SailNet Community banner
  • SailNet is a forum community dedicated to Sailing enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about sailing, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, repairs, reviews, maintenance, and more!

Wind generator

5K views 23 replies 13 participants last post by  Paddyd 
#1 ·
I am about to buy a wind generator Sunforce Marine 600W.
I also want to install two 85W solar panels.
Anyone has opinion or alternative product I should use?

Thank you.
 
#3 ·
My only suggestion would be to hear the generator in use before you commit. Some are very annoying. Pratical Sailor has done some testing on some of the units. I chose a Rutland based on their report. Very pleased. The only time it makes any sound is during gusty winds and then it sounds like surf. Winds need to be 15+ to get any real juice.
Jim
 
#4 ·
Our wind generator help keep the boat from tacking at anchor. Otherwise I use a riding sail. That's something to consider if you have a reasonably high performance boat.

If it wasn't for that, I'd proably switch to 100% solar. Using the Victron battery monitor, I watch 8 amps go into the batteries all day long from a Kyocera 135 and a Seimans 40. But when the wind is blowing, we get only 4 amps from the wind generator.

If you anchor where it's really windy, get the wind generator. If you anchor where it's really sunny, get solar panels.

Whatever you do, make sure you sit next to it for an hour before you buy one. The little AirX wind generators sound like a Cessna taking off. They are off-the-scale annoying and will make you instantly disliked in the anchorage.

I plan to get 2 more Kocera 135s and mount them above the bimini, just aft of the boom. Being able to see the amps coming in all day long is fantastic and we need to up the ante to run a freezer next summer.

Regards,
Brad
(Don't forget to factor-in the cost of the mounts.)
 
#5 ·
I second the Rutland. We have had ours for several years. It just survived Issac as we could not drop it in time. It puts out OK, not as much as some, but does so over greater range of wind conditions. It is very quiet. During Issac it was really spinning in the gusts, still the only noise was from the internal breaking overheat preventer. Sounded like a wounded helicopter. Would buy another. Purchased it from e-marine in FL., great people, would go back for more.
 
#6 ·
I gave my wind generator away to someone from the forum - it was noisy, needed at least 15 knots to provide sufficient power, and after one bout with a hurricane the blades and hub blew apart.

Solar is the best way to go, and even in marginal light conditions they still provide some power, though not much. When the wind's now howling, a wind generator, IMO, it just about useless.

Good luck,

Gary :cool:
 
#16 ·
Solar is the best way to go, and even in marginal light conditions they still provide some power, though not much. When the wind's now howling, a wind generator, IMO, it just about useless.
As with most things, it largely depends upon where you're sailing...

In a place like the Chesapeake, for example, a wind gen will be pretty useless a good deal of the time...

Down south in the wintertime, however, it's a whole different ballgame, one can be very nice to have...

 
#8 ·
you guys have missed the point of the op. he is asking about the sun force 600w wind turbine. none of these posts has gave any info on the op's question i will beable to give info on the sun force 600w after friday as i have order this one aswell
 
#14 ·
OK, I bought a sunforce 600w. There are a few bad reviews from impatient owners who probably wired it in wrong. I am putting mine up soon, when the welder finished my stand. They are big for a wind generator, but will start at 4.5 knots and max output is 17 knots (ish).

My suggestion for electricity if you plan to cruise and be independent of the dock (and don't have a built in generator):

have a wind generator, solar panels, and a 1000watt or preferably 2000 watt little generator.

Sometimes you have wind and no sun, sometimes you have sun and no wind, most of the time you will need a little boost from the generator.
 
#15 · (Edited)
If you get a generator, remember the gas cans.

A friend loaned me a Honda 2000 generator for a few weeks over the summer. I was surprised by how little charging I got on a tank of gas/on a few hours of charging, when compared to the output of the solar panels. IIRC, I got 20 amps of charging for a couple hours run (not the full tank, by the way), run through a Xantrex 2000 inverter charger into 330 amp hours of gel cells. That's 40 amp hours a day. I'd get about the same amp hours with another 100 Watt solar panel, without the hassle and noise. (Even the Honda makes some noise at it's slow speed. I ran it in the evening, and sound carries over water, especially on still nights, so I didn't run it when the stern was facing the closest shore.)

