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, 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.