Aquair 100 mount

Marty's note:
When you look at a wind generator for your boat there are many considerations and what you choose depends a lot on what kind of sailing you do - and how far off shore you go - because this determines exactly what you are looking for in a wind generator. Here are a couple of accurate statistics for Air compared to Ampair and Rutland for you to think about.

Over the past 10 years I have sold only around 15 individual blades for Rutland and a single blade for an Aerogen 6 and none at all for Ampiar. All the rutland blades were sold to cruisers as spares, the Aerogen blade was a replacement for a turbine that had an altercation with an "object".
At the time of writing, Over the past 10 years, I have sold no less than 950 sets of three blades for Air - that's 2850 individual blades - that's more than 1 blade per working day. Most of these have been sold to people who's blades had been broken or simply failed without apparent reason.
Over the past 3 years there have been around 10 legitimate warranty claims for Rutland and no warranty claims for Ampair.
Over that same period of time I have performed more than 150 warranties on Air - that's one each week. That's around 12.5% of turbines sold have come back for warranty service.

To be fair, there are some Air out there that have been absolutely trouble free for years - but, and it's a big but - there is a lack of consistency and I have had turbines back two or three times, especially when they are in a windy location such as Tasmania. There are definately less failures in the more temperate zones. Okay for the Barrier Reef cruiser but not a lot of good for the more adventurous offshore types - or people living in Tassie using Air for home power.

Another thing worthy of consideration is the regulator. If something is going to go wrong with a mechanical devise that has electronics involved, it will be the electronics that fail - almost every time. The regulator for both Ampair and Rutland is external to the turbine. What this means is that if you have the most vulnerable part of the set up go bung on you - the electronics - you can fix or replace the reg but leave the turbine up in the air and still giving power. Nice and simple. With Air, the reg is built in, so if you have a problem with the electronics, you have to take the whole shebang down. This is a particularly accute pain in the rear end for people who have mast head mounted their turbine as they need a cherry picker to get it down, or land based people who have the turbine on a 50' tower.

A snippet for owners of the lastest Air Breeze wind generator with white blades, if it has been in the air for more than 5 months, Check your blades, there is a good chance they have been significantly degraded by the sun. See pic below Air Marine: This is a set of Air Breeze blades from a turbine I installed on a yacht in Tasmania last February. And this is only one example. With Rutland you can buy a single replacement blade in the event of a problem, whereas Air will sell as a "matched" set. I guess Rutland have more confidence in their consistency of quality control. Ampair blades come as a set but I've never had a request for them.

"Made in the USA" it is claimed on the Air Breeze box. I reckon it would be worth popping the question to the manufacturer as to exactly what is "made" in the USA and what is made elsewhere - and where.

For my money, being an offshore cruiser myself, I would put reliability over style and "claimed" output any day. The new boat I am building is named KISS, just in case you don't know what that stands for, it is - Keep It Simple Stupid. A good motto for the offshore cruiser and remote land dweller alike.

The Aquair pedigree
Proven over thousands of miles of ocean cruising. Reliability is achieved by using a towed turbine on a 30 metre line directly coupled to the alternator shaft. Totally sealed alternator. Stainless steel gambol ring provides a simple and automatic alignment method.

Built to professional standards for long term endurance and backed by full manufacturers warranty. The Aquair 100 is constructed of marine grade materials for minimal maintenance. Only a spare turbine is recommended to cater for accidental loss. Electrical contact is direct to the battery using a simple on/off control switch.

With the use of the optional wind conversion kit, this generator can be used as a wind turbine when on anchor.

Able to produce a continuous output up to 7 Amps at 12 volts. Permanent magnet alternator, has no commutator brushes, windings cannot overheat so requires no thermal cutouts.

Course pitch propellor available for fast boats - Catamarans, tri's etc.

Marty's note.
I will be fitting a water generator to my new boat.

The UW100 offers the opportunity to generate up to 2.4kWh per day from any 400mm deep (15") fast flowing stream. When the stream flows at 8-knots (7mph; 15kph) the UW100 will produce 8 amps continuously, and when the stream flows at 6-knots (5mph; 10kph) it will still produce 1.5kWh per day. And remember that a stream can be diverted into a narrow culvert to increase flow rates.

