Generator sizing

[Anonymous]

I will be living on a boat and using three wind turbines for power to the boat motor and other incidentals. The turbines will put out 4500 watts at full power. The boat motor need 4300 watts to run at 5 knots. So, if the wind don’t blow and I got to go, I need a generator. Should I get a generator with enough juice to run the motor, or a smaller one that can run longer, but will not take up the space I need. I am also wanting something very quiet. The honda 3000 was a nice generator but they do not make it in propane. I would prefer to only carry lp on board. Any thoughts.

[elnav]

Sounds like you are planning to use Torqueda electric outboards. That 4300 W rating is at full power. You do not have to use that much.

I saw a Yamaha generator and it was available for natural gas which means it can run on propane as well. Even a 2kW genset can charge up a battery bank. Most boats need and use ballast so my suggestion is to use your battery bank as the ballast. I would also suggest using the sealed AGM battery type since they have better peak current discharge while retaining the deep cycle characteristics.

Some of my designs have incorporated these ‘portable’ generators instead of the marinized built-in types. Its a good way to go.

[Author]

Posts