Westerbeke W 27 Alternator upgrade

[Sreya]

Hello all
my first post on this new forum

Has anyone upgraded to a ~ 100 amp alternator ?
How many belts did you drive it with ?
How did you attach it to the engine so the pulleys lined up ?

Any help is appreciated

thanks
George

[JVallely]

George,
I know I'm replying to an old post, but I bought a boat recently with a Westerbeke 27 and I'm facing the same quesitons you had last fall.
Did you upgrade to a 100 amp alternator, and if so how has it worked?
I have a 375 amp house bank, which would theoretically call for about a 95 amp alternator. I want to upgrade from the present automotive alternator and add external 3-stage regulation.
I know I'd need new pulleys to go to a larger alternator, and I don't know how the main bearings etc will handle the increased side load.
Another option is a 70-amp alternator, keeping the smaller belts and lower strain on the engine, and hopng that the overall charging time won't be too much longer.
What did you end up doing, and how has it worked?
Thanks for any info.
John V.

[Sreya]

Hello John

I did upgrade to a 100 or 110 amy Balmar. Westerbeke can supply you with double pulleys for the crank , water pump, and alternator if you get the right one. ( only one )
It works well and with the 2 pulleys you don`t have to tighten it too much , thus minimizing side load.
Depending on where you are located , I might be able to help with some pricing on the pulleys and maybe the alternator too ( not sure ).
I look forward to hearing back

Merry Christmas
George

[JVallely]

George--
Thanks for getting back to me.
I hadn't realized that double belts would reduce side loading--is it because you need less belt tension?
I emailed a W'beke supplier about pulleys but never heard back.
I'm in upstate New York. Where did you order your pulleys from?
I'm looking at a kit Balmar sells--a small-frame 100amp 6-series alternator plus one of their smart chargers and some ansillary stuff.
The prior owner sprung for a 375A Rolls battery bank but didn't really do much with the charging system other than a 105 amp Delco internally regulated automotive charger, which I don't really trust. So I'm more or less building the system around the batteries.
I'd be curious to know what W'beke gets for the engine and water pump pulleys.
Merry Christmas to you and yours, too.
John

[Sreya]

Hello again
You guessed it . There is twice the surface area with 2 belts. It`s all about grip. More grip - less tension.

I am a yacht broker with an aaccount with a Westerbeke distributor &
I can help you with this.

I`ll contact you Monday if you like ( your phone number ? ) and we`ll go from there.


cheers
George