Definitive list of windvane options?

[capnsensible]

Our Hydrovane is called Robbie the Rudder. We met some people in the Cape Verdes who called theirs Carly (your so vain) Simon.

But that's a bit of a thread drift.....

 

[JumbleDuck]

Our Hydrovane is called Robbie the Rudder. We met some people in the Cape Verdes who called theirs Carly (your so vain) Simon.

I have Electric George, Wind George and Boy George to steer for me.

 

[KellysEye]

If you go long distance sailing the great majority of wind vanes you will see are Hydrovanes, Aries are second in a small number.

The reasons for buying a wind vane are they don't use electricity, don't eat or sleep and are on watch 24 hours a day for weeks. We viewed our Hydrovane as an extra crew member, doing all the steering.

 

[Tranona]

If you go long distance sailing the great majority of wind vanes you will see are Hydrovanes, Aries are second in a small number.

Can you provide some real evidence of this? Seems implausible to me given that Hydrovane is only one of so many different designs/makes - as well as being one of the most expensive and not suitable for all boats.

Remember just you saying something does not make it true or believable.

 

[Poignard]

I have had a Monitor for many years and it's great. Very sensitive, silent and easy to operate. Also, it has no aluminium parts; just s/s, bronze, and plastic. The downside is it is ugly and heavy (and very expensive!).

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

Can you provide some real evidence of this? Seems implausible to me given that Hydrovane is only one of so many different designs/makes - as well as being one of the most expensive and not suitable for all boats.

Remember just you saying something does not make it true or believable.

From observation, but not statistics, I would say that Kellyseye is probably not far off. Aries and Hydrovane seem to be on the majority of long distance cruisers, probably because they have been in long term production whereas others have come and gone or changed names and owners. Plenty of the others on holiday type cruisers though.

 

[Tranona]

From observation, but not statistics, I would say that Kellyseye is probably not far off. Aries and Hydrovane seem to be on the majority of long distance cruisers, probably because they have been in long term production whereas others have come and gone or changed names and owners. Plenty of the others on holiday type cruisers though.

Don't doubt that it is popular with certain types of boats and for the reason you mentioned. The problem with observation is that we tend to see what we want to see and as a result do not see what we don't want to see - if you get my drift. Your distinction of "holiday" type cruisers (as opposed to "serious" maybe?) suggests at worst discrimination and best segmentation so that what you see fits what you expect to see.

This selective observation seems to be common in the subject of ocean sailing where some identify with particular norms that do not necessarily represent the whole of the population.

Not having a personal dig as this is common human behaviour - just pointing out that often such observations do not stand up to rigorous scrutiny and it is useful to have real data to inform decisions.

 

[Motor_Sailor]

. . . Aries and Hydrovane seem to be on the majority of long distance cruisers, probably because they have been in long term production whereas others have come and gone or changed names and owners. . . .

I think you need to add "the majority of long distance British cruisers'.

The choice of windvane is very country specific. I think the majority of Germans buy WindPilot and Americans overwhelmingly favour Monitor and the other Scanmar products (which incidentally have been in continuous production as long as any). If you head to the Pacific where British boats are in a minority, it's very rare to see an Aries (the preserve of very long term cruisers who equipped years ago) and I have even more rarely seen a Hydrovane.

The most skewed 'reviews' are the British sailing magazines that do their 'blue water' reviews at the end of the ARC. They always say things like 70% of those (with wind vanes) chose Hydrovane and 100% of those (who want to justify their choice) said they were happy with it. This then becomes the 'self evident truth' that 70% of world cruisers think Hydrovanes are the best windvanes.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I have had a Monitor for many years and it's great. Very sensitive, silent and easy to operate. Also, it has no aluminium parts; just s/s, bronze, and plastic. The downside is it is ugly and heavy (and very expensive!).

One of the advantages of the Sea Feather for my boat (it was the previous owner of my boat who fiitted it, by the way) is that although it is almost aluminium free, it's still pretty light. That's an important consideration for a double-ender.

 

[Daydream believer]

That might rather depend on the design of his transom hung rudder. For a trim tab design to work effectively the rudder needs to be balanced, and if it is you can't just add a trim tab to the trailing edge as this alters the balance...... In practice you need to cut the tab out of the existing area and this is a bit of a gamble unless you're really confident about what you are doing.

