Hebridean Wind vane

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

CAPTAIN FANTASTIC

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I am aware of the recent script in the PBO about the Hebridean Wind vane and the subsequent communication here. I am considering getting one, cost is £300 for the kit, however, I would like to establish how effective they are and whether any forumites has managed to build one yet.

My boat is a 43 year old heavy Macwester Wight, single mast, well balanced and sails very well especially when the wind is above F4. The boat doesn't suffer from weather helm because, simply, I do not let it get to that point, I just reduce the main well before I reduce the genoa; so the helm is managable and therefore it should be fine using windvane. Also, It is not clear to me the method of connecting/bolting the frame to the boat, as there are no adequate photographs of the wind vane.

So, any experience out there with the Hebridean? and how "easy" is to construct one.
 
Well, I put my hand up to starting the earlier thread as I couldn't reconcile the statements in the article with the given design details. Since then enough further detail has been added to the website to show how the vane works. It is beautifully simplistic as the 3D geometry supplies the feedback required for damping, preventing oversteering. When the PBO article was written, the author's vane was the first built and I would hazard a guess that, as yet, only a few others have been started - it takes time to gain acceptance.

Looking at the photos with a magnifying glass, the pivot is housed in a block screwed to the transom, I don't know whether this is designed to be adjustable or simply customised/tailored to suit each individual boat. I should think that a Macwester transom would be easy to accomodate! As you have already implied, it's not the weight of the boat that counts but the weight on the helm that may limit suitability, but a servo pendulum is as powerful as they come and can be overkill for a well trimmed boat. Not that that goes amiss when running in light airs where you need all the power ratio you can get from a very low apparent wind speed.

Unless you intend to use the mount as a boarding ladder (once suggested by a Monitor salesman), there is no reason for the assembly to be any sturdier than it is. If you can confidently assemble the kit with good alignment and accurate relative positioning, then I suggest you give it a go.

Rob.
 
I'm helping a mate build one (License No 7).
Connecting it to the boat is straightforward.
We were hoping to get up up and running before his boat comes out at the end of the month. If we're successful then I'll get back to you.
 
duncanmack said:
I'm helping a mate build one (License No 7).
Connecting it to the boat is straightforward.
We were hoping to get up up and running before his boat comes out at the end of the month. If we're successful then I'll get back to you.
Click to expand...

How is it going so far; is it easy to put together and to form the timber frame and pendulum?
 
The plans/instructions are not that intuitive. When you get about 60-70% of the metalwork done you realise that if you were making another one then a) you wouldn't do it that way and b) It'd be a lot easier to fabricate when you twig where the bits go!

Most difficult bits are finding an easy way of putting the 51mm holes in the Stainless sheets (we're still working on that!) - and indexing the tube for the 10degree cuts - thing I've cracked that one!
Rest of the woodwork is straightforward.
 
duncanmack said:
The plans/instructions are not that intuitive. When you get about 60-70% of the metalwork done you realise that if you were making another one then a) you wouldn't do it that way and b) It'd be a lot easier to fabricate when you twig where the bits go!

Most difficult bits are finding an easy way of putting the 51mm holes in the Stainless sheets (we're still working on that!) - and indexing the tube for the 10degree cuts - thing I've cracked that one!
Rest of the woodwork is straightforward.
Click to expand...

Many thanks for the reply. It will be good if you post an update once you have finished it and especially when the whole thing is up and running; many people here will be interested on its performance.
 
duncanmack said:
The plans/instructions are not that intuitive. When you get about 60-70% of the metalwork done you realise that if you were making another one then a) you wouldn't do it that way and b) It'd be a lot easier to fabricate when you twig where the bits go!
Click to expand...

Perhaps it might help others if you kept a photo record and started a thread for others to read of your experiences and suggested improvements. I know I would find it of interest, altghough I have no intention at present of making one.
 
I was interested in one but after some correspondence it looks like it's difficult to fit if you have a transom hung rudder due to the way it pivots. You need a frame built round the rudder to hold the pivot block which then puts it a bit far out to get at.
 
