels when we go off long distance cruising but in Scotland it seems a little pointless!
Bosun Higgs
N/A
This year we have installed an AirBreeze - we simply dont have room for the 200w of solar panels we ideally would need. The windmill has been surprisingly effective and we have gone from running the engine every 36 hours to running it once a week. Our fridge takes 6 amps and cycles about 40% of the time. The noise level is not obtrusive - much the same as wind noise through the rigging.
I would much prefera diesel genny - both solarpanels and windmills spoil the look of a boat
I would much prefera diesel genny - both solarpanels and windmills spoil the look of a boat
macd
Well-Known Member
You'd be surprised. You'll never get the same peak output as in the Med, for instance, but the very long summer days help a lot. In June the height of the noon sun in Scotland isn't much different from that in the Caribbean in December, and no-one would consider panels inappropriate there. That's assuming, of course, that there is a noon sun
geem
Well-Known Member
Our Duogen is not noisey. It is not a dig at the Duogen which is great in water mode it is just that wind turbines dont put out much power unless there is lots of wind. We have 280w of solar and a diesel generator. The plan is not to use the diesel unless we really have to. Solar copes most of the time but my boat is a hungry animal for power.
john_morris_uk
Well-Known Member
There's the rub. The real reason also has something to do with priorities on boat spending.YThat's assuming, of course, that there is a noon sun
We need some new sails and I want a new o/b for the dinghy as our hasn't got a kill cord at the moment. These in a long list of 'wants'.
clyst
Well-Known Member
An air breeze ?? poor you . Give it a few months and it will be back to Bardens . I'm on my third one !! There are 4 air breezes in my marina which are now or have been returned with slip rings problems. Sorry to be negative but a pile of cack IMHO
macd
Well-Known Member
Of course. We all have those sort of realities. But I'd have thought it pretty simple to retro-fit a kill system: all it does is ground the low tension side of the ignition.
ukmctc
Well-Known Member
I have two Rutland 913's and three solar panels, no problems at all, no noise either. One rutland on fridge with 65 watt panel, the other rutland and 2 x 80 watt panels on domestic and engine. works well.
NornaBiron
Well-Known Member
Us too - we're on our second one and that's been back for repair twice! When it's working it is very effective. Between that and our 200 watts of solar we rarely use the deisel gen even in the winter. We are going to fit another 200 watts of solar panel this winter to help us get through the overcast, windless days of winter. We tend to be more power hungry when anchored for the winter months so more solar panels are the way to go.
