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Members' Online Book: Alternative Energy For Voyaging, Chapter 6 of 6

Watt & Sea Hydro Generator Review

AndySchell Published Aug 4, 2017 34 comments Updated April 11, 2018

‘Wattsson’, a Watt & Sea 600 watt hydro generator, has become part of the Isbjorn (our Swan 48) family. He joins ‘R2-D2’, our autopilot, as simultaneously our most and least favourite pieces of gear on the boat.

We sail Isbjorn 10,000 miles a year, and Wattsson happily hums along, day and night, providing all of our electrical needs at sea and then some. However, it’s taken a full year and nearly $10,000 to finally work out the kinks, but I still think he is worth it…to us. Here’s why, and why he might not be worth it to you.

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Meet the Author

AndySchell

Andy grew up sailing on the Chesapeake Bay and spent a year cruising Bahamas with his family. He met Mia on a backpacking trip in New Zealand in 2006, and the two have been seeking adventures together ever since. They've logged over 70,000 bluewater miles and have crossed the Atlantic a combined nine times (5 for Mia, 4 for Andy). Andy and Mia share their love of offshore sailing by taking paying crew on voyages on their Swan 48 "Isbjorn" and through their wildly popular podcast On The Wind Andy & Mia are based in Sweden when they're off the boat & love endurance sports!

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Alternative Energy For Voyaging

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Solar, wind and hydro generation, it’s all here—real practical advice from an experienced voyager who has walked the walk, not just talked the talk.

Anchoring Made Easy—Gear

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Anchoring Made Easy—Technique

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There are few activities in the voyaging life that cause more anxiety and stress than anchoring, so here are the techniques you need to get anchored and stay anchored every time.

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Most sailors have thought about transitioning to a power boat, even if only as a way to stay on the water as we age. Here are the issues and options for a sailor’s power boat.

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The critical issues that you need to understand before you buy a cruising boat. Time-tested tips to help you determine what really matters.

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Nothing on this website or in direct communications received from us, or in our articles in the media, should be construed to mean or imply that offshore voyaging is anything other than potentially hazardous. Dangers such as, but not limited to, extreme weather, cold, ice, lack of help or assistance, gear failure, grounding, and falling overboard could injure or kill you and wreck your boat.

Decisions such as, but not limited to, heading offshore, where you go, and how you equip your boat, are yours and yours alone. The information on this web site is based on what has worked for the authors in the past, but that does not mean it will work for you, or that it is the best, or even a good way for you to do things.