Hydro Generators

[Sevi]

Does anyone have any personal experience they can share about hydro generators? I've looked at S&W & Duogen, but it's difficult to do a direct comparison. Are there other brands that I'm missing? Thank you.

[El Pinguino]

Mine is an aqua4aerogen... I can't imagine doing a passage of more than a few days without it. They are out of production , however the Aquair 100 Ampair Wind and Water Generators looks like a very similar product. .

[UNCIVILIZED]

I've had good experiences with towing generators. Mostly with my old Redwing. But some of it also depends on how much current you're needing/expecting them to produce. Since as time's gone by, boats grow ever more power hungry. And solar gets cheaper & cheaper per amp hour.
If you're not looking for huge amonuts of amp hours, folks that I know with Hamilton Frerris's seem to like them. While they aren't the latest tech... Towed Water Generator - Practical Sailor Print Edition Article

[Stumble]

They work great, but they work best on fast boats. The real issue is that at the average speed of most smaller boats they don't put out nearly as much power as a similarly priced solar array.

[El Pinguino]

I don't think it is a case of having either one or the other.

Mine puts out 5 amps at 5 knots 24 hours a day. My solar ( 2 x 65W trimmable on one axis ) gives anywhere from 0 to 6 for maybe 8 hours a day.... depending on the day....

The combo provides plenty for my needs.... fridge, instruments, lights...

Edit... and also... yes you will get a lot of solar for the same money as a towed unit... but where will you put it on a smaller boat....?

[CarstenWL]

... the 600W Watt&Sea unit I tried 2 years ago easily put out around between 30A and 40A @ cruising speeds on my 41ft cruiser/racer ...

If you use the the 'Google Custom Search' here on CF and search for Watt&Sea you will find more pro and cons for this model.

Regards,

Carsten

[ka4wja]

Sevi,
Yes, I have lots of personal experience using my current "towed-water-generator" (as well as, years ago, using a prop-shaft-alternator)...
My current unit, since 2007, is a Hamilton Ferris WP-200, and it works great! Use if for long passages, combined with a decent-sized solar array, makes you energy self-sufficient!! (no need to burn diesel or listen to a genset or wind-gen!!)

Originally Posted by Sevi

Does anyone have any personal experience they can share about hydro generators? I've looked at S&W & Duogen, but it's difficult to do a direct comparison. Are there other brands that I'm missing? Thank you.

There have been many discussions here about these units, please have a look at these threads, where you'll find LOTS of details and info!!!

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...e-33857-3.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...d-85387-3.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...t-22266-4.html

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...wer-43383.html



The Hamilton Ferris WP-200 works well....figure about 1amp to 1.5amps per knot of boat speed....about 1 to 1.25amps/knot from 3kts to 5kts....about 1.25 to 1.5amps/knot from 5kts to 7kts....and 1.5amps to 2amps/knot from 7kts to 9kts of boat speed...
And, while those numbers might seem small, that's about 6 to 9amps (at about 5 to 6kts), 24 hours a day, for even a smaller/slower cruising boat on a passage, rain or shine, as long as your moving, you're making electricity! (that's 150+ amp-hours per day of charging!)
(and as long as boat speed is above 3kts or so, you should not experience any significant drag, nor reduction in boat speed...)


Here's a photo of mine deployed on an Atlantic crossing...


And, another photo, showing where it's mounted...




Please read the above threads, for all the info you'll ever need...

Fair winds..

John