Electromaax Feedback & Reviews

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Electromaax
Average rating:  
 44 reviews
 by Kevin
We love everything we have from Electromaax

We can't say how much we love everything we have from Electromaax. The GenMaax makes us feel great knowing we can always have plenty of power, and the SolarMaax does the same for water. The flush for the SolarMaax makes it easy to keep it in service when we are not on the hook, and not having to pickle it over and over is great.

Kevin

 by Marco Heitz
Great systems

Electromaax was recommended to me by another Canadian ABYC marine electrician and being also a Canadian manufactured product, I offered it as one of two options for a twin Volvo engine installation integrated with Victron products. The installation went smoothly onto twin 260hp Volvos as primary alternators, replacing the Volvo OEM ones. After noticing a glitch under very specific conditions in a demanding search-and-rescue vessel, Electromaax produced an updated regulator that solved the glitch. I've since worked on several boats that have Electromaax systems and have come across only happy customers. The products are well built, look great, easy to install, and they're staff is always ready to help if need.

 by Ken R
Pleased with New Alternator and Great Customer Service

Thanks to John and Jennifer for the fantastic customer service. I'm very pleased with the new alternator and serpentine pulley kit! Will recommend to others!

SV Relentless
St. John's, Newfoundland

 by Roger
Excellent Company and Product

I can’t speak highly enough of my experience with Electromaax:

Several years ago I started planning an extended voyage from Lake Ontario to the Caribbean. In preparation I upgraded to lithium batteries, and in research for a high powered alternator found Electromaax; a local company with an excellent product and solid technical support. I purchased the Serpentine belt upgrade along with a GenMaax 215 Amp Super-High output alternator, and an enhanced regulator.

Electromaax have always been there for me as boat preparation continued. As installation progressed there were mistakes made (mine) that required repairs and some replacement. Electromaax repaired and/or replaced parts quickly.

Tech support has always been responsive (by email, phone and on occasion through remote control of the system). A last issue was identified after the journey began; Tech support identified the issue through review of data logs, and John quickly arranged shipment of replacement parts to the next port of call.

One of the upgrades I planned was a 12 volt desalinator . After my experience with Electromaax I had no hesitation in purchasing their SolarMaax Marine Watermaker. Installation was relatively straight forward, and I can report after using it for 2 months it produces exactly as promised! It is remarkably quiet and power draw is quite manageable.

I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Electromaax and their products to any boater looking to upgrade systems or planning an extended journey by boat. They are knowledgeable, honest, and responsive. I only wish other businesses provided as good service and product!

 by Steve
Thank You for Your Support!

I just want to thank you for your support in getting my pulley system squared away. The tech support did a very professional job on the spacer and it fit and worked perfectly. Very pleased with the way it turned out.

Thanks again, Steve

 by Chip Handewith
These Guys Are The Best

These guys are the best! I first found ElectroMaax 5 years ago when I was upgrading my charging on my boat. Not only are they knowledgeable about boat electronics but sailors themselves. My system has worked fantastic for the last five years and now I am ready to upgrade to the latest thulium tech. John spent close to an hour on the phone with me answering all of my questions and educating me on things that I had not thought of. I know of no other companies with this level of personal service and i cant recommend them enough.

Thanks, Chip

 by Daryl Hunt
Very Satisfied with SolarMaax 10 Watermaker

The system worked flawlessly after a few “hiccups” with the initial system install and we were able to generate 8 gal/hr of drinking water with 140-150 ppm TDS on average while at anchor throughout the Bahamas. The system drew 6-8 amps while running which was no problem for our 500 amp hour 12V house bank of ElectroMaax LiFePO batteries charged by 510 watts of solar and occasional ElectroMaax alternator use. Now back in the US for the summer, it was easy to “pickle” the system for storage. We are very satisfied with the systems and service provided by ElectroMaax.

 by Mike Wheatstone
I Upgraded My Original System to the New Solarmaax

I have had Electromaax products on our two boats for over 10 years, starting with alternators and serpentine belt kits and now extending to watermakers. Electromaax initially offered a system based on a high pressure water pump. I purchased this system, however after a season found it noisy, energy hungry and the pressure regulating valve needed constant baby sitting, especially if underway. Staying in touch with Electromaax, I was very interested when John told me about a new watermaker they were working on that would solve my issues. Working with David Smith, one half of the team that created Spectra, Electromaax developed an improved energy recovery based watermaker.

I upgraded my original system to the new Solarmaax model and was very happy to see John had been correct in his description of the new system. Much quieter than my previous system, the most notable sound now is a muted pump running hum and a soft thunk as the piston travel reverses. The new system is easy to operate and does not require continuous baby sitting as there is no pressure regulating valve. Drawing about 8A, I can run the system for several hours each day on our solar array to keep the water tank filled. As I have come to expect from Electromaax, they continue to make small incremental changes to the system to improve performance and ease of manufacture, my threaded end cap system for example, now replaced by a bolted end cap scheme.

I like the independence of being able to produce our own water and the new Clark Pump Solarmaax system allows this to happen very simply.

 by Seth Mixon
I Highly Recommend You, Your Team, and Your Products for Anyone in Need!

Good day holidays Electromaax!

I am writing to you to express the great gratitude my wife and I have for the amazing products, service, support, professionalism, commitment, and care we received from you this year.

For more than two years my wife and I dreamt of upgrading our 1989 Ericson 38-200 - Astral's engine alternator and charging system to match the work we had done with the ship's Battleborn / Victron based electrical system. When we first bought the boat we decided we wanted an electric boat and did not want to deal with the ship's compressed gas system. We immediately uninstalled all of it including the cooker.

