Most Popular Wind Generators

[Mike OReilly]

There are a lot of quiet, or at least quieter, wind gens on the market now. There's really no reason to put up with a noisy old-style version anymore.

My first windgen was an old Air-X (probably early 90s model). Produced decent power, but screamed like a banshee when the wind got up. It was the happiest day in my life when the internal regulator fried.

I replaced it with a Silentwind. It ain't silent, but mounted above my cockpit directly aft, and with the wind howling I can carry on normal conversation without any problem. Neighbors don't know it's there (I've asked).

Not trying to sell this one. Just that there are lots out there now that are relatively quiet. There's no reason to suffer, and subject neighbors, to noisy windgens.

[Gianluca]

Thanks to all of you. The consensus is that get more solar before you get into wind generation. I think that I can add another 2 x 100 w panels.
Thanks,

[Wallaby]

I have 480w of mono panels and would like to have more, but the space simply isn't where I need it to be. They work great until the sun doesn't shine, so I invested in an AirMaax wind generator for the other times. AirMaax is a value-for-money power house, rated at 400w--that is super conservative, btw. It takes a breeze to get spinning, but it'll run day and night in the trade winds. Noise level is negligible.

[SV__Grace]

While having both is best, your cruising grounds can dictate your decision making. In our case, our cruising grounds for the next 10 years is the PNW, famous for cloudy skies, lots of rain, and not enough wind for much sailing. This challenges both solar AND wind generation.

So when our wind generator died and I researched available options, I noticed that they vary in startup wind speed, max wind speed, and optimum output wind speed.

I decided I preferred low startup wind speed (5-7 knots) that would output 20 amps or so around 20-25 knots. If I wanted a higher max wind speed I would be trading off the low startup wind speed.

For my preferred cruising grounds I decided upon the Primus Air Breeze. Ours starts turning at 5 knots, starts generating measurable power at about 10 knots, and maxes out (cuts off) at 35 knots.

During the extra-long high latitude days during the summer my solar panels keep up with my needs. As the days shorten I need to increasingly supplement with the generator. During the winter the solar is almost useless and need to run the generator much more often than I prefer.

During the windy periods and months, typically during the fall and winter, the wind generator adds enough that I can stretch out running the generator about half as much. How do I know? Because it's easy to compare with the days of not enough wind!

And the noise? I enjoy listening to ours. When you live on your boat you acclimate to all the motion, noises, etc. and investigate changes and new ones. No such thing as a "silent" wind generator and for myself, performance is a much more important feature than how quiet it might be.

[Locquatious]

We have Kiss wind generators. They are fairly quiet and start producing power above 7 knots. With the Kiss Extractor™ they begin producing power down to 3 knot winds. The Extractor™ also automatically stops the wind generator when the batteries are charged. And the Extractor™ stops the wind generator before it overheats.

[MJH]

Originally Posted by Gianluca

Hi,
In the constant quest to reduce the amount of fuel consumed, I'm considering adding a wind generator on a 50' monohull. I have a generator and 2x100 solar panels and I think that the wind (and/or hidro) generator will free me from the fuel consumption of the generator. In general, I consume around 20 amp/hr with autopilot and electronics on but, I have 12v fridge that needs to be on at least 2x1hr and consumes around 50amp/hr.

I'm wondering what are the brands and models that most of you are using. In addition, what maintenance issues I should consider.

Thanks,

Before installing solar I corresponded with a guy in the deep Pacific. He advised me to put up the maximum Wattage I could fit on the boat and get as close to 600W...he had solar and wind generator. I have followed that advice somewhat; I have 4x140W=560W solar which required a stern arch installed plus new dodger with overhead rack (2+2). I made the right choice for me.

Solar per se is relatively inexpensive but everything else to properly support it runs up the overall cost. I have not yet installed a wind generator as my electrical needs have been filled by the solar alone. On my Hawaii roundtrip from Washington I never had to start the diesel to charge the batteries (2x8D Gel house + start) but my electrical needs are manageable and I use a Monitor windvane vice autopilot offshore.

Take a hard look at what your requirements are and where/how you might reduce them, then consider how best to support that reduced requirement.

Good Luck.

