The Catamaran Adventures of Noel and Ceu
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Eclectic Energy D-400 Wind Generator Review

Our D400 Wind Generator

In a nutshell: We love it!

We did quite a bit of research before selecting the D-400. Our requirements were that it kick in at low windspeed, have high output, and be quiet.

It fulfills all of those requirements excellently. As I write this I am sitting at anchor in Portimao, Portugal in August, we haven’t had to run our engines for a full week, and currently our batteries are at 100% – and that is even with me using the laptop which consumes a lot of power.

Granted, there is a lot of sun here, and we do have two solar panels. But on the days when the wind drops, we lose about 10% of our 440Ahr battery charge. Whereas with the wind up, we are fully self sufficient.

The same was true in the Caribbean. At most anchorages, on the lee of the islands, the wind is very light. In those conditions we are probably getting just 1-2 amps from the wind generator. But once the wind is up above about 10kts, then the amps definitely rise nicely – probably giving us about 5 amps at 10kts and well above 10amps at 15kts and more.

Had we installed it on a slightly higher pole, which we should have done, then we would probably be getting another 10-20% of power. Actually, after first installing it on the top step we then discovered that on a reach it would hit the boom. So we then moved it down and aft one step so that it is now clear. Unfortunately that means it is even lower than it was originally. Not ideal, but what can you do?

It is exceedingly quiet.

The only downside is that at 15kgs it is heavy. That means you do need a very sturdy support. We saw one ketch with a wind generator at the top of their mizzen mast. Great for getting lots of wind, but I certainly wouldn’t want to put all the weight of a D-400 all the way up there!

 Update: May 2013

We have now had the wind generator going for almost 3 years. We still love it. But there have been some developments:

1) While at anchor in a bay in Vulcano Island, just north of Sicily, we had a storm pass through with winds up to about 40 45 kts. The windgenerator should have been able to handle that. but at about midnight we heard a big bang, and then a whole host of vibration. The windgenerator had shed 4 of the 5 blades! All of them were snapped off at the base, leaving just one that was still going around but with inevitable huge vibration.

We tied it up, and noticed a chip in the gel coat on the deck below. Clearly those flying blades were going at quite the speed.

Eclectic were very good, and sent us a supply of new blades for 50% price (which wasn’t too much). Their theory was that there may have been some additional forces as the unit swung around in eddies. I don’t know. But it really should have been able to handle those kind of winds (and has done before then). Since we had to have the blades sent to the UK, we have only just installed them.

D-400 wind generator with addition to the tail, and our not-patented device for tying it up in a blow.

D-400 wind generator with addition to the tail, and our not-patented device for tying it up in a blow. (The boat is on the hard in Monastir, Tunisia, which is why the rocks behind us are so close!)

2) We have noticed that at times the unit does little pirouettes – 360 deg turns even though the wind appears to be fairly steady. We had read previously that some other people had found that, and we noticed our neighbour in Marina di Ragusa over the winter had added a bit onto the tail of his to make it more directionally stable. So we decided to do the same, using some free polycarbonate that was discarded by a store. Since we have added that I have to say that it has been MUCH more directionally stable – and maybe that might also prevent a recurrence of the Vulcano incident.

If you do this yourself, you will need to find a good heat gun to bend the bottom edge of the lexan to match the tail. We had the stainless steel guy in Monastir boat yard do it for us. Here is a tip: put a couple of washers between the Lexan and the original tail so that there is a clear gap between them – that prevents dirt from accumulating in the crack and spoiling the look!

3) Stopping the wind generator in a blow is tricky – you switch the switch to the ‘brake’ position. Then you turn the blades out of the wind by pulling the string on the tail.

And then, somehow, you have to tie up the blades. That is NOT easy. So I devised a simple gadget, made out of two short pieces of plumbing piping bolted together, that makes it an absolute doddle. You just slip a broom handle into the smaller pipe, slide the bigger pipe over one of the blades, and then tie the whole assembly to the pole. Done.

2 Responses to “Eclectic Energy D-400 Wind Generator Review”

  • Rob:

    Hello,
    It is September 2018 and I am collecting information the D400 and 90% sure I will buy one (there is a 10% discount during Southampton Boatshow). You have the geonerator 8 years now and I was wondering if you are still happy with it. Would you mind to let me know what you think now about the D400?

    Thanks in advance,
    Rob

    • Noel:

      Yep, apart from that one time when we lost all the blades in a storm, it has been performing fabulously. Don’t hesitate to get one.

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