Wind generator

[elias]

Hi!
We are thinking of installing a small turbine , around 300watt. Any opinions ? Silence matters … Does anybody have something second hand for sale ?

[tiger79]

Most people now fit solar panels rather than wind turbines.

[Lazy Pelican]

Your in Greece, so it’s a no brainier to fit Solar. We had both wind and solar but have recently increased the solar and removed the (noisy) wind gen.
If you are determined to add wind the D400 is the only generator with decent output that I’ve come across that isn’t horribly noisy.

[Keweetoo]

I have a Rutland 914 (inherited with boat) and whilst bearings have been replaced we still have to switch off if rear cabin is in use due to noise. Output is not worth the hassle and only of use for topping up batteries when not aboard but a small solar panel will do the same and silently.

[sy_imagine]

Today we installed a silicone mat cut out from a breakfast board as cushioning in our Rutland from probably 2006 (also inherited). It didn't do any good. The worn ball bearings are still transmitting the noises and vibrations. So forget about used ones.
A good new wind generator costs € 2000. There are a lot of solar panels for that. A wind generator may make sense in the North or Baltic Sea, but not in the Mediterranean.
And when I think about the electronic work you have to do to prevent your battery from exploding due to overcharging in a storm ... leave it alone. Especially with used parts.
I have to add, my Ocean also has a Fischer Panda generator. It's loud and not eco, but foolproof.

[Salty]

All very good points in the replies above. Ive had three wind generators, all different, and all were unreliable, noisy and expensive to maintain. I changed to two 100 watt solar panels, and they have worked faultlessly and in total silence. Its an absolute no brainer to choose solar pv panels.

[elias]

Thanks for the advice . We are currently with 120w pv. We could expand this but I personally think to have a big pv array as a roof will not be very beautiful ( now the array is attached on the bimini with no extra columns and arcs, so it’s discrete ). I can imagine that the turbine  can be ugly and as I understand from your comments , noisy too but just wanted to give it a shot .

[Ziffius]

I have a Rutland 914i on my boat in Greece that I would happily sell to you cheap - had it for 7 years and it produces some power when wind above 20kts. Solar is the way to go, the more the better!!!

[Lyra]

For a wind turbine you will have to install something sturdy, anyhow, so I would still go for solar panels on an arch.
You will get maximum power from the wind rarely

[Yngmar]

When I looked at wind generators a while ago, the only ones really worth bothering with were the Superwind series with their variable pitch (feathering) blades that can handle any wind strength. But they came with outdated regulator tech that is best replaced with something else and then you really want the rubber pad mounted pole to keep vibrations from turning the hull into a drum, so the whole setup is almost €5k. That then gets you a lousy 50W at 15 knots wind.

Solar gets us a lot more power for less money (stern arch + rigid panels) and is wear* and maintenance free apart from a bit of cleaning. I concluded wind power is absolutely not worth it unless you're cruising in an area with lots of wind and very little sun! Not to mention less risk of injury

Vibration decoupled tower: https://www.shipshop.de/produkte/energie-an-bord/windgeneratoren/generatormast-powertower

* Flexible panels seem to wear a lot faster and are best avoided.

[semaphore]

I have a Rutland 914 (inherited with boat) and whilst bearings have been replaced we still have to switch off if rear cabin is in use due to noise. Output is not worth the hassle and only of use for topping up batteries when not aboard but a small solar panel will do the same and silently.

Pretty much same here; the noise is not worth it, I would put efforts to solar, which is silent.

[elias]

I have a Rutland 914i on my boat in Greece that I would happily sell to you cheap - had it for 7 years and it produces some power when wind above 20kts. Solar is the way to go, the more the better!!!

Thanks for the offer but the opinions here discouraged me much … By the way I am at Ionian Sea from 15/05 to 10/10 with S/Y LITO in case you are around .

Thanks to all of you , I ll stick to solar and work on a stylish way to expand them .

[SYJetzt]

I also thought about a wind-generator, but dropped that idea. Boat is in Med (Croatia)
I attached 2 rigid PV-panels (300W each) industy-standard (no expensive marine stuff), with salt-spray-test certificate, for 200€ each, and mounted it aft of bimini (behind the backstay) on a DIY construction, made of 30mm AISI316 tubes and an aluminium frame, all parts without bending or welding. All tubes, aluminium and tube-fittings were approx. 800€.
Will last wind-forces up to 60knots (Bora in Croatia is sometimes fierce!).
Delivers 200Ah+ per day (sometimes more) in combination with my victron mppt solar charger.

[Ziffius]

i have 200w panel and its not enough really, would like to double it and get rid of wind genny. unfortunately I'll probably have to sell the boat in a year or so. Just hoping i can get out to Corfu in September and maybe have one more season on it next year.