Technical specs.

Starts charging at flows below 1m/sec (2 knots) - generates up to 8amps at 12v.
Proven to depth of 10m.
All water joints (mechanical & electrical) are double sealed.
The oil filled housing has a pressure expansion chamber to allow operation at intermediary depths & in all temperatures.
UW 100 technical description
The UW 100 is a submerged water powered generator for 12/24 volt battery charging. It is a self-contained unit, (on-shaft propeller, streamlined housing, sealed alternator with pressure relief chamber), operating to depths of 10m below the water surface. The UW 100 features low waterspread cut-in (1½ knots) and a high charge rate (8 Amps) without sacrificing space for weight. The body is filled with hydraulic fluid to eliminate corrosion and to equalise temperature-induced pressure changes.

The forward facing 3 bladed propeller drives a permanent magnet alternator producing up to 8 Amps output current for a 12 volt system. The shaft rotates in double seals for optimum protection, backed by twin O-ring static seals at the rear of the casing. The cable exit is similarly double sealed by an internal moulding and external gland. The alternator body is filled with hydraulic fluid to eliminate corrosion and to equalise pressure changes caused by ambient temperature.

UW100 electrical information
Four metres of 4-core cable connects to two external rectifiers fixed on a heatsink which should be mounted in a suitable dry location near the battery. The output control switch and fuse are wired in the DC battery line. Any connector in the AC cable needs 4 individual contacts.

Propellor options

There a variety of different propellors available in production with the following three menu choices:
Shrouded or unshrouded
Shrouded propellors should be slected whenever the water may contain rope or fishing line fragments, fine weed, or plastic debris.
Clockwise or anti-clockwise rotation
Normal propellors rotate clockwise. The anti-clockwise version is to balance towed buoys with twin underslung units.
Standard pitch or coarse pitch
Standard propellors are ideal for low speed start-up (1.8-knots) and thereafter produce approximately 1-amp per knot. Above 8-knots (4 metres/second) the coarse pitch (low RPM) propellor should be selected. This also reduces propellor drag at low speeds which is useful for racing yachts.

Standard, clockwise, unshrouded
Coarse, clockwise, unshrouded
Standard, clockwise, shrouded
Standard, anti-clockwise, unshrouded

· Low wind speed start up of just 5 knots
· Generates 90w @ 19 knots, 24w @ 10 knots
· Delivers up to 250w
· Weighs 10.5kg
· One way only fit fine profile efficient aerofoil blades
· Three phase Rutland "unique" generator design
· Automatic thermostat protection in prolonged gales
· Modern, durable materials for reliability at sea.
· No radiated interference - complies with EEC directive 89/336/EEC

Blade Diameter... 46" (1170 mm)
Weight:..................5.90 kg
Mount size............48mm OD
Start up windspeed 6 knots
Voltage.................12, 24.
Rated output..........200 watts*
* @ 28 knots wind speed.

Replacement regulator when it packs up. About $250.00
Set spare blades when they fall to pieces, our price - $220.00

Something to think about!

Air Breeze blades after only a few months in the air

See below for mounting kits for
Rutland or Air Wind Chargers.

While stocks last

Clearance Special

Guyed Tower kit 27' (8M) suit Ampair, Rutland or Air turbine.

Normal retail $400.00. Two only to clear. $220.00 each including GST.

Targa mount kit

Rutland 913 blades.

Genuine, rugged, Rutland 913 blades.

Sold individually with fixing screws.
Six in a set.

Just $33.00 each or $192.00 per set.

Air 403 blades or Air X blades or current Air Breeze Wind Turbine Blades

Manufacturer supplied, blades, if that means anything.
Come in sets of 3.
Just $220.00 per set

Limited stock remaining.
Once they're gone, they're gone.

Air Breeze Wind Turbine Blades
Just $55.00 per set

Genuine, manufacturer supplied, blades.
Come in sets of 3.
Marine - White
These are the original Air Breeze blades that are suseptible to UV degradatio. However, if you were to properly paint them with a two pack paint from new, they should fine. Black would be the best colour. A chaeap set of blades for your Air Breeze.