A Victron Multiplus 12/3000 was installed with a small 200 amp Battle Born LiFePO4 house bank in conjunction with a Northstar AGM start battery for the engine. An induction cooktop and convection / microwave oven were installed. WE LOVE THEM BOTH! We initially installed a Sterling Power Alternator to Battery Charger that allowed the alternator to charge the LiFePO4 house bank and our Northstar AGM engine start battery.

We also installed a Sterling Power Products Alternator Protect to protect the engine alternator in the event the Battleborn's BMS shut them down due to any number of BMS system faults. The system worked great, but our 50 amp engine alternator barely gave us 25 to 30 amps at a reasonable RPM so this system was really only good for topping up the batteries - not to supply any real current to the system. At anchor we would break out the Harbor Freight Predator 2000w peak generator and dedicated cable to charge the batteries.

The genset along with the Victron Multiplus would give us about 90 amps of charge current. We could of course run the Mr. Coffee at the same time, but that would limit the charge current to around 45 or 50 amps, or we could run the induction cooktop or microwave while charging and they would gobble up everything being generated plus some battery. We can ofcourse run multiple items at one time with the Multiplus alone, but I am mainly trying to show how limited we are with the generator's output for the context of this summary.

My wife and I live on the boat full time and want the boat to essentially provide us with the same amenities at anchor as we have at the dock. The small generator was not fitting the bill. Additionally, I suffer from restless leg syndrome most nights. Warm showers are my goto treatment. A good supply of hot water is important for me. All of this is possible with the little generator, but not efficient by any stretch of the imagination.

As you can see, a high output alternator would vastly improve our situation. If we could produce 200 amps at a reasonable rpm, we could not only charge the batteries, we could cook or make coffee, AND we are making hot water at the same time. Our Westerbeke 44b4 burns less than .5/gph of diesel at cruising rpm (which is less than the Predator generator burns per hour of gasoline to produce 90 amps of charge current).

One can easily assess that the new system could be 200% more efficient. If we could find a system that was DIY friendly (of which I am terrified of major diesel engine work and of the magic pixies and the paths they need to take regarding alternators), then we could vastly improve our lives at anchor and save fuel and NOISE in the process. I looked at Balmar and read countless forums and watched many videos.

People always had a challenging time for one reason or another and my wife and I had far less experience than most. Fortunately my dad is an engineer which ultimately gave me the courage to take additional steps. One March 2021 evening while at anchor at Catalina Island and feeling horrible about the noise our little generator was creating in this beautiful anchorage, we decided it was time to find someone who could help us. We saw Clark of Youtube channel Emily and Clark's Adventure - specifically their video about diesel hacks - Boat DIESEL ENGINE Hacks & Oil Change [Capable Cruising]. After viewing that video I decided to give Electromaax a call. I spoke with John Steven's multiple times.

I explained to him the details of our current system, it's shortcomings, what we would like to accomplish now, and what other upgrades (electrical and H2O) we are planning to install before we sail off into the sunset. John assessed my skill set and our needs and suggested we consider the Electromaax 250amp high output alternator with external rectifier, his Pro charge regulator, regulator peripherals, and serpentine pulley kit for my Westerbeke 44b4.

I again expressed great concern about the installation. John double checked my system, having me take some images and measurements and reported back that with minor adjustments which are well within my skill set, the install would definitely be doable, though he could direct us to a professional installer if we wish. He assured me that his team would check all of the wiring etc remotely prior to system startup. John also included a number of different belt tensioning options - one of which ended up working perfectly with some modifications allowing me to easily tension the belt. My wife and I decided to go ahead with the purchase and attempt the installation!

We ultimately plan to install a high output AC powered water maker that will run off the Victron Multiplus or the small generator offering power supply redundancy for water production. With this system, we will easily be able to make up to 35 gallons of H2O, produce 100 amp hours of battery replenishment, and make hot water or any other number of possible combinations of consumers over the course of ONE HOUR and .5 GALLONS of diesel fuel while listening the the quiet hum of our westerbeke which is far more pleasant than a high pitched generator vibrating on the deck for three hours and more than three times the fuel to accomplish the same task.

The installation was not without event. I had never used a pair of calipers before and now found them to be my new best friend - ensuring that all of the pulleys are on the same plane. This was easily accomplished. The installation manual noted that some shimming may be required for installation. This was true for our install. We needed (2) shims - in our case flat washers between the front foot of the alternator and the engine mount. The original alternator we purchased was a single foot - just as the original alternator that came installed on the engine. Unfortunately, that single foot mount proved to be inadequate for our system. After shearing the mounting foot off of two separate alternators, John and his engineers had me collect more measurements and engineered a new mount specifically for my engine.

It's kind of interesting to note how there can be subtle differences in one model of an engine from basically the exact same model based on the parts available at time of manufacturing - this could mean slightly different water pump, alternator mounting arm, etc. We also found that the external rectifier was not functioning as well as John and his engineers would have liked. As a result, they engineered a brand new design for my system. That new design works amazingly well and is being offered to other 250 amp system owners now.

I would also like to comment on how my wife and I were treated by Electromaax when we had some of these growing pains while away from the dock on holiday on multiple occasions. John and team were there for us! John personally took my calls on the weekends and after hours and immediately overnighted material / parts at his expense to us on multiple occasions. One can not expect someone's small business to be open 24 hours a day though when we have problems we think they should be; though John made himself available to discuss problems and address solutions.

I know for a fact he took calls from me while he was on personal holiday! And all of this during lockdowns and supply chain uncertainties. In all, it took a number of months to work the bugs out of the system and end up where we are today. I can say without a shadow of a doubt that my wife and I are both extremely grateful for John, the Electromaax team, and our very powerful - dockside like power supply!

