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 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. 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.
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 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, 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.

"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.

· 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

When you've had the rest now want the best. Ampair Pacific 300
This turbine is undoubtedly the bees knees of the small marine wind turbine world. And they're not cheap.
Quality in all phases of construction ensure a long and trouble free life.
Accurate aerofoil construction of each turbine blade optimises performance, minimises noise and vibration and improves power-to-weight ratio.
Integral marine-grade sealing system protects internal components from condensation and corrosion.
Blade pitch control system
Three phase AC output from turbine minimises voltage drop and permits use of smaller cables; external DC rectifier is integrated with the regulator.

Ampair Pacific 300
Marine turbine
SPECIAL

Our Price
With standard regulator - just $3500.00

Table of Ampair 300 Technical Specifications
Power rating 300 watts at 12.5 metres per second (25 knots) wind speed.
Available in 12 or 24 volt DC
Electrical output three phase AC from turbine to DC rectifier.
Start-up windspeed 3 metres per second (6 knots) wind speed.
Over speed protection PowerFurl blade pitch control system reduces turbine speed in high winds whilst maintaining power output.
Blades manufactured from glass reinforced polypropylene
Housing Die cast aluminium with Alacrom 1200 and powder coating
Integral marine-grade sealing system protects internal components from condensation and corrosion.
Operates with no thermal cut-outs, commutator brushes, or complex electronics.
Colour - White

A configureable regulator which can be set up for either 12v or 24v operation. It can also be selected for either two input channels and one output channel; or one input channel and two output channels. Input channels can be any combination of wind or solar. Besides PWM charge control the regulator has LED status indicators indicating battery status (discharged/charging/charged) and generator status (charging). To be used in conjunction with separate rectifier (supplied). Size 230 x 170 x 55mm. Weight 1kg.

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 - $110.00

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.