Fitting a hydrovane

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emnick

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I bought a hydrovane last year but will only get round to fitting it this end of season. I know they have a good tips section on their web site but has any body got hands on experience fitting one, anything I should watch for?
They say I should fit it while afloat, but I am not so sure as if you drop any part it's gone.

I also need to beef up the transom where I bolt through, is marine ply epoxied in ok or is it best to get a stainless steel plate bedded in epoxy (curve in transom ),

If I use ply should I use some glass matt to build up around the ply if so what grade / oz

Thanks in advance for any replies
 
I'd be inclined to fit it when hauled out for the dropping things reason. If you do fit it while in the water be very careful with the ruddder, it will sink if you drop it. Getting the rudder lined up to get the stainless pin in is tricky the first time so tie the rudder through the handle slot to the pulpit whether in or out of the water.

To answer the beefing up the transom question depends on the thickness of the GRP and how big/heavy the vane is, it should be sized to the boat length and weight so may not need beefing up. Please could say what those three are.
 
Note the waterline bow and stern for 'level' and then fit it ashore. Far easier.
They are pretty forgiving, I fitted one offset and inclined athwartships too(:eek:), with suitable internal mechanism adjustment, because I had an open, pointy transom that I didn't want to intrude on. Worked beautifully ( of course).

Don't know if you have done fibreglass work before? Bed the 18mm plywood pads on fast setting filler ( be generous about size if the space is there) then laminate a few layers of cloth and resin over and onto the existing transom at leisure having 'keyed' the fibreglass with grinder, Dremel, course sandpaper, sharp chisel, whathaveyou (if you know what you are doing) and cleaning all with acetone just prior to laminating.

Once you get confident you can lay up all- say 5 or 6 -layers of cloth on a piece of shiny old kitchen door, then press them into position all at once, much less messy but time is against you,cure wise, prob best to get someone there to help who has actually done it before..
Worth doing right as transoms are usually the thinnest laminate on a boat and you are adding a second rudder, so strong is good:)
Hope that gives you an idea on planning it anyway
 
Best done out of water just in case. I fitted one last year and then adjusted it for height once afloat.

Key point for a curved transom is to make sure the outside packer is the correct shape to spread the load and allow the shaft to sit vertical without binding. On the inside I used a piece of 1/2" nylon, bolted up finger tight with clearance sleeve around the bolts, temporary sealed sides and bottom and filled the void with West System and then tightened up once it had cured.

The Hydrovane site gives some good tips.
 
Fitting a Hydrovane

I have fitted two Hydrovanes - on both occasions the boat was in the water.
Hydrovane_zps7e7dccb1.jpg

I had no problems at all - on first fit I had to cut away the gas bottle shelf inside the aft locker in order to get access to fit backing pads for the lower mount. I used hardwood pads with resin/mat- no need for steel in my case as boat very heavilly built. I then re-made the gas bottle shelf - did it all in a day. Some points - I reversed the boat up to a pontoon in a marina on a windless day - I would not even consider it on a mooring working from a dingy or in any wind. I suspended a mesh hamock across the area above which I was working in case I dropped anything big and a tarpaulin on the surface under that to catch washers etc although never dropped anything!
I had a mate to help me first time - that made it fairly hard work but emininently doable - one person holds the bits while the other measures and marks (at last three times:D) the other does the (once only) drilling and fitting.
Second time I was alone and that was on the limits of do - ability - I had to hang the unit from the stern rail on ropes and align it, hold it and fit all by my lonesome - can't recommend that as my arms were several inches longer after it - from leaning over the oggin hold the unit and fiddling with nuts etc. Four hands almost essential!
Lastly I would not contemplate it without using the Hydrovane supplied mounting arms and brackets - they have so much expeience supplying the mounts that it could be crazy to skimp and try to have something fabricated locally. Alignment, centring and height estimation all done by eye and a doddle. Best marine kit ever made in my opinion so good luck.