Electromaax posted a video overview of our system in operation. That video can be found here.

John and team, thank you so much for providing us with exactly what we needed and for making the process educational and successful!

I highly recommend you, your team, and your products for anyone in need!

 by Walter Heins
Gratitude For Your Support During My Boat's Battery & Charging System Upgrade

Jackie & John,

I have so much to say in gratitude for your support during my boat's battery & charging system upgrade that I must relay my comments in small bites.

To begin, I was astounded at the perfect fit of my new alternator. Replacing my OEM (Volvo/Penta D255) 115 amp alternator with your GenMAAX Super-High-Output (250 A, 12V) alternator was seamless. It fit the mounting brackets and aligned perfectly with my 5-groove serpentine belt. Having used it for two seasons now, I confidently attest that the serpentine belt drives it at full output without dusting. I've seen it produce the advertised "Super-High-Output" without excess engine RPM. Imagine that, 250 amps in the footprint of my old 115 A alternator.

In my situation, I needed additional length between the alternator and the remote rectifier. You engineered a good solution to extend the three power leads. It works like a champ without voltage drop or excess heating.

The alternator machining and manufacturing detail are exceptional. The alternator looks as good as it works. Kudos to your engineering and manufacturing teams.

- Walter Heins
S/V Golden Eagle
Ketchikan, Alaska

 by Chris Geankoplis
Smooth conversion and alternator running cooler!

John & Staff, Everything went smoothly without any problems with the conversion.

Under load the alternator is 20 degrees cooler and the belt and sheaves even more so. There is a bit of a chirping/chattering from the water pump or crank area but it goes away in 10 to 15 minutes and over all it is then more quiet than with the previous V-belt setup. The only thing I can think of is if the thrust bearing and roller bearing warm up a bit and “adjust” the alignment of the belt. Using a straight edge when cold all the sheaves are within 1 mm of each other and properly tensioned.

By the way, I love the tensioner.

Thanks for all your help from the whole staff up there in the great white north.

- Chris Geankoplis, S/V Enosis

 by Tim Geisler
I REALLY appreciate all your help to get us back out on the water!

Hey John, We just made it to the Bahamas!

Rafael and crew did a great job installing the alternator on our Lagoon 40. Please thank Rob for all his help talking Rafael the programming process for the alternator.

We motored all the way from Florida (about 24 hours) and the alternator did great. We kept an eye on the temperature via the USB hookup and all seemed fine.

Thanks for all your help getting this replaced John. I REALLY appreciate all your help to get us back out on the water.

Here is the latest issue of Cruising World magazine. That’s us on the cover, and they wrote a fantastic article about our sailing school and what we do.

Article - Learning to sail in the caribbean

- Tim Geisler, Nautilus Sailing

 by Eric Baier
GenMAAX... stunning and confirmed all the expectations!

John, we just returned from a week cruising up and down the Costa Brava, anchoring all the time, no marina for Power and Water!

After the installation of the replacement generator had been completed, we left the marina last Sunday. Motoring to and from an anchorage was the ideal opportunity to engage our two GenMaax alternators. What I saw was stunning and confirmed all the expectations I had when I decided to buy them as a major source of power, besides the Solar Array. Most of the time, I ran the engines @ 2000 rpm and what I saw was 100A from each GenMaax charging the House Batteries. So with two of them engaged, producing 200A I had my house batteries back from 70% to 100% in far less than an hour. Using the Lighthouse generator would take about 4 times as long!

Yes, I understand and used the generator when we had a high AC load, like stove and oven at the same time, but that was more a consideration to not overload the inverter than anything else.

In summary, I'm really happy about what I saw and I am convinced we could live without the Lighthouse Generator which saves significant weight and cost. That space could be used for the MasterVolt batteries and would allow the DC tech-space being dedicated 100% for DC and CZone circuitry, all in one space.

 by Mike Wheatstone
Highly recommend ElectroMaax pulley kits and alternators!

I have an ElectroMaax Cruiser 140, with serpentine belt/pulley kit and belt tensioner on a 2005 Hunter 36, Yanmar 3YM30 engine. I installed this setup in 2009 and it is still working flawlessly.

No black belt dust, no belt squealing, and easy to tension. No more propping a hammer handle or a large screwdriver to lever the alternator away from the engine while tightening bolts to hold it in place!

I have also installed the belt/pulley/tensioner kit on two 3JH4 engines and they were also a fairly quick and easy install, taking under an hour from start to finish. On these larger engines I purchased the ElectoMaax idler wheel to get more wrap on the belt around the alternator pulley to prevent belt squeal when drawing over 150A from the ElectroMaax GenMAAX alternators.

ElectroMaax support was quick to answer the few questions I had concerning my installation.

I can highly recommend ElectroMaax pulley kits and both their Cruiser and GenMAAX alternators.

 by Kevin Monahan
A great product!!!

The system is installed and working as promised. We are extremely happy with the system and it was a lot of fun to install and see it working so well! I had to find some creative mounting areas for several of the components with the limited space, as you know, in a sailboat. Once I had it all installed, I fired up the engine and watch the RPM come up to around 1,000 RPM and then checked everything to be sure it was functioning properly. Using the software provided I watched the battery voltage climb and the % charge increase.

I increase RPM to about 1,250 and continued to watch everything run as promised. I ran the engine for about 30 minutes and between the GenMAAX alternator and the solar the batteries achieved 99% in that time (started at 1%). I will report on how well the system works after this coming weekend as we are going out to the Islands for a few days and that will be a great test. I should see a full charge on the batteries while the engine is running out of the harbor and the solar should do trick while sailing and when anchored. If not, run the engine.

