D400 Wind Generator

[janetc]

We are looking to install a wind generator on our mizzen mast. We have almost decided on the (expensive!) D400. Does anyone have experience/success with mounting this heavy unit on a mizzen mast? Any performance reviews of the D400 in general would be appreciated too.
Thanks!

[sailorboy1]

I don't have one. But the boat that has been moored behind me for 3 years has a D400 mounted on the mizzen and they say it works great. From watching it, it seems to start up well compared to some others in the mooring field and I've never been able to hear it.

[noelex 77]

They certainly are quiet. I had one parked only a few meters away when I was on the hard a couple of years ago and barely heard it. My neighbor seemed very happy with it, but he didn’t speak English so I didn’t get much detail.

[careka]

i was in the harbour, H pontong Cherbourg looking at boats, and there was an D-400 running, and i had to go up close to hear it. very Quiet.
And there is an Ovni on the way back from the "milk run" with an D-400. they will be in Irland soon.
Lars og Per + vindgenerator / Bilder fra foreberedelser / Hjemmeside Loraas - Hjemmeside Loraas

[careka]

And i found a film of one running. also the Air X one is there

YouTube - ‪D400 RUNNING IN 15-20KTS OF WIND‬‏

And here you can hera the Air X, it gives more sound.

YouTube - ‪On Site with Air X Marine Wind Turbine‬‏

check You Tube and you will find many more films.
and how to put one D400 up to run.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSyu9DtJCmQ

[barnakiel]

It is quiet, it delivers and it is heavy.

b.

[careka]

Is there anybody with a Cat, that has one put up.
the movement on a cat is very different then on a mono.
So in bad weather the 17kiloes up there will be shaken and .... around a bit.

i am hopeing for pictures and any comments.

[jvallentine]

We replaced our 10 year old Aero3gen with a D400 about 4 months ago. We are absolutely delighted with it. Beautifully engineered and so silent. Issues? - it is a heavy beast, but the old Aero3gen mount accepted it with no vibration or wobble. Also, it is not a light air generator. It doesn't really start to perform until about 15 knots of wind. From there on up however, it really pumps it out - the specs refer to >40 amps max. We are high latitude sailors and it is perfect for us.

I would buy another tomorrow.

John V
"Tainui"
Reykjavik

[osirissail]

Originally Posted by careka

Is there anybody with a Cat, that has one put up. the movement on a cat is very different then on a mono.
So in bad weather the 17kiloes up there will be shaken and .... around a bit. i am hopeing for pictures and any comments.

I did an installation of a D400 on a cat and we mounted a 10 ft pole from the starboard pontoon with two ss tubes mounted on the hard top to hold the pole vertically. Not too difficult, but getting the pole to not bow or vibrate was a trick.
- - Also read the D400 manual carefully, the unit does not shut down completely with a "stop" switch. You need to physically tie blades stationary in a blow or the unit will be damaged - according to the manual.

[Greg4cocokai]

After a survey of boats in the S Pacific, we had a D400 shipped to Hawaii, which I installed 3 yrs ago. We sleep right next to it and are not bothered by it.

The hardest part of the install for me (I'm an electronics/electrical guy) was wiring up the "kill" switch and installing an AC/DC water heater element to shunt off extra current. We have NEVER used the switch (just turn the unit 90* and the blades stop!) and I'm pretty sure current has not been diverted as our house batt bank is 1250 AH's and we have a large DC freezer.

The only problem we've had is it sounds like the bearings are going out but in fact the set screw on the hub to shaft comes loose. Found out from a couple other boats. I still need to take it down, pull the blades, and tighten/locktite the hub. Ours isn't hard as I can reach it standing on the stern rail and the Admiral lowers it with the main halyard.

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by careka

Is there anybody with a Cat, that has one put up.
the movement on a cat is very different then on a mono.
So in bad weather the 17kiloes up there will be shaken and .... around a bit.

i am hopeing for pictures and any comments.

Hallo Careka

we mount the D 400 on top of the mast of our FastCats 445 see picture and are delighted with the unit, good performance, very silent and no vibration.
She is heavy but it works well so far in excess of 12000 NM experience.

Greetings

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by fastcat435

Hallo Careka

we mount the D 400 on top of the mast of our FastCats 445 see picture and are delighted with the unit, good performance, very silent and no vibration.
She is heavy but it works well so far in excess of 12000 NM experience.

Greetings

Too bad you don't have another one mounted in the conventional aft cockpit position for comparison. By guess at the height of the mast (wind gradient) and a clear, unobstructed exposure to the wind, probably a 25% increase in production.

[jram]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Too bad you don't have another one mounted in the conventional aft cockpit position for comparison. By guess at the height of the mast (wind gradient) and a clear, unobstructed exposure to the wind, probably a 25% increase in production.

We have ours mounted in the 'conventional' position on our cat. Works just fine with a the proviso that at certain points of sail it interacts with the sail a bit and is not terribly efficient.

Someone asked about 'cat motion'. The original D400 I have suffers a little from swinging due to motion in sharp seas. However, recent models have a larger tail that addresses this.

We are very pleased with the performance of ours. Whilst not the norm, I recall sitting in 20kts of easterly trades for a few days with the D400 providing all of our power needs (fridge, freezer, nav etc etc - best part of 200Ah)

[fastcat435]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Too bad you don't have another one mounted in the conventional aft cockpit position for comparison. By guess at the height of the mast (wind gradient) and a clear, unobstructed exposure to the wind, probably a 25% increase in production.

Hallo Deckofficer we did do the comparison with the Air Breeze and the output at 21 meters above the water compared with 3 meters of the water is 2.4 x in other words with force 4 we generated 60 watts at 3 meters high and 140 watts at 21 meters high

good weekend

[kismet424]

I have 2 mounted on kato marine poles. They work great and are super quiet. I'd happily reccommend the , they have been chugging away for 2 years now with no problems