Looking at mast mounting a wind generator on our mizzen mast, any recommendations for a generator? do's and dont's? I have never had anything to do with one before!
I did hear of a Trek like guy who made his own, of course it did not have the strong wind shut off
mechanism so on a very windy day it melted the wires going to the battery. It's probably an old
wives tale. but you never know.
Select to expand quoteParkster said..
Looking at mast mounting a wind generator on our mizzen mast, any recommendations for a generator? do's and dont's? I have never had anything to do with one before!
Not a good idea to put it on the mizzen, the mast transmits heaps of sound down into the boat. Some wind generators are very quiet, I had one on a cat 15 years ago that made less noise than the wind in the rigging, but unfortunately I can't remember the breed. It may have been ampair - very rugged but need an external regulator, they were using them in the Antarctic.
I did a lot of research into fitting a wind gen. D400 is the best but heavy. Silent wind is second best which is what I purchased. Solar is best but the wind gen will help a bit when there's no sun.
This is my Silent wind in about 10 to 15 knots produces about 6 amps. I keep mine braked most of the time as its not silent!
Might be better up higher on the Mizen. It's fairly balanced doesn't vibrate much just the blade noise ruins the peace!
I noted last weekend my solar was only fully efficient between 11 am and 2pm due to the cooler weather so two silent wind gens would be good to have in winter if I lived on anchor.
Wind generator and solar are on the cards but achieving it without spoiling the look of a classic canoe stern wooden yacht is quite a mission! All previous panels we stripped off during recent cabin top restoration.
Hi Parkster,
Practical Boat Owner issue no.565 Sept 3013 has a piece on a mizzen installation that looks practical.
I can scan and e-mail if you wish.
plev