The installation of the GenMAAX alternator, pulleys, adjusting arm and belt were very easy and fit perfectly, as advertised. I did have to use second mounting hole on the adjustment arm (original used the first) because the adjusting bolt would hit the support for the companionway stairs. It still fit perfectly and adjusting the belt was easy. I had to drill out the hole for the pivot bolt as the shoulder on the bolt was slightly larger than the threads and would not fit thought the hole on the alternator. I drilled just enough where I still had to tap slightly on the bolt to get it through the hole to make sure it is a tight fit. A great product!!!

I mounted the external rectifier and SSP on the bulkhead just above the port side access panel to the engine right above alternator. The regulator, remote disconnect and communications module were mounted in the same area as the LiFePO4 batteries. The cables for the alternator temperature sensor and the regulator were more than long enough to reach from the other side of the engine to the regulator. The diagram for connecting the batteries to each other was good.

Again, I am extremely pleased, excited and appreciate all of the support you and your team have provided. Thank you so very much.

 by Jim Lamb
Done! In a word, Awesome!

Everything went into my Bristol 39 as planned. Rob was a big help by answering my questions quickly and clearly.

Batteries fit beautifully. I will have to fill the extra space! I have lost several hundred pounds on the starboard side, so the boat trim has improved noticeably. I can't wait to take a short cruise to see how she does on the hook.

The app worked well on my ancient PC. I was seeing 30 to 35 amps charging at 800 rpm and over 100 amps at 1200 to 1500 rpm. I expect the new batteries to be great. The new alternator works like a dream. The regulator system came together perfectly.

As I said, Awesome!

 by Sean Holte
Very Helpful and Courteous!

I ordered and installed the ElectroMaax 120 amp alternator and smart regulator system. ElectroMaax has responded immediately to any questions I have, and been very courteous in all interactions. The system operates very well, though I made a mistake in my own installation and had to order a new part. ElectroMaax was very helpful in getting me the new part quickly.

I would definitely use their product again in another boat in the future.

 by Lance Catlin
Thanks to All at Electromaax!

I rarely comment on a product or company, however, ElectroMaax is absolutely deserving. My mechanic suggested I consider the Serpentine Belt and Pulley kit based on his personal experience on his boat. Mine is a Yanmar 3JH3E with a Balmar alternator and smart charger. A serpentine belt is superior to a standard 'V' belt in every possible way. One simple tension adjustment (forever), no slippage, no carbon or rubber being ingested, increased water pump and alternator output. You'll simply never be concerned again.

Talk about great product support. The Yanmar kit comes with a standard sized , 10 rib belt that is fine for most installations, but, not mine. I have an alternator clearance issue with one side of the engine box. I called on a Thursday and had four shorter belts in my hands on Friday. Keep the two that fit best and send the others back. This during a pandemic with shipment from Ontario to SW Florida. That requires great people going far beyond what one would normally expect. Bottom line, my issue became their issue and it was immediately solved; WOW!

I highly recommend you explore the ElectroMaax.com website, watch the videos and place your order. Really, I believe in their products and people that much. I'll be back when I need to replace my batteries.

My very best to All, Stay safe.

 by John Brown
Yeah! Install Complete!!

Hello Carmen, Rob, Andre, John and the other great folks at ElectroMaax -

A quick note of THANKS for all your help and support during the installation of my Firefly G31 batteries, 140amp alternator and controlling ElectroMaax Smart Regulator. The whole kit and instructions were fairly straight-forward to install (the idle wheel being a key component!) and a few tweaks (thank-you to Rob and Andre for upgrading the CSR and re-setting the field values to accommodate Sabre's recommended 100amp wiring), and I am up and running! Running, idling and revving the engine at the dock with my laptop plugged into the CSR shows everything is working as expected... warm-up time to bulk load charging looks great, and the batteries appreciated a nice 14.2-14.4V high amp charge. A few photos of the engine attached (before putting the cover back on, still fits perfectly).

Nice work everyone... thanks so much!

 by Jeff Udell
Hinckley & GenMAAX

I'd like to thank you and the crew for the recent help on the Hinckley Competition 42 project. We went with the Genmaax 12/250 w/remote diodes for the boat. ElectroMaax did a custom setup for the alternator to a N type to allow us to use a Mastervolt Alpha Pro regulator to communicate with the Mastervolt MLI Lithium. The split diode system will allow us to run cooler at max output to the MLI without overheating the alternator. Thanks for the help and looking forward to doing other projects with you.

Jeff Udell, Custom Offshore

 by Mike McNamara
Reliable & Impressive

I bought the AirMaax wind generator about five years ago. It has been a fabulous unit. It is reliable and the output is impressive. Absolutely no repairs. Excellent service; all my questions have been immediately answered through e-mail. I realize you can buy less expensive units that spin easily and frequently, but the energy produced is MUCH lower (you get what you pay for).

 by Richard Clough
ElectroMaax Support - I Have Been Extremely Pleased With ElectroMaax

I have been a cruiser on a 2001 Hunter 380 since retirement over 5 years ago. I wanted to be able to anchor out extensively and be totally energy independent. In pursuit of that goal, I purchased an Electromaax 160 amp Alternator for my Yanmar and AirMaax wind generator to supplement my solar power panels. I have been extremely pleased and impressed with ElectroMaax products and technical support over the years. They have consistently gone over and above the norm in support of their products. I could not be more pleased with the performance of ElectroMaax products and support they have provided. I am a very loyal ElectroMaax customer and highly recommend their products to the cruising community.

 by Lewis Peach
This Kind Of Exceptional Service Is Extremely Rare These Days

I’d like to express my sincere appreciation for the amazing support and exceptional product, and service, that you provided in developing an upgraded high-power, alternator system for my vintage Bristol 40 Yawl, Chesapeake.

