I'm thinking of picking up a pair of Rutland 913s at the upcoming boat show. Any reviews from those who have used them would be appreciated.
any thoughts regarding Rutland 913 wind generators?
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A Note for John...
John, I just got back from a week on the backside of Catalina Island where the wind blows pretty reliably and a lot of employees anchor their boats. Many have wind generators. Most all were KISS units. However, I noticed a trend to move to the Rutland units as the KISS units are replaced. They are very quiet and move their blades in much less wind. FWIW, Rick D.
John, I just got back from a week on the backside of Catalina Island where the wind blows pretty reliably and a lot of employees anchor their boats. Many have wind generators. Most all were KISS units. However, I noticed a trend to move to the Rutland units as the KISS units are replaced. They are very quiet and move their blades in much less wind. FWIW, Rick D.
My 910 model is nice.
John - I've got an older 910 Rutland model and it has been really nice. Wind generators aren't quite a no-brainer like solar panels are because I found they have something else to learn about. Something called slip-rings. The slip-rings is where the carbon brushes rub on a pair of copper rings to convert horizontal rotary motion into vertical rotary motion. The contact surface on the copper tends to get oxidized, corroded, or otherwise carboned up and needs to be cleaned periodically using very fine, say 600 grit, sandpaper. I keep some sandpaper inside the unit in a Zip-Loc plastic bag so I don't have to go searching for it when I need it. Cleaning only takes a few minutes once you have the sandpaper. If you talk to the guys at the boat show that are selling them they should be able to explain everything. Why are you getting two of them? Hey, a few hours in the afternoon on San Francisco Bay should be enough to charge your batteries pretty good!!! Power output really increases as the wind speed picks up. Design: I like the six-blade design. The 910 has some kind of plastic blade where as the three-blade design that came out a few years ago had carbon-fiber blades. I met a guy who sailed from Japan to Seattle a few years ago and he had the new 3-blade design that quit working a week out of Japan. Seems one of the blades hit a bird, or vice versa, and shattered the blade which left the wind generator in-opperable because it was off balance. With the Rutland's blades, first off, they won't shatter, and secondly, should one, two, three, or even four become damaged there are combinations that can still leave it balanced and operable, albeit at a somewhat reduced power output. One drawback with a wind generator is it can shadow the solar panels if you happen to have any of those. But then so can the mast, boom, or radar mast.
John - I've got an older 910 Rutland model and it has been really nice. Wind generators aren't quite a no-brainer like solar panels are because I found they have something else to learn about. Something called slip-rings. The slip-rings is where the carbon brushes rub on a pair of copper rings to convert horizontal rotary motion into vertical rotary motion. The contact surface on the copper tends to get oxidized, corroded, or otherwise carboned up and needs to be cleaned periodically using very fine, say 600 grit, sandpaper. I keep some sandpaper inside the unit in a Zip-Loc plastic bag so I don't have to go searching for it when I need it. Cleaning only takes a few minutes once you have the sandpaper. If you talk to the guys at the boat show that are selling them they should be able to explain everything. Why are you getting two of them? Hey, a few hours in the afternoon on San Francisco Bay should be enough to charge your batteries pretty good!!! Power output really increases as the wind speed picks up. Design: I like the six-blade design. The 910 has some kind of plastic blade where as the three-blade design that came out a few years ago had carbon-fiber blades. I met a guy who sailed from Japan to Seattle a few years ago and he had the new 3-blade design that quit working a week out of Japan. Seems one of the blades hit a bird, or vice versa, and shattered the blade which left the wind generator in-opperable because it was off balance. With the Rutland's blades, first off, they won't shatter, and secondly, should one, two, three, or even four become damaged there are combinations that can still leave it balanced and operable, albeit at a somewhat reduced power output. One drawback with a wind generator is it can shadow the solar panels if you happen to have any of those. But then so can the mast, boom, or radar mast.
Why two?
In the PS tests, the Rutland averaged 35 amp hours per day. Even though I can probably count on a bit more breeze in local waters, it still won't handle my energy needs in hot weather, not with separate fridge/freezer compressors on the new boat. I'd like to get to the point where I can keep the boat on the hook up at the Delta for weeks at a time without having to run the engine to charge. In my book, the less one runs an engine, the better the karma. I've been looking at two locations where I'd like to spend time once they let me off the leash: Baja and the West Indies. In both places, recently, I've noted more cruisers with twin wind generators. Of course, most folks combine wind and solar power, but I'm leaning toward wind machines at this point because they work at night and on foggy days. Assuming it blows. Other nice thing is that wind generators aim themselves at the power source; solar seems to need constant tinkering, at least the way I've set things up in the past. I'm leaning toward the Rutland because it keeps testing out as the most quiet wind generator, and I'd like to be able to run mine here in the marina without getting the neighbors all itchy. However, I'm willing to listen if others among you think there's a better way to get the job done.
In the PS tests, the Rutland averaged 35 amp hours per day. Even though I can probably count on a bit more breeze in local waters, it still won't handle my energy needs in hot weather, not with separate fridge/freezer compressors on the new boat. I'd like to get to the point where I can keep the boat on the hook up at the Delta for weeks at a time without having to run the engine to charge. In my book, the less one runs an engine, the better the karma. I've been looking at two locations where I'd like to spend time once they let me off the leash: Baja and the West Indies. In both places, recently, I've noted more cruisers with twin wind generators. Of course, most folks combine wind and solar power, but I'm leaning toward wind machines at this point because they work at night and on foggy days. Assuming it blows. Other nice thing is that wind generators aim themselves at the power source; solar seems to need constant tinkering, at least the way I've set things up in the past. I'm leaning toward the Rutland because it keeps testing out as the most quiet wind generator, and I'd like to be able to run mine here in the marina without getting the neighbors all itchy. However, I'm willing to listen if others among you think there's a better way to get the job done.
Have you considered two different generators?
Perhaps the Rutland for low noise and generating ability at lower wind speeds and an Air-X for higher power generation when the breeze starts kickin'. I've heard the Rutland in a 12mph breeze and it is quiet. Supposedly the Air-X is also "quiet" with their new blade design since 2004 or so. If the Air-X (or other choice) is not sufficiently quiet, you can shut it down in places where you want to be quiet and let it crank when you need the AH.
Perhaps the Rutland for low noise and generating ability at lower wind speeds and an Air-X for higher power generation when the breeze starts kickin'. I've heard the Rutland in a 12mph breeze and it is quiet. Supposedly the Air-X is also "quiet" with their new blade design since 2004 or so. If the Air-X (or other choice) is not sufficiently quiet, you can shut it down in places where you want to be quiet and let it crank when you need the AH.
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