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I should’ve mentioned the Home Depot insecticide can is made of heavy-duty, orange-colored plastic, not metal.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Cada,
That’s happy news about the Powerline. They’ve been around long enough that I’d be surprised to hear otherwise. I hope I fair as well with the Delco alternator I’m getting. Will let you all know in a few years.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Will do. Thanks, Quent.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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EPILOGUE
I’m back from the guru’s shop. He agrees with all of you that a 120-amp alternator will eat a single 1/2″ belt
in no time. When I asked, then, how come Powerline sells their 120-amp alternator for single-belt drive, he
said it’s because Powerline over-rates their alternators. He has bench-tested some Powerline’s and they did
not put out their rated amperage. So maybe a Powerline 120 is in fact closer to 100 in terms of output and
what’s needed to drive it.So, once again I stand corrected by all you smart guys and thank you for it.
My solution is going to be a compromise. This shop will modify a Delco CS-130 105-amp alternator for me in
this way:– remove internal regulator
– change pulley to 1/2″ V
– ad tach wire connection
– set field (positive or negative) according to the regulator I buy
– paint inside & out with Rustoleum while disassembled
– all this for right around $200This Delco matches perfectly the footprint of the 80-amp Yanmar alternator I’m replacing. Looks like it’ll be
a straightforward bolt-on-as-is installation. So I can put the original Yanmar alternator back on quickly and
easily if the need ever arises. I’ll leave the original plug-in harness in place for this eventuality.The down side is this Delco is not “heavy duty.” According to the guru, there is no HD alternator that’ll just
bolt on. They’ll all require substantial reconfiguration of the mounting bracket, bolt sizes, belt and pulleys
all around. I just don’t want to go there at this time. On the encouraging side, the Delco I’m getting is made
to operate in temperatures up to 400°, so it should withstand the hot high-charge periods better than some
others. It has two cooling fans instead of just one, welded terminals inside instead of soldered, and other
features designed for hot running – a pretty robust little machine. In fact, it’s noticeably smaller than the
80-amp Yanmar unit I’m replacing. Guru says this is because the Yanmar alternator is a 1970’s design they’re
still using. The Delco is a 1990’s design. It shows. Guru has sold these Delco’s to a number of sailors to use
as I will be using it and said none have come back to him so far. For 200-bucks and an instant installation,
I’m happy to give it a shot.Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Bob,
I once talked to my local guru, Electric Bob, about switching an internally regulated alternator to externally smart-regulated. He said he does it all the time. Beyond that, I know nothing. You might ask your local alternator shop mechanic about this.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Rich,
As religious as anchoring. Amen.
It is safer, perhaps, to quote someone else, but not necessarily more conclusive. Powerline sells a High Output Alternator Kit for the Yanmar diesel engine. Both their 100-amp and 120-amp alternators are single 1/2″ belt: http://e-marine-inc.com/products/alternators/catalina.html Seems like they’ve been in business long enough to know whether this is going to be problematic.
I’m the neophyte here, just absorbing all this much appreciated input. It appears that driving a 120-amp alternator with a single 1/2″ belt is, at worst, borderline. If belt breakage becomes an issue the maximum output can be toned down with the regulator, or so I’m told, with the disadvantage of having paid a little more for the bigger alternator up front, but the advantage of then running a cooler unit, which should translate in to greater longevity. Can I get an Amen!
I’m off to see Electric Bob this morning. He’s our local alternator guru. Will let you know if anything remarkable results.
Thanks again,
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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All good info, Quent. Thanks. It does get confusing when so many knowledgeable people with real, hands-on experience produce so many recommendations that re-prioritize, contradict, confound and otherwise differ so widely. I had a single-belt-driven Balmar 100- or 110-amp alternator powered by a small Yanmar engine on my last cruising boat and never had a belt so much as slip in 3,600 engine hours over 6 years and 30,000-odd miles. No broken belts, no crankshaft issues, no overloads or underloads, no battery failures – nothing like that. Maybe I was just lucky.