Although I had already completed a comprehensive restoration of every system on the boat, the power system was hopelessly underrated for the many new electronic systems, and utilities, that I had installed, and given that I had chosen to retain and rebuild the Westerbeke 4-107 diesel engine, there were precious few alternatives to address this concern.

Fortunately, I spoke with John Stevens of your Company, and he quickly came up with an optimal system to meet these requirements and fabricated a custom installation kit with special pulleys and a serpentine belt to drive it. He also test ran the system before he shipped it to me, so the installation was flawless and worked perfectly right out of the box!

I could not be more pleased with the system. It more than meets my power needs and keeps my high capacity AGN ships batteries fully charged, with much less engine run-time.

This kind of exceptional service is extremely rare these days, in any field, much less in the recreational boating market, so I cannot thank you enough for your outstanding support in assisting me with this final upgrade project in my precious little yawl, Chesapeake.

 by Mark
4JH3-HTE Pulley Kit & 160Amp Alternator

I wanted to tell you again how pleased I am with the serpentine belt kit and 160 A alternator from ElectroMaax. Even more importantly, your technical support is superb which enabled me to get the custom configuration I needed for the alternator and all the help I needed to successfully do the design of the electrical control circuit. I have strongly recommended ElectroMaax to our home marina’s service team (Brewer’s Marinas) for anyone that wants to upgrade the alternator on a Yanmar.

Thank you,

Mark

 by Mike
October Moon 2008 Beneteau 43

Hi John, it was good to see you at the Annapolis Show. As I mentioned I'm quite pleased with the ElectroMaax 140 amp alternator, Balmar regulator and serpentine drive belt. We traveled south to the Abacos last winter and relied on the alternator to keep our 450A house bank well charged. The house bank consists of 4 Trojan T106 6V batteries which I monitor via a Victron BMV 600. We typically use around 125AHrs per day Depending on the depth of discharge (never below 65%) it would take 1 to 1-1/2 hrs per day to bring the bank up to the 85% range. At a discharge of 65-70% the alternator would output apx 90A. Of course the rate would taper with the percent of charge. While I didn't track charge rates, on days we would motor the batteries were recharged fairly quickly. All in all I'm very pleased with the setup. It was a straightforward installation that resulted in great performance. I've recently added a 250W solar panel that I expect will work well in conjunction with the alternator. Between the two the batteries should remain well charged! Thanks again for a great product and after the sale support!

Mike S/V October Moon 2008 Beneteau 43

 by Rory Harley
120 Amp Alternator On A 31 Year Old Yanmar 3HMF Testament

Installing an Electromaax 120 Amp Alternator on a 31 year old Yanmar 3 HMF. I have had the your 120 Amp Alternator and External Controller installed and working for a year now and the unit has performed exactly as advertised.

After I purchased my Tanzer 10.5, I noticed the alternator belts were hard to keep tight, wore prematurely, and spewed excessive black dust in the engine compartment.

I discovered the previous owner had upgraded the original 35 Amp unit to a 65 Amp alternator. I also found that the second Hitachi alternator’s pivot bolt-holes were too large for my the 9mm pivot bolt hole drilled through the block. I thought this to be a simple fix; I’ll just make up some bushings to properly align the alternator. However, I then discovered this unit did not have the hinge pin holes drilled in the correct position which was the lead cause of misalignment and the high wear on the ½” belt. With a lot a trial and error and partially filling in the alternator bolt holes with JB Weld Epoxy in a crescent shapes, I reduced but never eliminated the alignment/belt wear problem.

The years of over-tightening the alternator/ fresh water re-circulation pump belt to keep it from slipping likely caused a failure on the recirc pump shortly after I purchased the boat. Enough was enough, I was so frustrated I contemplated getting a new engine; but the old 7500-hour Yanmar, is faithful, starts instantly and burns minimal oil. I looked at some of the other marine alternator manufacturers to see if they could offer a solution for my three problems. EG: To correct i) the alternator misalignment, ii) excessive belt dust and, iii) reduce the side force on the recirc water pump.

I was fed up with ½” belts and doubted they could handle the load of even a properly aligned higher output alternator. Frankly, I was surprised that Electromaax even offered a kit for such old Yanmar. I choose Electromaax because it was the only manufacturer I could find that engineered a serpentine pulley system to their high output alternator.

Electromaax recommended and I purchased the 120 Amp alternator to my match my 200 Amp Hr battery bank. The mechanical installation was fairly straightforward. The alternator bracket needed a bend, and the old threaded holes on the flywheel had to have the old rust and paint cleaned out with a tap. The fit and finish of the alternator and pulleys was better than I expected.

Two issues were encountered in the installation that were addressed promptly by your service department. Electromaax supplied some custom made bushings to overcome the old problem of the 9mm pivot bolt. I also discovered that when the inrush load was placed on the alternator it strained and laboured the old engine at its idle speed. Electromaax couriered overnight a larger diameter alternator pulley, which was swapped with the originally supplied unit, which materially solved this issue.

The new alternator aligned and ran perfectly. What a relief and my problems were finally solved! The higher amperage output is just a side benefit to getting a proper alternator installation on my engine. My guess is this engine its at its half life, and I would not be surprised the Electromaax alternator will still be working when it finally packs it in.

 by David Smith
Thanks Again For Your Help!

Thanks for taking the time at the Boat Show to ensure we had the correct kit for my Beta 25 installation. Just thought i would give you some feedback for future Beta 25 owners. The alternator fit perfectly with one modification to the upper adjustment bracket. The bracket is held by two bolts and we re-drilled the upper hole to allow the bracket to be positioned so that the adjusting bolt on the alternator could be positioned in the adjusting slot. We also went to a longer belt (NAPA Gates Micro-V 040372) 9/16” X 38”. We have not run the engine yet but expect that the alternator and regulator will perform as expected in the Spring (If this winter ever ends).

