Hydro Generator

Hi All, In the last weeks the power went out at my Marina for several days multiple times. The temperatures were as low as 7 deg F.
Ice formed around Gaia. I had my Diesel Fireplace on but the fuel in the center tank was very cold. (34 deg F) That tank is below water line and comes to equilibrium with outside water temp. I had my heat tapes on to warm the porous stone filter, walbro fuel pump, and the meter valve on the front of the fireplace. Eventually, the cold fuel kept cooling these components and was more viscous. This would degrade the rated output of the fireplace without the heat tape on. The heat tape takes several amps (7 to 11 amps DC) This was no problem till my KISS Wind Turbine froze up in the ice storm. During the overcast nasty day my solar panels gave me nothing. My 500 amp/hrs house AGMs were going down and down. Finally the Marina Power came back on.

I desire a backup to my Solar Panels and KISS Wind Turbine:

Does anybody have any links/info for Four Winds Hydro generators?

I could not find the Four Winds hydro units on the internet.
Only these:

www.ampair.com/ampair/waterpower.asp

www.duogen.co.uk/pwrwater.htm

www.absak.com/catalog/product_info.php/c..._89_90/products_id/3 in Alaska

www.nauticexpo.com/prod/watt-sea/boat-hy...um-34072-233432.html

Cruise model : Nominal power of 500W at 8 knots ( 40A at 12V-14V)
Positive energy at 5 knots (10A at 12V-14V) Minimum speed of 2-3 knots
Aluminium structure Low speed propeller Electronic converter

P.S. I have even looked into aerogenerators from kites.
I use a single line power kite to pull my dinghy if my outboard fails or to save gas.
I can also raise an antennae, put up a radar reflector or distress signal (xenon flash or flags)
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airborne_wind_turbine

Thanks for any info or experiences:

Fair Winds without ice storms,

Patrick Cornelius
19 Charles Pointe
Newark, DE 19702
302-286-7134

Yikes, that sounds cold!

Here I go, rambling again...

Are you looking for backup power while dockside? A water generator requires a signifiant flow of water past the boat to produce any power. A Gas or diesel-powered generator might be a better solution dockside. Our little Honda eu2000i works great.

If you want backup power generation while underway then a water generator will work if you have good boat speed. But good boat speed means either you have good wind (in which case the wind generator is working) or you have the engine on (and the alternator is generating power). If the wind generator fails, then the water generator could be a good backup, but only under sail and with good boat speed. The other 99.99% of the time it will collect dust. Personally, I would lean toward a second wind generator rather than something that will rarely be usable.

As for the iced-up wind generator - move south!

Scott
Joie de Vivre #88

Scott,

Thanks for the input. We have a Honda 2000i but I dare not drive home from the Marina during the ice storm.
Now I am storing the Honda on the boat with connector and gas. I did not want to store the gas on the boat for safety reasons.
That Honda works great. We can even power the window air conditioner with it.

Yes, of course, we would be underway for the Hydro Generator to work. Just wanted to have a third method to make juice.
Ice storm froze up the wind turbine. It simply stopped turning. A Hydro Generator is under water and would have still worked.
I am assuming we would not have the engine on so no alternator power on. Simply want more OPTIONS. OPTIONS are good.

Thinking now that a Whitby is a tropical boat only.

Hi Patrick

No, the Whitby is an all weather boat, its just we humans that are tropical .

75Deg in Miami.

Keep warm

Gerry

Gerry,

The Saints be Praised! How does one deal with the coating of ice all over the rigging? How does one even walk/float/slide across that ice on the deck? (slippery as greased minnow reproductive organs) On the B-52 we just turned on the quadruple redundancy hot forced air on the control surfaces from the warm cockpit. Thinking piracy with be the only answer. Maybe the crew of the Seal will not be so tough?

A boat with a dry exhaust stack would be very loud too. A double steel hull with a dewar vacuum insulator space between would be good too. Of course the alloy would need to be the sea water impervious type with copper/nickel/vanadium alloy please.
www.copper.org/Applications/cuni/copper_topics.html
Or perhaps a nice Carbon Fiber with nanotubes to add strength (10x of steel) or Duranium like on Star Trek.
Need a 30 megawatt Thorium Modular Reactor coupled to twin Neodyium Magnet electric engines. That would solve most of the cold weather problems for at least 50 years or so. Could have self limiting heat tape on all surfaces.

Problem, can not find that type of boat for sale at a reasonable price.

Perhaps a used Russian Nuclear Sub? but then I would need a large all female crew and Lisa would not like that.

Patrick