This question relates to the Aquair 100 tow generator. I am the owner of Tony Gooch 's TAONUI and am preparing for a rather long, solo loop starting from San Francisco in the fall of this year (more here: www.figure8voyage.com).

I intend to rely on hydrogeneration for the majority of my power and am about to close on an Aquair 100.

My reason for choosing this tech over the newer Watt and Sea, for example, is 1) cost and 2) a lack of room on the transom.

I have researched the Aquair and think it suitable to my power needs, but would be interested in others ' experiences, especially as relate to dependability and durability (I will need it to work every day for the better part of a year) and any day-in-day-out use issues. For example, some think that the propeller being dragged is prone to being eaten by sharks, though my research tends to suggest this more a myth than a fact. I also wonder about wear and chafe on the tow line if used daily. Etc.

Many thanks in advance,

Randall

Hi Randall,
May I suggest you look at the DuoGen. We have used ours over the last 12 years, and in the water mode it is superb if sailing at 6 knots we make 8 amps on average. No danger of being eaten by sharks, no 30 metre line to tow behind. You should give it serious consideration. Price is more than Aquair Tow, but much less than Watt and Amp. The company also do a model just in water mode now I understand, eclectic-energy.co.uk
Good luck with the passage
Brian
s/v Darramy

Thanks for the thoughts, Brian. I 've not considered the DG because I don 't really want another hole in the transom and because the attachment seems weak for a vessel that will be spending several months in very heavy seas. Do you have any experience of the DG and its attachment in heavy weather?

You suggest trailing a line of 30m is disadvantageous. Why?

Best,

RR

Hi again Randall,
I have been using the Duo Gen since 2003. I am actually on my second one replacing a mark one with a mark 3. All products have problems over a long period of use. I had rebuilt the Mk 1 several times. Mk3 is now 4 years, and only replace bearings last year, We live aboard and so it gets a lot of use. I have found the attachment quite satisfactory whatever the weather and sea conditions. Recover out of the water is fairly simple I have recovery line I pass through a block to ease the job. I have heard that recovery of the Aquair is not easy with a long line. A friend did have his attacked by large fish (shark)? It bent the propeller, so that buggered it. He fortunately had a spare. I feel that the ones close to the boat are a vast improvement in power output and efficiency. Similar to a new generation, things have moved on. Have a look at the DG site. I see now they do a water one only, it seems to use the same components as the DG. I have found them to be a good company to deal with. Hope this helps.
Brian

I agree with comments on Duogen although I have only had one for 11 years - including 16 Atlantic crossings. Also service from Eclectic Energy has always been excellent.
Dan on Eschaton

Hi, we 've just completed a circumnavigation with a Duogen. It works very well for us. Not too many issues or breakages even crossing the Indian Ocean. Not much drag either which I believe is an issue with the tow generator you 're thinking of using. Also no holes in the transom, it mounts on your pushpit!

Hi, I have an Aquair-100 tow generator. I towed it back and fore across the Atlantic without problems. It solved our electric needs perfectly, but we run only navigation instruments, lights and a very costly and efficient Waecon coolbox. It starts producing current from 3.5 - 4 kn and gives a few amps at higher speeds. At times we had to switch it off to prevent overloading of the batteries. The shark story may be true as we have found spiral scratches on the tow-fin, obviously teeth marks. So we carry a spare fin.
The unit once failed without any apparent reason. I contacted the manufacturer, but they appeared to have gone bankrupt. The production had been taken over by another company but, because they were just starting, they could not provide us with a spare. Finally it turned out there was a break in one of the leads inside the outcoming cable. It could be easily fixed. Another time it failed because the fin had collected a bunch of sea weed.
It is indeed a bit cumbersome to retreive a towed unit. You can not grab and hold the tow line, it is much to powerful. So you have to stop the boat by going into the wind. Another method seems to be sending a fender down along the tow line that will stop the fin from turning. But I have no experience on that.
I never noticed a serious effect of drag. I reckon every device that takes some power from the speed of the boat will cause some drag.

I ran duogen 2005- 20014 . No problems with heavy weather . Much better i water mode than air mode . I replaced it in 2014 with the sail gen that bian mentions . Similar output to the watt and sea but half the cost . Very little dragand so easy to pull out of the water underway . My undersail on passage useage is 10-12 amp/ hr . It makes this .I do not motor on passage in normal circumstances

We 've had ours for 2 years. 6 kts = 6 amps. Never had any problem with the long line. wear gloves to deploy and haul in ! Loss of speed is minimal. Aquair have gone bust however so spares may be a problem in the future.
All the best,
Chris

We have an Aquair 100 with the additional "hoist in rigging kit". both towed and as a wind gen it is very good. at 6kts it makes 3-4 amps 12va and does not affect speed (needs about 22 kts of wind to do same when air driven). We have a regulator to dump excess power to a resistor.
I know the company moved from Poole uk to N Ireland 2 years ago and have heard they no longer make the Aquair 100. It is very robust so think about getting a second hand unit.
Andy
Venture Lady