Thanks again for your help.

 by Dan Parilla
Well, We Took The Next Step Forward And Ordered The Serpentine Belt Kit

Well, we took the next step forward and ordered the serpentine belt kit for the Universal M-25 from Electromaax. Wouldn't you know it...it did not directly fit our crankshaft pulley (ours is not tapped to bolt the new pulley on it). So after discussing options with Electromaax, I sent them my crank pulley so they could mold/mill a replacement pulley.

John at Electromaax said they will set up a mold to make additional ones as people need it, so if you are contemplating the upgrade, give them a call. Lastly, if you do go to remove the pulley, the retaining nut requires a 29MM axle socket. My dewalt rechargeable impact wrench made quick work of removing the nut without damaging the shaft, or my knuckles.

Part of the problem Electromaax faces with the M-25 series is that it changed two or three times over the years. I suspect the kit you have would fit an M-25 XPB but not an M-25 or M-25XP.... The M-25 XPB has three bolt holes in the crank pulley but the others don't.

I have been impressed with Electromaax. The water pump pulley and alternator (on a balmar 912) pulley fit perfectly.

We are now up and running. Only 3 minor issues throughout, and Electromaax worked hard to get things done. First, I needed to change the original crankshaft pulley for one that is tapped to receive their cover pulley. Secondly, the crankshaft on older m25s accepts a .875 bored hole. The pulley received was bored to .870, so a quick trip to the machine shop fixed that issue.

Then, we had to re-measure the belt. The stock alternator bracket will accept a 42 inch (420) belt, but the updated bracket (hangs the alternator with the tension arm below) takes a 40 inch (400) belt. So now that we have sent the specs to Electromaax should be ready and able to build a kit.

Question I was Asked while making my decision to go with a Serpentine belt kit Why not just change the V Belt. V belts are very limited in the amount of horsepower that they can transfer. If you are running a large alternator, say 90 amps, the belt will slip a lot. Plus any time a load is initially applied v belts momentarily slip.

Mainly due to the limited surface area through which they make contact with the pulleys (the sides of the v). This slip and grab generates a lot of black rubber dust. A flat, ribbed serpentine style belt significantly reduces slippage, reduces the rubber dust, lasts longer, does not need to be tensioned as tight as a v belt, and can drive large alternators without having to add a second belt drive. Plus getting a tapped crank pulley will also give one the option of adding additional gear such as engine driven refrigeration, a water maker or even a second alternator.

There are other reasons that serpentine belts make sense, just take a look at modern cars and even new boats and they have all gone to serpentine style systems. I am currently running a 90 amp alternator (and I can show you the black stripe of rubber detritus flung from the old belt), and may want to kick it up in the future as we spend more time away from the dock. To me it made sense to make the jump.

 by Tim
I Wanted To Tell You That The AirMaax Wind Generator Works Exactly As Advertised!

Hi John,

I wanted to tell you that the AirMaax wind generator works exactly as advertised. It is powerful, it starts spinning at lower wind speed than any other unit I am aware of. It is also the quietest unit available.

This summer while chartering in the Keys we had four high wind systems come through while we were at anchor. The winds peaked at better than fifty knots and the wind generator spun like crazy but was not negatively affected in any way.

I am very happy with the unit and I have several charter captains at the Sea Base interested in purchasing one.

 by Jamie Miller
Everything Just Ticking Along As It Should

Been busy, but wanted to thank you for the alternator. Installation was a breeze, you gave me a smaller pulley wheel but didn’t need it, thanks. When launched boat, had Janice start the engine so I could check out the fan belt and see if there was a problem, nothing. Everything just ticking along as it should.

Thanks again for a wonderful product. Hope to see you in the Bahamas!

 by Patrick Fox
Thank You Rob, John, And Your Staff For Your Time And Assistance

The Electromaax technical support team, and John Stevens spent many hours studying data, exchanging emails, and sending new components, as well as ultimately bench testing my complete system in an attempt to determine why my installation was not operating properly.

Thank you Rob, John, and your staff for your time and assistance troubleshooting my alternator and charging system, I highly recommend the Electromaax system to anyone wanting a new alternator, charge controller, and serpentine belt kit.

 by Barry Stedman
Fully Recharges Every Morning Within One Hour!

John,

Great Alternator! Fully recharges every morning within one hour. I will send you photos and text about the install and wiring by email.

 by Lance Knox
The Team At Electromaax Was Very Helpful

We have a Lagoon 440 catamaran on which we spend 6 months of the year as live-aboards cruising the Mediterranean. For both financial as well as ascetic reasons, we prefer to spend as much time as possible on the hook rather than smelly and expensive marinas. Being set up for living aboard, yet still craving all the creature comforts of home results in rather large power usage.

After 5 years of cruising, we found that our 6x140 amp/hr gel batteries were already less than 50% of their new capacity and needed to be replaced. Main reason of course was that our batteries were seldom getting a full recharge. Even on days where we did a lot of motoring the 2 factory standard 80 amp (in theory) alternators supplied with the boat were barely enough to keep up with the power consumption of 3 fridges, navigation instruments and a water maker while under way. Due to the high cost of replacing all our house batteries, we really needed to find a way to increase the charging amperage of the boat. After a few months of research on the internet during the off season, we decided on the Electromaax 215 amp Genmax alternators in combination with the Voyager charge regulator and the serpentine pulley conversion kits.