Your 200-amps worth of alternators is the biggest load I’ve heard of on a cruising boat in our size range. Enviable, to be sure, but perhaps that had something to do with frying the Xantrex regulators. Or maybe not. Electricity is still a supernatural phenomenon to me.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Thanks, Bob. The single-belt alternator size limit seems to depend on who you’re talking to (to whom you’re talking?), and what belt you’re using. There’s a guy down the dock who owned a successful marine electronics company in Seattle for many years. His specialty was designing/installing electrical and electronics systems in large yachts, but he’s a sailor and knows all about our particular needs. He has disassembled, modified and reassembled countless Balmar’s and others. Knows every chip and wire in there. He said I could safely run up to a 130-amp alternator with my Yanmar’s single 1/2″ belt. I’m going for a 120-amp unit just to be one step on the safer side. And if it turns out he’s wrong, which would surprise me, I can easily tone down my 120-amp alternator with the smart regulator so that it never exceeds 100-amps output. It will then run cooler and last longer than a 100-amp unit because it won’t have to work as hard to produce the same amps.
There, see what happens when you become an expert in some arcane boat refit subject in a 24-hour time span?
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Rich,
Well, I got most of that. I was told that you can set a top-end limit with the smart regulator so that even a 160-amp alternator will never put out more than, say, 120 amps (or whatever limit you set), and would then not be so hard on belts. On the surface this might seem like a waste of output potential, but in this configuration the alternator will never work hard enough to get more than lukewarm and will probably last forever. Or so I’m told. Personally, I know nothing.
Of course, the problem with putting on such a large alternator is that it can’t possibly fit my existing bracket, and it weighs a lot. I’m looking for the happiest compromise between charging power and ease of installation. There is added value to being able to bolt my original Yanmar alternator back on instantly if the need arises.
I will look at the Powerline package you recommend, and will also check out the Napa/Xantrex approach for a comparison. From what I’ve heard so far, it seems like the latter approach might cost half as much as Powerline. That’s a point to consider, but not necessarily the decisive factor. I realize there are some apples-to-oranges differences here.
Thanks again,
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Hi Rich,
I should’ve known you’d be the guy who’d know about this stuff. I’ve actually learned a few things around here since I posted my query this morning. My new engine came with a 1/2″ belt, a ribbed V, so I’m probably good with that to drive up to a 120 to 130 amp alternator. I’m figuring on 120 amps. I’m not going to get into the second alternator approach. As you pointed out, it gets way to complicated for my needs. Instead, I’ll stow my 85-amp, internally regulated Yanmar alternator as a back-up and replace it with the bigger unit, hopefully one that fits the existing mounting footprint. A mechanic buddy of mine suggested I take the 85-amp alternator in to NAPA and tell them I want to buy an externally regulated 120-amp heavy duty automotive replacement – something made for a truck, ambulance, RV or other high-demand application – with the same footprint as my Yanmar alternator so it’ll bolt onto the bracket I’ve got. He seemed pretty sure they can match it up for me. I’ll find out tomorrow.
Also learned from my electronics wiz friend that I’d do best buying a Xantrex smart regulator for whatever new alternator I get. Xantrex’s is a simplified version of the Balmar 512. Both are programmable, the Xantrex having fewer options, but plenty for my simple needs.
I’ve got the Yanmar alternator out now. Tomorrow’s a new day.
Thanks for your much appreciated input.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Yes, that’s the page I used, but as you can see I cleaned it up and enhanced it a bit to emphasize the straps for the lift operator. Didn’t want him distracted.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Bummer. I know there are some good yards and, presumably, riggers in Mamaroneck, NY, but I don’t have any specific names. Must be some closer to Brooklyn on Long Island, too.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Ah, verily.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Laundry in the shower seat is a neat idea, the first practical use I’ve heard for that space, but the trick is to maximize the jostling motion. More often than not (and especially going to windward), that’ll happen at bow.
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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Yeah, but the mizzen staysail looks so cool flying.
Tor
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Silver Heels, P-424 #17
http://www.SilverHeels.us
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