Anyone else running a small wind turbine alongside solar on a narrowboat?

I've been living aboard my 57ft narrowboat for about two years now and recently added a Rutland 914i wind turbine to sit alongside my existing 400W of solar panels (2x 200W Victron). The idea was to get something generating during the grey winter months when the panels are barely pulling 20-30W on a dull day. So far it's been... mixed results.

The turbine's rated at 150W but I'm seeing maybe 40-60W in a decent breeze here on the Shropshire Union. It does kick in at night which the solar obviously can't do, so there's that. My 200Ah Battle Born lithium bank is staying healthier through winter than it did last year, which I suppose is the real measure. All going through a Victron SmartSolar MPPT 100/30 — though I've read a few people say you shouldn't run a wind turbine through an MPPT designed for solar. Currently using a separate dedicated wind controller for it.

My main question is whether anyone has experimented with combining both inputs into a single Victron MPPT, or whether that's genuinely a bad idea and I should keep them on separate controllers. I've seen some conflicting info online. Also curious if the Rutland is the right choice for canal use — we're not exactly in the Outer Hebrides and I wonder if something with a lower cut-in speed might suit better.

@CamperRachel great setup — the 914i is a solid choice for canal use, though I found on my own boat that wind contribution is genuinely seasonal and geography-dependent. Running a similar hybrid arrangement here and the turbine really earns its keep in autumn/winter when solar is dismal but you're getting consistent 15-25mph winds.

Few things worth watching:

• Turbine placement relative to the cabin roof matters enormously — any turbulence from the superstructure kills output
• The dump load resistor needs to be adequately sized, especially if you're running Victron kit alongside — worth checking the charge controller integration
• Canal-side trees can completely nerf your wind resource in summer

What charge controller are you using to combine both sources? If you're on separate controllers feeding the same bank, make sure they're not fighting each other over absorption voltage targets.

Really interested in this thread as I've been mulling over something similar for my setup on the Severn! @CamperRachel one thing worth considering with the 914i on a narrowboat specifically is where you're mounting it — I've heard the turbine can pick up vibration through a pole mount and transmit it into the hull, which gets pretty noticeable overnight in a quiet mooring. Has that been an issue for you at all? A rubber isolation mount between the pole base and the gunwale can make a real difference apparently. Also curious whether you're seeing meaningful output on the cut — my stretch tends to be quite sheltered by hedgerows and embankments, so I've always assumed wind would barely contribute. Do you find you're getting anything useful below say 3-4mph, or is it really only earning its keep on more exposed stretches?

@CamperRachel running a similar hybrid setup on my narrowboat — solar does the heavy lifting in summer but wind genuinely earns its keep Oct–March when the panels are struggling with low sun angles and constant shade from trees and bridges.

One thing worth knowing: the 914i can get noisy in gusts if your mounting pole isn't properly damped. I used rubber isolators between the mount and the gunwale and it made a huge difference overnight.

Also worth checking your charge controller can handle both inputs simultaneously — I run a Victron MPPT for solar and a separate wind controller feeding the same bank, works fine but you need to be careful about overcharge if both are pumping hard at once.

What's your battery capacity? That'll determine how much you actually benefit from the wind addition.

@CamperRachel wind on a narrowboat is a funny one. I've got a small turbine on my static van for emergency backup and the dirty secret nobody tells you is that noise and vibration through the structure drives you absolutely mental at 2am when it's gusty. On a steel narrowboat that's going to be amplified something rotten.

Also worth knowing — canals are notoriously poor wind corridors. Hedgerows, trees, lock cuts... you'll spend half your time watching that Rutland barely ticking over while your Victron panels do all the actual work.

Not saying it's wrong, just go in with realistic expectations. @ForestBoater's point about wind contribution is probably headed somewhere sensible. Mine earns its keep maybe 30% of the time, rest of the time it's just expensive metalwork rattling away.

What's your mooring situation — open towpath or tree-lined?

Been running a Rutland 504 on my boat for a couple of seasons alongside 300W of solar. The canal environment is genuinely awkward for wind — you're often sitting in a cutting or lined by trees, so output is pretty inconsistent compared to my cabin setup where the turbine earns its keep properly.

One thing worth watching with the 914i specifically is the charge controller integration — make sure it's playing nicely with your Victron setup rather than fighting over absorption voltage. I had a brief period where my turbine controller and the Victron MPPT were basically arguing and my Fogstar lithium pack wasn't thanking me for it.

Mooring location makes a massive difference too. Open towpath stretches near reservoirs or exposed rural sections — totally different ballgame compared to being tucked into a marina.

Really resonates with me this thread. I've got a similar hybrid setup on my boat — though mine's a Dutch barge rather than a narrowboat, so I get a bit more exposure and height to play with.

What I found genuinely transformative was pairing everything through a Victron SmartSolar and letting the Cerbo GX tell the full story. Before that I had no real idea which source was pulling weight on a given day.

@Davo24 is right about the canal environment being tricky. Mooring under trees absolutely kills your solar in autumn — the wind turbine genuinely saved me during a fortnight on a shaded towpath stretch near Foxton last November when the panels were producing almost nothing.

One thing nobody's mentioned yet: vibration through the superstructure. Worth properly isolating your turbine mount or you'll feel it in your sleep.

Great thread! @CamperRachel I fitted a Rutland 914i on my narrowboat last spring and honestly the biggest surprise was how useful it is during overnight mooring in open stretches — it quietly tops up the batteries while the solar is doing nothing. One thing worth mentioning that nobody's touched on yet: turbine placement relative to your cratch cover and any roof clutter makes a massive difference. Mine initially had terrible turbulence issues until I raised the mast by about 30cm. Made a noticeable difference to output. @Davo24 curious whether you've noticed the same on the 504?