The equipment arrived in the Italian marina in February after a bit of hassle from Italian customs (6 paragraphs on this to explain but the team at Electromaax was very helpful ). I arrived in a Italy in April to complete the installation myself. The serpentine conversion kit installation was surprisingly straight forward and both engines were done in about 1 1/2 hours. The alternators bolted right on easy enough however the wiring setup was a little complicated due to the fact that the original system included two battery isolators used to direct the charge from each alternator to either the house or starter batteries as required. Installation manual did not cover this setup however Rob at Electromaax was great at helping to figure this out between email and phone (12 hour time difference did not make his job any easier) and within a day had this all sorted out with both alternators up and running.

This past season we have had absolutely no trouble keeping the batteries topped up. In fact usually within 2 or 3 hours the regulators have switched into float mode even after a few days of anchoring in a bay. System has been trouble free so far and would not hesitate to recommend Electromaax to anyone.

 by Rick
John At Electromaax Works With You Through The Process To Ensure Their Product Performs To Your Expectations

I own a 1996 hunter 376 with a Yanmar 3JH2 three cylinder engine & am going cruising in the near future. When I started looking for additional input for my batteries I found Electromaax.com.

I wanted the most bang for my buck & after talking with John at Electromaax, I liked their product & ordered a 160 amp alternator & smart regulator for our boat.

The company had not installed a large capacity alternator on a three cylinder Yanmar yet so we had to put a kit together to work on my engine. The configuration had to be switched to a serpentine pulley system to handle the large load capacity of the new alternator, so we began work to install the proper pulleys to make the system work. After a very short time it all came together & now it is a simple bolt on process to install a large capacity alternator from Electromaax on a Yanmar three cylinder motor.

John at Electromaax works with you through the process to ensure their product performs to your expectations. I would tell anyone looking for more amps from your alternator to check out ELECTROMAAX.COM

Sincerely,
Rick - San Francisco Ca.

 by Dave
5 Yrs On

Five years on and 8000 Nautical Miles from installation of 120 amp alternators and serpentine pulley kits on our Lagoon 380 catamaran with Yanmar 3YM30 engines we are still generating excellent power and keeping our 840 amp battery bank well charged. Our installation had a couple of glitches (regulators) which we sorted out with the help of Rob at Emaax and since 2013 we have travelled from Canada to Bahamas and back and from Canada to Grenada, cruised the Caribbean and returned all the time keeping fridge, freezer and electronics powered. We also installed a 20 gph watermaker from Emaax that has serviced fresh water for all our needs aboard our adventures. Emaax has responded well and quickly to our questions and still continue to do so.

 by Alan
Great Service!

Hi John, Thanks for sorting the belts out, Great service, see you in the Bahamas.

 by Russ Whitford
Power And Water, Electromaax Is A Great Source For These Essentials

Lisa and I have been cruising on Tumultuous Uproar for 2 1⁄2 years. A year prior to cruising I decided to redesign the electrical system on Uproar. I'm an engineer but learned a lot in Nigel Calder's 3 hour seminar on 12 volts. I followed his advice and am very pleased with the results. Our system started with two TPPL AGM batteries from Odyssey, 214 amp hours each for a total of 428 amp hours. These batteries have low internal resistance and can take (and love) a high amperage charge. The Electromaax 180 amp alternator with serpentine belt system gives these batteries a real kick with no fuss.

Keep in mind that amp ratings may not tell the whole story. At what RPM do you get these amps? The Electromaax alternator gives 100 amps with as little as 1,100 RPM on our boat. This belt system is essential for high output alternators as at times the alternator is pulling over 2 hp! We returned the alternator to Electromaax as we thought there was a squealing bearing. It wasn't the alternator - we just had to keep the belt tighter. Everything works great!

The charge controller we bought from Electromaax was the 614 model. It worked fine until a few months ago. We have lost elements in the LED display and can no longer program it or monitor what it thinks it is doing. It is not giving quite the high voltage charge we used to get. I will replace it with the Emaax Pro which is the current product offered. We have a Victron BVM 702 battery monitor which we love but the Emaax Pro incorporates all of these monitoring functions and more.

Along with using our main engine for battery charging, we installed an Aquamaax engine driven watermaker. If you decide to go this route, understand you will have to do some engineering or fabrication for a bracket for the pump. But, once installed, this is a very simple, powerful and reliable watermaker. If you need to run your engine to charge batteries, you are making lots of water, free!

We have 400 watts of solar and this keeps batteries topped up on sunny days. Sometimes we run the engine to only make water. I caution anyone using the TTPL batteries to work with the manufacturer to set up your voltage regulator. These batteries like a lot of charge at a high rate. We were not giving them that initially and after the first year, we had sulfated the plates, losing some capacity. They still have enough for our needs. The 180 amp alternator we have is perfect for use with these high tech batteries.

Having good electricity and water are quality of life essentials living aboard a sailboat. Our Electromaax products have been reliable and ample for our needs. With the exception of the voltage regulator (superseded by the new model) we have not had problems.

Russ Whitford

S/V Tumultuous Uproar

 by Mike Borum
The New Electromaax 160 AMP Alternators And Pulley Kits Have Been Wonderful!

I installed the two new alternators and serpentine belts kits easily while in Baltimore.

We’ve been cruising southward since October 21. The new Electromaax 160 amp alternators and pulley kits have been wonderful! We’ve probably cut our generator runtime by 75%. The batteries are consistently fully charged after a 6-8 hour run and we can do many things while on the move that formerly required the generator to be started, like running a single 16000 btu reverse cycle air unit. Unless we’ve been sitting on the hook for two days, I simply don’t have to run the generator just for battery charging.