~ ~ _/) ~ ~ MJH

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Locquatious

We have Kiss wind generators. They are fairly quiet and start producing power above 7 knots. With the Kiss Extractor™ they begin producing power down to 3 knot winds. The Extractor™ also automatically stops the wind generator when the batteries are charged. And the Extractor™ stops the wind generator before it overheats.

I think the KISS is out of production.

[Madehn]

i have 980 watts of solar and a D400 wind generator-- iagree with adding the solar first. D400s are quiet but heavy ( think 40-50 lbs as i recall) so they need a very sturdy mount. if i had to do over again i might not have gotten the wind generator for the cost-- you can buy a lot of fuel for the money a D400 costs.

[Mike OReilly]

As I (and most others) have said, max out your solar first, and then move onto a windgen if your amp budget still needs it.

But I do agree, having both is the best option. Although solar does the bulk of my charging (80-85% is my estimate), wind contributes a reasonable amount. More importantly though, wind often excels just when solar suffers.

When it's overcast and stormy solar lags but that's when wind really shows its benefit. My windgen doesn't start producing till it hits about 12 knots. By 15 knots I'm up to around 3-4 amps. But after that the power curve becomes pretty steep. In 20+ knots I can be outputting over 18 amps, and in 25 knots it's close to 30 amps. Even low but consistent winds overnight can make quite a difference in the starting voltage in the morning.

So while I think solar does more overall, the combination really is nice to have.

[SaltyMetals]

I agree with Mike and some of the others about maximising yr solar first. I have 300W of solar and a Rutland 1200 windgen which starts generating a little at 7 knots and closes itself down at 30-35 knots at which point it is producing 20A or a bit more in the gusts.

As an average over a few months I find my monitor shows 10-15% of the W generated by the windgen, balance solar but of course your windgen can be running all night. With a good mounting the Rutland 1200 (Made by Marlec UK) makes no more noise than a bit of wind in the rigging at higher wind speeds.

Two important items IMHO. 1) get a good mounting system with rubber bushes on the brackets and the foot or the hum in the berth underneath will drive you nuts. 2) if you are not using the windgen, rather than tie it, it is better to electronically shut it down so that it still turns a little otherwise you are likely to eventually get water in the front bearing and then it will start getting noisy. Alternatively tie it, take off the blades and then cover it. Instead of all that hassle i just shut mine down electronically.
Best of luck
Andrew

[PHR]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I don't know beyond anecdote which models are most popular. I have a Silentwind, and it seems reasonably common (in the small subset of boats that have windgens). D400 is also common, as are various Air-types.

On my small 37-foot monohull I have 400 watts solar and a 400 watt (theoretical) windgen. From my experience in the mid/upper latitudes mostly summer months, I would say my windgen provides about 15 to 20% of my power needs, while the solar does the bulk. I am almost 100% self-sufficient with these sources, and only very rarely need dino-charging to top up my batteries.

Personally, I would recommend you add more solar first. Only once you've topped out with that would I suggest a windgen. On a 50-footer you have a lot more space to install a lot more solar. Do that first. Then, consider a windgen if your amp budget is still not being met.

That's what I did. I have a Silentwind 400, and also agree about going solar first (on a 50' Hunter). I had some SW400 install problems, and I gotta say the customer service from the manufacturer to the US distributor have been very responsive and positive. It's a beautiful machine, and it helps when a company is also willing to go an extra mile to resolve issues.

[Akapeterc]

Don’t waist your money, I’ve got an Aregen 6 & 4 and unless your sitting in 25knts there not much good spend your money on more solar. No one wants to anchor in 20+ knots

[Akapeterc]

Get a solar booster https://www.ecodirect.com/Solar-Boos...-boost-50l.htm

[Noisykate]

As others have said - add more solar first, and perhaps consider a tow-gen if you intend travelling a lot.

We have solar, and a Marlec wind generator, fitted to our mizzen mast - it was all fitted when we bought the boat.

We found the wind-gen great for topping up at night, although ours can be noisy in the rear cabin, so we do end up switching it off sometimes.

[Fore and Aft]

We have a Rutland 914 that is charging .5 of an amp into the batteries right now. It's so quiet you have listen hard to hear it. It's not much of a charge in light breeze's, but I have gone to bed at night and woken up with fully charged batteries in the morning so I am happy with it.
Cheers