Yes it helped, but really the benefit was when the kids wanted to watch TV or I was using the microwave. This was also the time of the evening when all the interior lights were on. (And I did turn the freezer to a colder temperature to take advantage of the extra amps.) It got so I'd start it until dinner was over and the movie was over.

Don't get me wrong, it was great to have, expecially as a battery-drain preventer. It simply got me wanting more solar instead of a generator. For the price of the generator, I could get more solar panel charging (including the cost of some mounting hardware), and never have to carry any gas. This might be different if you have AGM batteries that can take a quick charge really well, or if you are using a different charger (the Xantrex 2000 was only pushing 13.6 volts, while the engine's alternator pushes 14+ volts during charging). But if you were putting more amps in, the generator would probably not be running at the low rpm setting but at the higher, noisier rpm.

Regardless what you do, get a Victron battery monitor. Without it you don't really know what's going on with your electricity.

Regards,
Brad
 
  • Like
Reactions: HDChopper
#17 ·
My two cents on the wind generator noise, I anchored next to a boat with one and it was loud on my boat. My cabin fans were on because it was hot, and they cancelled out the sound because they are from the 80's and friggin loud. When I turned them off though I could still here the other guys wind generator, I couldn't imagine having to live with that.
 
#20 ·
Well, as usual, "it depends"...

Some are not bad at all... Unfortunately, the primary offenders in the Screaming Banshee category also are among the most numerous out there, the earlier 3 bladed versions from Air Marine... Newer versions are said to be quieter, but in my observation, this style still has the tendency to produce the most annoying pitch...

Most of the larger, single piece 2 blades like mine, produce a far more "natural", less offensive noise...(it also helps that mine is suspended in the rigging, so minimal vibration through a pole mount is transmitted to the boat) You might be surprised how quickly you'd get accustomed to it, and I've gotten to the point where when lying in my vee-berth, I can generally guess the wind speed to within a knot or two, based on the sound. On many occasions, I've been alerted in the middile of the night to a building breeze, or an approaching squall, solely by the change in the note of my wind gen...

In my observation, the quietest one out there right now - by far - is the D400 from Duogen... It's almost spooky how quiet those things are... Downside is they are very heavy and bulky, and very expensive...
 
#18 ·
too true for most wind generators the bearing and the blades used on most units are basic for the bearings and the blades are just not balanced right .
The bearing has to be for low/high speed and a radial lip seal .....and the blades have to be composite material
Thats why I tell everyone call 409-457-2049 he is one of the smartest engineers around and has great products BOTC Wind & Solar 10 Best Items needed for Cruising | Galveston Island, TX 77551
 
#21 ·
Just noticed the OP has only 1 post... still.

Could he be the vendor of the wind genny he mentions?

Regards,
Brad
 
#22 ·
I too think that solar is the better route over all. I would still go with the Rutland again as it runs at night as well as most of the day down here, and only requires 5kts to get it started. There is usually some breeze after the sun goes down in our area.
 
#23 ·
i installed the sunforce 600 today after a bit of confusion of their wiring diagrams but it is working as advertised and is pretty quiet you do need a 36 inch clearance for the unit but for a first day test seems to be sturdy and works so far no negative review from my end
 
#24 ·
Yup , I sure am the vender who designed and makes the generator for BOTC
we have over 3000 units out in the GOM with no failures
comparing products side by side , BOTC is a great product and it is made for specifically harsh marine enviroments.
if anyone has any questions they should contact me at anytime

Having been to the actual production facility that makes products for Sunforce. It is a good product , they are made at the same factory as Coleman products in south China ,and they have a good warrenty and product information , knowledgeable staff and phone support from the Canadian Sunforce office.Sunforce makes a good product and they are a respected company.

The Main bearing is a basic non sheilded bearing and inner lubricate used is basic CPC products .For off the grid usage with low humidity and limited enviromental salt and water contact such as a Ranch , cabin or farm it is a great product.The 600 w unit is a large unit for a Sailboat under 50ft set
with a combination of panels it should do everything needed to get done
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top