- You can build a pole mount with a 4 inch piece of steel pipe welded
to a 5 foot by 1 inch all thread or pipe.
Insert this in a 1 1/2 inch pipe and grease up some fender washers
(or buy a bushing) and if you want to spend the bucks use stainless:
expect to pay $300 or more for parts and welding if you do.
If you just use steel and paint it these are under $30.00 to make plus
about $10.00 in welding. I don't use these, but most sailboat wind
generators do: a pipe/mini=mast in another pipe that can swivel with
the wind.
- What I use:
I live at anchor: my bow always points into the wind. My primary
generator is on my mizzen mast that always faces forward. This does NOT
rotate! So when I am sailing down wind this generator is worthless except
to help push the boat down wind...heh heh.
I use 3/8 inch by 6 inch bolts with SPRING TYPE BUTTERFLY NUTS
in the mast, pressed against rubber pads to reduce vibration and
corrosion and gooped up with black silicon rubber so they don't
unscrew easily. To further reduce corrosion and vibration I buy
4 feet of 1 1/2 nylon tubing and slip it over the 1 inch
stainless tubes and drill and bolt through everything.
Instead of just cutting the 4 inch pipe I welded tabs on the edge
and through bolted them.
- I like having a second generator I can 'fly' from the
halyards. You can make one of these with a 4 inch pipe and 7
feet of 1 inch pipe. These will rotate if you use swivel type
eyes on the end. To keep it stronger I only cut half the 4 inch
stainless pipe and use double hose clamps to keep it together
once launched.
By far the simplest mount is made from 1/2 inch
or 3/4 inch water pipe (below). You can't see the
2 foot piece of pipe that goes down into the mast
and a simple bungy chord can keep it from 'flying away',
although with all the wires and weight, that's unlikely.
You could also screw a fat pipe cap on the end of the
2 foot vertical pipe and then screw a fitting on the top
of the pole/mast with a hole/opening larger enough for
the vertical pipe, but too small for the larger pipe
cap below it.
Notice in the rear view you can see there is a 90 elbow
screwed into the 3 way T. And on the other side of that
T there is a NIPPLE and then a 90 degree elbow. This makes
the rig OFF CENTER which helps it turn away from the wind
when things get stormy. When a gen turns away from the wind
the power on the blades is much less, reducing the chances
of burning out the ametek motors which can be sensitive to
hurricane conditions - we suggest you shut them down if winds
are going to be over 35-50 knots.
