Best wind generator

[Lars_L]

As Force Majeure say, the power from the wind increases very fast. That’s the reason for that the generator when it bows more than the rated max wind speed, the generator shuts down. Else the generator had burn. The only exception to this is the Superwind, who changes the pitch of the blades and therefore give full power (350 W) up to 100 knots of wind.

[Bolt]

This might help

http://www.info-center-online.com/bo...windvereng.htm

[GILow]

Originally Posted by Bolt

This might help

Air X Marine long term test

Ouch! Does not paint such a good picture of the Aerogen 6. :^(

I will compare their numbers with my own observations, but I fear they are not far off. Perhaps the Aerogen is just becoming a bit of an old design now?

Still, reliability has to be factored in there somewhere, and I see a lot of OLD Aerogens around which tells you something. And without fail their owners tell me they have no problems with them in decades. The only person I know who had problems with one was me, and that was because I was a *$#@$@#*! idiot and figured I could leave the Aerogen 6 untethered, despite the explicit warning in the manual. That melted the brush pack and nuked the bridge gate rectifier, neither of which was very expensive but oh dear...

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Bolt

This might help

Air X Marine long term test

Thanks Bolt. Useful data indeed. The measurements certainly agree with my observations of our Silentwind. When I bought mine I was looking for one with decent output, modest weight and price, but most importantly had to be as quiet as possible.

[Whitebread117]

Interesting that they posted no output data for the KISS but listed subjective noise ratings for it. I would like to see a head to head for both (if I missed it please correct me).

I have both, the Silentwind installed on the mizzen and the KISS in storage awaiting rebuild. In my subjective tests they are mostly comparable with the KISS gaining some power output in the 10-20 knot range in exchange for a bit more noise in 15-20 knots and a noticable amount more noise over 20 knots. I'd love to see someone else's opinion

[Bleemus]

The data is odd. The Superwind is often rated as the quietest behind a D400 but they make it seem as noisy as an AirX. Lol.

[HankOnthewater]

Thank you Force Majeure for explaining in numbers that increased wind delivers much more power. Thank you Bolt for the link to the Caribean test. I must say there is at least one mistake in that. The D400 weighs in at 17 kg as per http://http://eclectic-energy.co.uk/...ind-generator/Micro Wind Turbines manufactured by Eclectic Energy Ltd | D400 Wind Generator, but the table shows 15 kg. Has the D400 gained weight since 2011?

I am with Boatman and Gilow, having an Aerogen for years (model 4), without a problem, and I plan to mount it again on my new (to me) boat, just because I have one. I have installed (on other boats) 3 or 4 Air Marine units, and because of noise and vibration, do not like them (yes, a very subjective opinion). I also installed a Rutland 913 unit (on other boat) and as in previous posts, noise is minimal, as is the output.

Hmmm, I have 2 Air Marine units for sale..... any takers?
I have replaced these already with D400 units.

[akprb]

I've had both a KISS and the D400. Both performed fantastic. Do not get one of those noise generators! :-) When we see one we anchor as far away as possible.

Another request which may be OT. When leaving your boat in a marina for a long period of time on shore power tie off the wind gen. Good for the gen, good for your neighbors ;-)

[GILow]

Originally Posted by akprb

I

Another request which may be OT. When leaving your boat in a marina for a long period of time on shore power tie off the wind gen. Good for the gen, good for your neighbors ;-)

I think this is excellent advice. We have a boat next to us with an Air X. It sounds hideous. It is left running despite the fact that the boat is on shore power all the time. And it's one of those caravan boats that cannot even leave the dock. It would fall over.

[flit]

Any first hand reports on the Rutland 1200?

Seems like the comments about the Rutland 914 not being able to point into the apparent wind when the boat heels the slightest amount are rather damning for the company in general. How could anyone market something like that for a sail boat?

Has anyone had reefing lines entangled in a stern mounted wind generator.
Has anyone experienced electrical interference with any electronics (Radar, Communications) mounted nearby.

