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Oh Caribou has a small diesel engine, which we use to motor around when the winds are calm, and to top up our batteries when the sun isn't shining. The alternator that came with the engine is a standard vehicle alternator. It's rated to put out 80 amps, but that's at a high RPM. Through a variety of loses, we find we generally only produce about 30 amps. Our battery system is 800 amps, so to go from completely dead to charged, it would take 27 hours. That's A LOT of engine wear and tear, and with the current fuel prices, JEEZE. Our new alternator puts out around 180amps at 1300RPM. Granted, our batteries will never be completely depleted, which means a quick 20 minute run in the morning to reset our anchor will give us all the power we could ever need. There are two major players in the industry for high output alternators, and Balmar is absolutely the way to go. 

Approx cost $3000