Recommend a Wind Turbine?

[Thames 4 Blood]

Can anyone recommend a make / model of wind turbine?
Its for a 45ft Jeanneau.
Obviously in an ideal world I would like it to be 3cm diameter, absolutely silent and produce 21.1 gigawatts in a 2kn breeze but I guess in order of my priorities...
1. As quiet as possible
2. Not tooooo big... Plan to mount on pole at pushpit.
3. High quality
4. High output.
I dont mind paying for quality......
Thanks

[jeremiason]

I like the AirMaax Wind Generator, built by ElectroMaax.

Although expensive, it is one of the quietest on the market; it is built to military specifications and used on USCG Buoys. The unit produces more power, at lower wind speeds than other models.

I will be buying one this summer when we get back to the states for hurricane season.

[Thames 4 Blood]

Thank You!

[midnightmail]

I really liked my Fourwinds II. It wasn't as productive as some but was very quiet. I don't know if they're still being made.

[Thames 4 Blood]

Thanks. Will have a look.

[gbanker]

D400 on our boat for one season. Great unit that I highly recommend! Quiet - when the wind really starts to howl the ambient wind noise is more that that of the turbine. And good output. Not the cheapest unit out there but high quality, quiet and good output. We decided that if we were to go to the expense and work to install a wind turbine we would do it only once and properly.

[Kettlewell]

Rutlands are low output, but very reliable and quiet. You can leave them running forever. I had one that ran nearly continuously for over a decade, including numerous gales. You can leave it unattended, which is nice and you are ashore and a thundersquall comes up.

[nigel1]

Originally Posted by gbanker

D400 on our boat for one season. Great unit that I highly recommend! Quiet - when the wind really starts to howl the ambient wind noise is more that that of the turbine. And good output. Not the cheapest unit out there but high quality, quiet and good output. We decided that if we were to go to the expense and work to install a wind turbine we would do it only once and properly.

+1 for the D400, attached a pic showing it mounted on a pole at the pushpit. Great customer service from the makers as well, couple of years ago a blade was broken when hit by a shitehawk in a gale. Eclectric energy sent a replacement plus a spare free of charge. Only down side is that its a heavy unit, took 3 of us to get it mounted in place.

[Bash]

For someone without budget restrictions who wants high output, the D400 seems to be the top machine out there. Its one drawback is that its not light, but on the OPs boat this shouldn't be a constraint.

[Thames 4 Blood]

Thanks all. I am now in a toss up between D400 and Airmaax. They both have youtube vids up and if the sound levels are for real they are exactly what I am looking for. Thanks

[jannw]

My yacht came with a KISS wind generator - Wind Generators Kiss High-Output Wind Generator

It is quiet, has good output, and works well. It is also relatively simple.

Internet forum reports are that it is strong and long lived, and that the manufacturer is very good at providing support.

Yachting magazines consistently rate it as a "review winner" or "best buy".

It should be high on the list of generators you consider.

[Tellie]

Does anybody have any experience with the Superwind generator?

[Thames 4 Blood]

Following the pointers given I have done some leg work and the D400 looks a very good option!

[Jon Neely]

I think if you want a cheap option, Kiss are great after talking to a few owners, my next boat will probably have one on it. D400 is a beast and I have heard many good thing about it as well. Sadly it costs around double of the kiss. We put a Rutland 914i on our boat last year. The Turbine is excellent, the controller is junk. From other users of the Rutland I have heard if you replace the controller with an aftermarket one, it is much more efficient and reliable. Since adding my solar panels I have chosen not to touch the controller till it fails. Its weird that the Turbine is so well made but the controller feels like something you get from a happy meal. Kiss is next, plus they came out with the 2nd gen that is more efficient.


Cheers,

Jon

[DDabs]

Great info on the thread. What's the difference in output between the Kiss and D400?