So, consider me an appreciative owner and enthusiastic salesman.

 by Bob MacConnell
I Highly Endorse These Units Based On My Experience

I purchased an Electromaax 30 GPH 110 volt watermaker. I wanted that one for the simple reason it could be operated on a Honda 2000 generator if my boat generator failed. I cruise in remote areas of the Bahamas and am dependent on my watermaker. There is little support to have things fixed if you have issues. (unless you have deep pockets). The Electromaax watermaker was relatively easy to install by myself with excellent phone support from Darren. It was installed in Florida.

In the past I have used other makes of watermakers, and inevitably by the end of the season something would break. Other makes of watermakers are reliant on motherboards and sensors that always seem to quit working, and have to be sorted out or bypassed to get by. I cruise with many other people that experience the same issues. But it seems Electromaax watermakers are very simple. It is a manual operation with no sensors and motherboards to fail and the parts are not proprietary. My motto on the boat is - KISS - Keep It Simple Stupid. This unit fits the bill perfectly. This is also reflected in the price. Less than half of the cost from other manufacturers.

After one season the unit performed great. You can manually operate it, which is fine with me. I ran mine at about 800 pounds of pressure (50 less than the recommended max). I generate 32-33 gallons per hour most of the time. A couple times only 29 gallons but that was rare. The PPM were between 196 and 217. Pickling for storage was a breeze.

I highly endorse these units based on my experience so far. I have nothing to do with the company as a representative, just a satisfied customer. If you have any questions about my experience you can reach me at 905-516-3959.

 by Mark Lenci
Electromaax Was The Only Vendor I Found That Provided A “Complete” Solution

In my opinion, Electromaax provides a unique product. Last year I spent a great deal of time looking into how to upgrade the alternator on my Yanmar engine. Electromaax was the only vendor I found that provided a “complete” solution. All other vendors only supplied some of the parts needed. Most other vendors left figuring out mounting, procuring pulleys & belts, alignment, etc. to the buyer. I really was able to install Electromaax’s alternator and pulleys in only 45 minutes. In addition, Electromaax’s technical support was excellent in helping me get a custom configuration of the alternator so I could use an external regulator.

 by Chris
The 4JH3 Serpentine Kit Was Easy To Install,The Alternator Is Doing A Great Job

Hi John
Good to talk to you the other day. As i said on the phone, thank you for delivering such a great product. The serpentine belt kit was easy to install, and the engine runs smoother and quieter now than it ever has. The alternator is doing a great job. I was burning up alternators and shredding V belts with my old system. The ElectroMaax system is running within temperature spec? and it worked perfectly straight away.

Best regards Chris

 by Ken Bartline
80Amp Alternator & Pulley Kit

Just installed the 80 amp Electromaax on my Westerbeke 44A four, replacing the dual pulley with serpentine system. It works so well! Thanks!

 by Curtis Morris
AirMaax On The Endeavour

Electromaax

Mr. John Stevens,

In a word all I can say is bravo!

Your Electromaax Serpentine Belt and Belt Tensioner which I ordered for my my 40hp Yanmar engine with high output alternator (Electromaax 120 amp) installed in an hour thanks to your U Tube videos and enclosed instructions. I really appreciate the fact that when I had a couple of questions you and your staff were a phone call away. The system works as advertised. Finally, no v-belt rubber dust in the engine compartment. My large house bank charges sooner, and the entire alternator/ serpentine belt system runs smoothly and more quietly then the old set up. Boat manufacturers ought to make the system standard on any new sailboat ordered with a high output alternator. My wife and I have confidence we won’t be experiencing an emergency engine shutdown caused by premature belt wear and failure. Keep the great products coming from Electromaax.

All the best,

Curtis Morris

S/v Legacy

On The Chesapeake Bay

 by Barry Stedman
I Just Checked My Airmaax. It is Working Great!

To the Maax!

gratefully submitted by Barry Stedman

Over the years, I’ve owned four ElectroMaax products, beginning with a 140v alternator installed on a 1994 Beneteau with a Perkins M50—it was the first M50 application for that alternator. I still remember opening the box to find a well-engineered high-quality product, costing half the price of the other Big-name manufacturer. I was sold! More importantly, John Stevens worked with me to solve installation issues as they occurred—nothing major, yet still importa!!t. All said and done, that alternator converted me to ElectroMaax.

In 2013, I installed a 160A alternator on a Yanmar 4-cylinder turbo-charged motor. It is still chugging along, exceeding my expectations for reliability and performance. At the same time, I installed an AquaMaax watermaker. This was far more complex, yet the instructions were more than sufficient. With growing confidence, I added an enhanced control panel for flushing etc. using standard plumbing fittings. Then, I switched it on. I expected a trickle. Instead, drinking water streamed from the ‘tap,’ filling a 5-gallon bucket in a matter of a few minutes. Nine years latter it is still outperforming—to wit, my last test was 114 ppm, better than what comes out of most marina taps—admittedly the seawater was chilly. Other than regular back-flushing, topping up oil, and changing pre-filters, it has been maintenance free.

A few years later, I was back to buy the AirMaax 400 wind generator—six carbon fiber blades, a quiet purr at high speed, more than enough power output... and a great deal less expensive than competing brands. Again, the install package and great instructions made the installation a breeze. After John made me aware of possible overloading issues during high winds, I added a few changes: quick disconnects to prepare for hurricanes, easy removal from the vessel, and control lines to manually rotate the generator to backwind. Then, in 2019, I experienced extreme conditions while running the Gulf Stream--78 knots over a two-hour period. The storm came up so quickly, there was no way of locking down the wind generator. While I worried the bimini would be blown away, or even a knockdown, the generator did exactly what it was designed to do... to the Maax. Barry Stedman