Robin
Pleiades of Birham
MXWQ5
 
I have just lost this post while up loading pictures. Here goes again, I bought a second hand Hydrovane this spring, I did it in the water mostly to be sure of the true waterline, I used a length of plastic plumbing pipe the same size as the hydrovane main outer shaft to assemble the brackets on, the Brackets that came with it were not really the right size so I used the "H" bracket for the lower one and for the top i used part of the "A" bracket the part that attached to the tube i also used the tubes that were with the A" bracket but I cut them to length and had two round ss plates with bolt holes welded to the tube I mounted the "H" bracket in the centre of the transom and attached the pipe using a spirit level I locked it in the upright position with the "A" bracket attached and measured off the tube cut it after scribing around it to get the transom shape, a bit fiddly but it worked fine I put half inch backing inside and bolted it all up with the Hydrovane in place adjusting it to be just above the water line. It works wonderfully and I have learned a great deal about sail trimming since fitting it good luck with yours.
Mike
 
Pleiades said:
I have fitted two Hydrovanes - on both occasions the boat was in the water.
Hydrovane_zps7e7dccb1.jpg

I had no problems at all - on first fit I had to cut away the gas bottle shelf inside the aft locker in order to get access to fit backing pads for the lower mount. I used hardwood pads with resin/mat- no need for steel in my case as boat very heavilly built. I then re-made the gas bottle shelf - did it all in a day. Some points - I reversed the boat up to a pontoon in a marina on a windless day - I would not even consider it on a mooring working from a dingy or in any wind. I suspended a mesh hamock across the area above which I was working in case I dropped anything big and a tarpaulin on the surface under that to catch washers etc although never dropped anything!
I had a mate to help me first time - that made it fairly hard work but emininently doable - one person holds the bits while the other measures and marks (at last three times:D) the other does the (once only) drilling and fitting.
Second time I was alone and that was on the limits of do - ability - I had to hang the unit from the stern rail on ropes and align it, hold it and fit all by my lonesome - can't recommend that as my arms were several inches longer after it - from leaning over the oggin hold the unit and fiddling with nuts etc. Four hands almost essential!
Lastly I would not contemplate it without using the Hydrovane supplied mounting arms and brackets - they have so much expeience supplying the mounts that it could be crazy to skimp and try to have something fabricated locally. Alignment, centring and height estimation all done by eye and a doddle. Best marine kit ever made in my opinion so good luck.

Robin
Pleiades of Birham
MXWQ5
Click to expand...

What a great pic :)

Fitted my Hydrovane in the water (on a pontoon) with help from a competent friend. No problems and went remarkably smoothly.
 
Pagetslady said:
I have just lost this post while up loading pictures. Here goes again, I bought a second hand Hydrovane this spring, I did it in the water mostly to be sure of the true waterline, I used a length of plastic plumbing pipe the same size as the hydrovane main outer shaft to assemble the brackets on, the Brackets that came with it were not really the right size so I used the "H" bracket for the lower one and for the top i used part of the "A" bracket the part that attached to the tube i also used the tubes that were with the A" bracket but I cut them to length and had two round ss plates with bolt holes welded to the tube I mounted the "H" bracket in the centre of the transom and attached the pipe using a spirit level I locked it in the upright position with the "A" bracket attached and measured off the tube cut it after scribing around it to get the transom shape, a bit fiddly but it worked fine I put half inch backing inside and bolted it all up with the Hydrovane in place adjusting it to be just above the water line. It works wonderfully and I have learned a great deal about sail trimming since fitting it good luck with yours.
Mike
Click to expand...
Is that a Sealord or a Corsair Mike? I can't quite read the logo, but the deck and aft end looks exactly like ours Sealord.
 
Its a Corsair I have had her for 20 years and have great fun sailing her, at present I keep her in Fleetwood lancs but the past 6 years we have been in Jersey channel Island next season I hope to spend the summer in Scotland, I am installing a new 35 hp Beta engine this winter.
mike
 
I fitted mine in the water with no problems (well, no problems regarding it being in the water).

One tip I would suggest is to use epoxy with a filler in it to get the pads to match the transom shape perfectly. Far easier than spending hours shaping them.

If you have a week transom the go for the A-Bracket and just use decent backing plates.

hydrovan.jpg

backing.jpg
 
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