Wind Genny location - important?

[Nikia]

Hi all,

I'm about to fit a wind generator and wondered if there is any reason why they are nearly always positioned to one side or other of the stern.
My boat has a canoe stern where the central apex is unused and would be the perfect location for the pole and support struts. The genny will be about 2ft above the solar panel already fitted. Any reson why this would cause a problem?........Over to you

ps The panel is mounted well back, so the pole would be approx 1ft in front of it.

 

[sailorman]

Hi all,

I'm about to fit a wind generator and wondered if there is any reason why they are nearly always positioned to one side or other of the stern.
My boat has a canoe stern where the central apex is unused and would be the perfect location for the pole and support struts. The genny will be about 2ft above the solar panel already fitted. Any reson why this would cause a problem?........Over to you

ps The panel is mounted well back, so the pole would be approx 1ft in front of it.

ours is on the stbd side & when on the wind on a port tack the whole body spins about its post

 

[neil1967]

Will the genny cast any shadow over the solar panels? Even a small amount of shadow could seriously compromise their output - depending on the shadow and where you are (amount of sun versus amount of wind), installing a wind genney could result in a decrease in your generating capacity!

Neil

 

[Nikia]

Will the genny cast any shadow over the solar panels? Even a small amount of shadow could seriously compromise their output - depending on the shadow and where you are (amount of sun versus amount of wind), installing a wind genney could result in a decrease in your generating capacity!

Neil

Thanks Neil,
At some point in the day it will cast a shadow, but surely that also applies if it's at the side?

Cheers,
Brian

 

[prv]

I can think of two reasons they're normally at the side:

1. In the middle, the backstay on many boats would be in the way.
2. At the side, they can be easily braced both fore-and-aft (with a strut along the rail) and athwartships (with a strut across the transom). In the middle, the fore-and-aft brace would come down into the middle of the cockpit!

If this isn't a problem for your location, go for it.

Pete

 

[macd]

+1 with both prv (re location) and neil1967 (re negative effect on panels)..

But if you want my heartfelt answer, most wind gens should be mounted as far from me as possible

 

[prv]

But if you want my heartfelt answer, most wind gens should be mounted as far from me as possible

Seconded - I reckon with the improvements in solar efficiency, panels rather than windmills are the way to go these days.

Pete

 

[Bosun Higgs]

Hi all,

I'm about to fit a wind generator and wondered if there is any reason why they are nearly always positioned to one side or other of the stern.
My boat has a canoe stern where the central apex is unused and would be the perfect location for the pole and support struts. The genny will be about 2ft above the solar panel already fitted. Any reson why this would cause a problem?........Over to you

ps The panel is mounted well back, so the pole would be approx 1ft in front of it.

1/ howvere carefully you try you will still get noise / vibration transmitted into the hull so put the pole base and supports on the opposite side of the boat to any berth
2/ unless your solar is amorphous, the shadow from the genny support pole can kill its output

 

[clyst]

I think the stbd is preferred as helio pilot is on stbd side so prefers to lower winch man on port of boat where he can observe him in an emergency . A whirling genny wouldn't do his legs any good.

 

[nigelmercier]

But if you want my heartfelt answer, most wind gens should be mounted as far from me as possible

That reminds me, I must buy a catapult

 

[Seajet]

Bosun Higgs

makes a good point, I know a boat with a Rutland, even when new it vibrated the whole boat with a fair bit of noise, when the bearings gave up it sounded like the Solent hovercraft !

 

[sailorman]

Bosun Higgs

makes a good point, I know a boat with a Rutland, even when new it vibrated the whole boat with a fair bit of noise, when the bearings gave up it sounded like the Solent hovercraft !

i have a 25 yr old Windgen 4 or 6 it has had one set of bearings since i bought it new & no noise