For folks using a wind generator with at least a 40" or greater diameter swept.... At what consistent wind speed do you feel like it provides enough 12v power for refrigeration 45 ah/day and water maker (8 gal/day)

Are you wind generator users seeking out windy spots in anchorages when you need power... are you changing your anchoring patterns?

Would any of you buy a wind generator for cruising 2-3 years in the South Pacific, or would you just skip the wind and go with solar only for this cruising area?

Thanks for reading this far...we depart September 2017...

[Pyxis156]

Originally Posted by flit

Has anyone had reefing lines entangled in a stern mounted wind generator.

We have our wind gen mounted on the stern and have slab reefing (three reefs) so a lot of lines but never a problem with lines getting tangled.

Originally Posted by flit

Has anyone experienced electrical interference with any electronics (Radar, Communications) mounted nearby.

This is an issue, but in the reverse of what I think you are asking: we have found that the wind gen does interfere with the radar that is mounted on a mast on the opposite side of the transom. The radar is a bit higher than the wind gen, but the wind gen still causes a permanent return on our display. Now that we know what it is, we just ignore it but it is irritating that it is happening at all. The original radar was a Furuno open array and it was slightly taller than our current B&G 4G radar, so I don't think this was an issue with the Furuno. At least I don't remember it happening like it does with the B&G.

More along the lines of what I think you were asking, we have our primary GPS antenna as well as the GPS antenna for the AIS mounted about a foot below and 18" to either side of the wind gen and don't see any issues, the signal strengths are the same whether the wind gen is running or not. Our wind gen is a SuperWind 350, can't speak to any other wind gens causing interference.

[Razorc195]

Hi folks! Great input....! But, I still don't see what I'm searching for here, like the original Question... Money aside... the specs Im interested are Noise, mean time between failures, the relative wind to power output... And if the cruisers could chime in that would be Great. Because that's where my intended use is....


Thanks and Cheers!


Mike
SV Argonaut

[Eleuthera 2014]

Originally Posted by Razorc195

Hi folks! Great input....! But, I still don't see what I'm searching for here, like the original Question... Money aside... the specs Im interested are Noise, mean time between failures, the relative wind to power output... And if the cruisers could chime in that would be Great. Because that's where my intended use is....


Thanks and Cheers!


Mike
SV Argonaut

FWIW... the French Highway department bought many 1000's SUPERWIND after testing for noise, durability etc. to charge batteries on highway signs.

My best friend, a "nenneeneer" of considerable competence decided not to reinvent the wheel and installed one on his heavy cruising boat (Nauticat 515). He admits that although silent, he feels a constant vibration in his cabin. He is considering using "silent block technology" to reduce these vibes. Oh, I forgot to mention that he installed 600W solar as well.

My opinion?? Go solar. Mind you, it is my opinion... GL

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by Razorc195

Hi folks! Great input....! But, I still don't see what I'm searching for here, like the original Question... Money aside... the specs Im interested are Noise, mean time between failures, the relative wind to power output... And if the cruisers could chime in that would be Great. Because that's where my intended use is....

Actual cruiser using actual wind mill. My Silentwind continues to operate on spec. Produces power pretty much as advertised on their website. As for noise, this was one of my primary criteria when looking to replace our old (loud) Air-X. The Silentwind ain’t silent, but it’s pretty darn quiet. It sits above our cockpit, and we can carry on normal conversation in 20+ knots of wind. It can be heard, but is not very loud.

It is imperceptible a couple of boat lengths away. In fact, I just spent a few weeks at a dock, and asked my slip-mates if the windmill bothered them. Both immediately responded by saying they hadn’t even noticed we had a windmill.

All this said, my research indicates that there are lots of windmills that are “pretty darn quiet.” I really think that at this point there’s no reason to buy a new wind gen that IS noisy.

[Bleemus]

Our Superwind is basically silent, is designed to last in extreme conditions without attendence. It is the only small generator thst furls its blades in higher winds. It is built like a swiss watch and I expect it to last 20 years without maintenance.

The cream of the crop are D400 and Superwind. For less money and slightly reduced reliability the Silentwind and a newcomer called Marine Kinetics. You dont need to look further than that.