I am afraid that is an ill informed comment.
You can fit a trim tab to the back of a rudder.You do not need to cut anything off the rudder.
I was going to buy one for my first Stella back in the 60's ( Quartermaster I think) & this attached to the back of the rudder with simple straps. the rudder was keel hung. In the end I followed a design from the amateur yacht research group & made my own which had nothing in the water. I did this as I raced the boat & did not want any drag when not using the vane. Some Folkboat owners used it & they say it worked OK except for down wind. that is the weakness of a lot of vanes - even modern ones.

 

[capnsensible]

I would add that Ive seen far more hydrovanes fitted to all sorts of boats of differing nationalities than any other.

Observations made in Gib, Canary Islands, West Indies,Panama and on to Tahiti.

But I havent seen every boat ever so I can only report what Ive seen.

 

[capnsensible]

over about 20 years btw.

 

[Poignard]

One of the advantages of the Sea Feather for my boat (it was the previous owner of my boat who fiitted it, by the way) is that although it is almost aluminium free, it's still pretty light. That's an important consideration for a double-ender.

I always think double-enders are attractive boats. It would be easy to spoil her looks, and her sailing qualities, with an ugly great windvane. My boat has a very steeply sloping transom and when I got rid of my gas cooker I was glad to be able to get rid of two heavy CalorGas bottles that were in a locker aft.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I always think double-enders are attractive boats. It would be easy to spoil her looks, and her sailing qualities, with an ugly great windvane. My boat has a very steeply sloping transom and when I got rid of my gas cooker I was glad to be able to get rid of two heavy CalorGas bottles that were in a locker aft.

The windvane does little for the looks of mine, though she is a bit Tonka toy to start with. It's awful nice to have, though.

 

[Poignard]

The windvane does little for the looks of mine, though she is a bit Tonka toy to start with. It's awful nice to have, though.

Fascinating to watch them working, isn't it? I have a tillerpilot as well but mostly I only use it when motoring, then the engine drowns the horrible noise it makes! When under sail I don't want to hear anything except the wind, the sea and, at intervals, the whistling kettle.

 

[Daydream believer]

I would add that Ive seen far more hydrovanes fitted to all sorts of boats of differing nationalities than any other.

Observations made in Gib, Canary Islands, West Indies,Panama and on to Tahiti.

But I havent seen every boat ever so I can only report what Ive seen.

I may be mistaken,( & if I am apologies would be due) but this claim (about Hydrovanes being more popular) was made by someone on an earlier forum post & they were proved wrong then, I seem to recall !!

 

[Daydream believer]

HP

Why bother with a wind vane these days.odern autopilots are extremely reliable, you can buy 3 for the cost of a wind vane and with the power charging systems on boats these days power is no longer an issue.

My Aeries has got me out of trouble on more than one occasion when my Raymarine autopilots have let me down. I would say that its reliability is infinitely better than that of the electric ones I have had. That does not, however, mean that it is perfect & i still believe that there has to be room for improvement.

 

[geem]

From observation, but not statistics, I would say that Kellyseye is probably not far off. Aries and Hydrovane seem to be on the majority of long distance cruisers, probably because they have been in long term production whereas others have come and gone or changed names and owners. Plenty of the others on holiday type cruisers though.

I guess it depends where you take your observations. In the Windward and Leeward islands the most popular seems to be the Windpilot by some margin. Aries are rare. There are probably half as many Hydrovanes as Windpilot.
With regard to cost, a good below decks autopilot capable of steering a 40+ boat in boisterous conditions as windsteering does would set you back similar money. Having both makes sense if you can afford it on an ocean cruising boat.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Fascinating to watch them working, isn't it? I have a tillerpilot as well but mostly I only use it when motoring, then the engine drowns the horrible noise it makes! When under sail I don't want to hear anything except the wind, the sea and, at intervals, the whistling kettle.

I confess that mine has been out of use for a couple of years for embarrassing reasons. I am planning to recommission it over Easter, though. I love sitting on the cabin roof while it steers, feeling the boat surge along and watching for the astonishingly accurate responses to wind shifts.

 

[yimkin]

I have a seafeather on a 26ft double ender. I also have a tillerpilot. One major advantage of the wind vane is that it works better as the wind increases whereas the autopilot struggles, and finally gives up. Generally I only use the autopilot for motoring, usually at the beginning and end of trips for which it performs adequately. Also the power availability on smaller boats like mine tends to be quite modest. My main concern is the vulnerability of the wind vane whist berthed in a marina.