We are building our spares inventory for the planned big departure. A few years ago I installed a
Balmar MC-624-H on the main
engine alternator. This is a 1.5 KW 2-belt beast. We have 2 house banks of Lifeline
AGM at about 320 AH each & 24 VDC.
Engine is 115 HP
Westerbeke.
We also have a 12 KW
generator with an auxiliary identical
alternator. In the event that our 2.5 KW Xantrex charger/inverter fails, we can charge
batteries with this alternator. This alternator has a Xantrex (Heart In Charge) 24 VDC charge controller that is old AND a
lighting strike last summer blew out all diodes on that alternator. It has been rebuilt but I doubt the controller works.
I planned to simply buy a new
Balmar for the aux alternator and a
boat spare. The Balmar has survived two
lightning strikes since its
installation so we are happy with its performance. I hopped that the
price on these things might have dropped a bit since we bought but its sticker shock all over again. An additional observation: Balmar's manual says to install away from heat & vibration but they only furnish a 30" harness. I had to splice about 10 feet on to mount it on the nav station wall where I can actually see what it is doing. (PHOTO)
I looked for alternatives. All are claimed to be the best in all the land. I wondered if there is anything nice or bad to say about any of these. THANKS
Balmar - about $380
Smart Alternator Regulator, V3 AMPLE POWER V3 $499
Alternator Regulators-OceanPlanet Energy BRUCE SCHWAB $165 TO $190
Xantrex - Only 12 volt regulators found. Odd since I had two fried units on the
boat from the PO