the alternators put out little power at the RPMs needed for our boats to go a good cruising speed. the 4HP Suzuki on my M17 is running at less than 50% to reach cruise speed. the stated alternator output is based on the motor running near full power; as done for power boats running on a plane. to get specifics need to put an amp-meter on the system to confirm what power is being generated ... and then figure the loss between the alternator and the battery. -- :: Dave Scobie :: former M15 owner - www.freewebs.com/m15-named-scred :: M17 #375 SWEET PEA - www.m17-375.webs.com On Fri, Sep 18, 2015 at 12:30 PM, John Schinnerer <john@eco-living.net> wrote:
The Tohatsu web site shows the alternator as an option on the 5hp and 4hp. As far as I can tell it's the same exact motor, with reduced hp for the 5 and 4. Same castings and housing etc., but the alternator is not standard except on the sail pro 6hp model.
If you can add it on for a reasonable cost it could be worth it. It will actually put some juice in your battery if you are motoring for a few hours here and there.
In the same timeframe you will get nothing much from solar panels you can fit on a boat our size, unless you cover your topsides with amorphous thin-film photovoltaic material (theoretically possible these days, but doesn't work well as non-skid decking... :-).
cheers, John S.