Places to Put a Wind Turbine?

[chucklet321]

Where on a sailboat is a good place for a wind turbine?
Would one at the top of the mast work?

[avb3]

Been discussed many times before in this forum. Try the search function.

[Kevin84]

How about where there is wind?

[daddle]

On top of a barn. So we won't hear it in the anchorage.

On a tower on the transom...eliminating doing any casting for fish from the boat...

[Travelnik]

Chucklet, why don't you buy a small sailboat, and learn to sail?

You would annoy people less if you showed that you were really serious about sailing!

[Bash]

Transom. Usually on it's own mast.

[mbianka]

Originally Posted by Bash

Transom. Usually on it's own mast.

Don't forget you may have to do some maintenance on it from time to time. Do you really want to be doing that at the top of the mast?

[SunDevil]

It also has to be high enough or out of the way enough so it won't hit you, anybody else or another boat.

[rebel heart]

A couple of guys here have them on top of their masts. The cabling seems rather crazy to me. I did some quick math and on a 50' mast you'd need to run 1 gauge wire (and that still isn't optimal) which is $5/foot. So I suppose if you wanted to spend $500 on wiring battery cables into your mast (nevermind the installation nightmare) then yeah, go for it.

And it has to tweak your masthead wind instruments (if you have any).

Also looks stupid, but that's just me.

[deluxe68]

Originally Posted by rebel heart

A couple of guys here have them on top of their masts. The cabling seems rather crazy to me. I did some quick math and on a 50' mast you'd need to run 1 gauge wire (and that still isn't optimal) which is $5/foot. So I suppose if you wanted to spend $500 on wiring battery cables into your mast (nevermind the installation nightmare) then yeah, go for it.

And it has to tweak your masthead wind instruments (if you have any).

Also looks stupid, but that's just me.

I wonder how many bird strikes it would take.

[Rocketman]

Originally Posted by deluxe68

I wonder how many bird strikes it would take.

Good point, the EPA may not like it, it could kill something that is eliminating on your deck or head. One of the benifits of the wind turbine is when it is spinning and making all kinds of noise, I have noticed a lot fewer birds sitting on the boat.

[paddyd]

rear transom starboard side ........

[Dulls]

Originally Posted by chucklet321

Where on a sailboat is a good place for a wind turbine?
Would one at the top of the mast work?

We put one at the top of the mast to stop birds landing on the mast and crapping on the deck, A lot less noise from there but it does make a short but loud blender type of noise when an albatross flies through it. I didnt know they could be used to charge batteries as well. Have to look into that.

[stillbuilding]

Originally Posted by Dulls

We put one at the top of the mast to stop birds landing on the mast and crapping on the deck, A lot less noise from there but it does make a short but loud blender type of noise when an albatross flies through it. I didnt know they could be used to charge batteries as well. Have to look into that.

+1 Best post of the day. 😄

[mcarling]

I'm not a fan of wind turbines on boats but, since the inverse square law applies to sound, installing one at the top of the mainmast would dramatically reduce the sound pollution. I think they look silly anywhere they are mounted, so I wouldn't count that as a disadvantage of any particular location. I also don't mind a good excuse to climb the mast every once in a while (in nice weather). So, for me, the remaining disadvantage is the cost and weight of the wire. I guess that would be overcome by the reduced noise, reduced cleaning up after the birds, and increased performance (there is more wind up there) -- if I wanted a wind turbine.