The Wight will be easily steered by the Hebridean. I built the first customer version from plans only as it was not by then a kit. I was determined to build it over last winter and actually sailed with it in February. So not too hard. When I had a problem I asked the designer who was very helpful. It made the Faroes trip (PBO) a straightforward adventure. It is hard to understand, but the fully horizontal vane axle arguably provides more power and sensitivity than any other servo pendulum. In the autumn I saw the designer close hauled in force 9 gusting 10 under vane in his hefty 10m boat without incident.

Attachment to the stern involves a 20mm section round bar (the unit's main pivot) that slots into a carrier on the boat made with thee pieces of square box section bolted together and cut into an octagon. A 20mm hole is drilled through all three sections and houses the pivot. This octagonal mount is sandwiched between two suitable blocks of wood bolted to the stern. A heavy bolt passes through all these parts allowing the octagon itself (and thus the unit) to pivot vertically between the two blocks. This is to allow the whole unit to pivot up out of the water if it hits something. A sheer pin (fibreglass) locks the octagon and blocks together, holding the unit down in the water. In practice my additional bolt(s) holding the blocks together (horizontally) — but not interfering with the pivoting of the octagonal carrier — are easily adjusted to hold it down with friction only. This leaves the option to pivot the pendulum up out of the water when not in use. Or you could install the sheer pin and just lift the unit off when not needed. Or you could make your sheer pin easily removable.

The two wooden blocks are usually mounted at the top of the transom. You may want to put the mount on the rear deck in the case of the Wight. But the designer will advise on the options.

A 51mm hole-saw on a pillar drill (running very slow) made easy enough work of those stainless plates. Actually two sizes of hole saw are needed.
 
duncanmack said:
I'm helping a mate build one (License No 7).
Connecting it to the boat is straightforward.
We were hoping to get up up and running before his boat comes out at the end of the month. If we're successful then I'll get back to you.[/QUOTE

I was wondering whether you managed to get the wind vane together and installed it on the yacht; how are you getting on with it? I am thinking of getting one.
Click to expand...
 
Merry Christmas!

Unfortunately work got in the way and we didn't get it finished before mate's boat came out of the water.
Ah, I see I've got a PM.



CAPTAIN FANTASTIC said:
duncanmack said:
I'm helping a mate build one (License No 7).
Connecting it to the boat is straightforward.
We were hoping to get up up and running before his boat comes out at the end of the month. If we're successful then I'll get back to you.[/QUOTE

I was wondering whether you managed to get the wind vane together and installed it on the yacht; how are you getting on with it? I am thinking of getting one.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
I was on a friends boat today and snooped at his Hebridean. Chris took about 20 hours to make his but he's a very experienced and skilled boat builder. He used teak so that no surface maintenance required; he swears by "teak and oak epoxy" from a supplier called Smiths which is not affected by the oil in the teak. He made a few other minor changes but nowt to affect principle of operation. As mentioned above the hole saw on stainless must be at very, very low revs with lubricant; seems that one builder had difficulties because he'd work-hardened the stainless. As far as I could make out he had most difficulty in drilling across the ends of some cotter/c;evis pins and he bust 10 cobalt drills despite grinding a flat and centre popping.
I had a brief look at plans and instructions. Very detailed and should work OK; somebody else might tweak the procedure. I took a few snaps but on reflection mine wouldn't really enlighten anyone. A sequence of snaps from somebody during the build process would be valuable.
Chris has had several windvanes and reckons this is the best. Very light and easy to mount dismount. Excellent performance and something I didn't understand about feedback.
 
I saw John Flemming the designer, at the London Boat Show this week. What a clever and extremely pleasant guy.

He had his Hebridean on show and took me through all it mechanicals Several of its pinciples are different to my Monitor

windvane. Impossible for me to explain further because he was losing me gradually, but he took his time to try and get

through to me. His is the prototype and well used and understandably was not looking pristine.

I would describe it as appearing a bit Heath Robinson, but then to me many windvane steerings look that way.

However, those who have built it seem very pleased with the results.

I was up in Skye on a whistle stop visit last month and passed one out on a mooring but sadly didn't have time to get a ride to

test.

Son is going to Show at w/e with the thought of fitting one to his I/F Folk Boat, so he may get a chance to check it out, but if it

was my Folk Boat, I would go for it!

S.
 
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