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From: Larry DeMers (no email)
Date: Mon Apr 02 2001 - 07:57:25 EDT
Tom,
Any ideas as to who is selling the Hitachi or Leese Nelville units? I have not
seent hem in the catalogs, but if they are as popular as the survey suggests,
then there has to be a good source somewhere. It just so happens that I was
looking at Balmar 75A units this weekend. Pretty pricey alright.
Thanks,
Larry DeMers
s/v DeLaMer
Cape Dory 30
Tom O'Meara wrote:
> At 06:19 PM 3/28/01 -0800, Richard Tomkinson wrote:
> >Stop fooling with hocky ideas of remaking alternators.
> >
> >Do your own research. Go to Ample Power web sit and Balmar web site and read
> >every word on alternators. These guys are serious suppliers who really know
> >their products and applications.
> >
> >Then spend some money, this time on an informed basis.
> >
> >I am not advocating you buy an Ample or Balmar alternator, just that you get
> >serious about the solution.
> >Richard
>
> Serious? Um, OK Richard... I'm SERIOUS! :)
>
> The last one of these "hocky" (sic) alternators I had ran perfectly for 6
> years and may be running still.
>
> As to your exhortation to "spend some money", well, OK. I did that. I
> spent about $75.00.
>
> Lets see now, West Marine sells the Balmar "94-124" for $999.00. When we
> work the numbers on this we find that I can use and just throw away 13
> (thirteen) of the converted alternators for the price of 1 (one) Balmar.
>
> Since, in my own experience, the "hocky" alternator lasted six years, that
> comes to at least 78 (seventy-eight) years of useful life. Balmars are
> probably good alternators (see below), but I do not believe one will last
> 78 years. As for Ample Power units, I would not have one aboard my boat
> (also see below).
>
> Since I will probably not be here 78 years from now, no matter how hard I
> try otherwise, the expenditure of $75 bucks a whack for an alternator
> during this lifetime is fine with me.
>
> Especially in my application. I have a Bukh (Westerbeke) DV-20
> diesel. This little 20 hp diesel will have no problems spinning the
> Delco. The alternator is externally regulated and there will be a switch
> in the winding lead to disable the alternator and remove the load
> entirely. This will take some monitoring on my part, but what the hell,
> life is hard and then you die.
>
> Now, as to the brilliant reputation of Balmar and, especially, Ample
> Power... I have in my hand the latest SSCA Cruising Equipment Survey...
>
> Survey says....
>
> The Ample Power alternators finished number 11 out of 12. Thats right...
> next to dead last. They were blessed with a rating that equated their
> equipment with, to use a technical term, "crap".
>
> The only alternator rated worse was a Prestolite and it was stuck down
> there because only one respondent rated them at all and he was not a happy
> camper, thereby skewing the results.
>
> The Balmar and Delco alternators were right on the average score of
> 1.75. Balmar being rated 1.75 and Delco being rated 1.90. They were rated
> numbers 8 and 9 respectively with an almost identical "complaint" rate
> (0.10 and 0.11)
>
> By the way, Hitachi and Leece Neville were rated numbers 1 and 2 respectively.
>
> So, Richard, I would urge you to go forth and follow your own advice...
> "get serious about a solution" and "do research". I did that and am
> perfectly happy to live with the result.
>
> Fair Winds,
>
> Tom
>
> -==-
>
> Lavac Marine Toilets
>
> http://www.lavac.com
>
> Order Line: 800-544-2132
>
> Fax: 904-284-4472
>
> Technical Support:
>
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