How would you fit a windvane to something like a moody s38, or similar?

[steve yates]

with those large sugarscoop sterns?

 

[Cerebus]

I have seen Hasler gear fitted to many different transoms with the lengthening of supports.

Figure 3sp and 4sp just need longer horizontals. There should be two diagonal poles to rest on the sugar scoop.

Hasler Vane Gears

I am not familiar with other self steering.

A good stainless steel fabricator could do just about anything I would think.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

You could certainly fit an Hydrovane

 

[Wansworth]

Sea feather used to have photos of different installations

 

[Daydream believer]

Your sugar scoop is bigger than mine but this is an aries lift up which is now for sale as the boat is being sold. But one can adjust the dimensions as required
It demonstraits how mine has been for 15 years. I did fit one to a friends 40ft Jeneau for the ARC & we used Key Clamp GRP tube & fittings to make the support framework
My one works just fine & the oar swings 4 times when released
The top hs been removed for storage & access over the stern

 

[steve yates]

Thanks, all. Was just curious as something similar may be my next boat, and would have had to rule them out if it was an issue. But not until I finally finish and use the one I have on the hard in bits

 

[Klausen]

Windpilot will fit for sure

 

[Daydream believer]

Windpilot will fit for sure

When I sailed round UK ( Through Cally canal) I met a lot of German & Sweedish boats who loved their Wind Pilot steering.

 

[geem]

We have a Windpilot, they do brackets that would easily fit your boat.
Being servo pendulum, they are super powerful. Ours easily steers a heavy 44ft boat.
Unlike the hydrovane, the Windpilot can easily be deployed mid passage and recovered mid passage. These days, we mainly use ours as a back up. It sits on the transom and makes a nice grab handle when getting out of the dinghy

 

[RunAgroundHard]

The Monitor Wind Vane web page has lots of stern mounting designs Monitor TopHat Gallery | scanmar

There is more than that link but you would need to look through to find the document which shows them all, probably the installation manual.

 

[dunedin]

Thanks, all. Was just curious as something similar may be my next boat, and would have had to rule them out if it was an issue. But not until I finally finish and use the one I have on the hard in bits

I would not rule out a modern boat on the basis of difficulty of fitting a wind vane.
An electronic autopilot is essential for when motoring. And nowadays they can steer much better under sail than a wind vane - and often better than most human helms.
Hence the vast majority of modern boats don’t bother with a windvane, but optimise the autopilot systems. Indeed on the ARC I did, only a very small percentage had wind vanes. And their failure rate was higher than the electronic autopilots.
What may be a better investment is ensuring a good autopilot, and spares (potentially even a dual system if going round the world). Then invest your money in the charging systems instead of- certainly solar but also perhaps hydro (eg Watt&Sea) for ocean crossings.
That’s my view.

 

[Klausen]

On my atlantic crossing I had two fails on the electric autopilot (Lewmar) and also my batteries died. The Windpilot Pacific needed only a few lines and steered 80% of the sailing.

 

[fredrussell]

…An electronic autopilot is essential for when motoring. And nowadays they can steer much better under sail than a wind vane…

Contentious!

 

[dunedin]

Contentious!

Fact. Look at the round the world race boats, which are under autopilot virtually the whole time. Also offshore crewed race rules had to invent rules to avoid autopilot helming to allow humans to compete!
Current cruising yacht autopilots aren’t quite as sophisticated as IMOCAs etc, but the technology has definitely rippled down and modern underdeck ram autopilots are a world apart from early tiller pilots.

 

[fredrussell]

Fact. Look at the round the world race boats, which are under autopilot virtually the whole time. Also offshore crewed race rules had to invent rules to avoid autopilot helming to allow humans to compete!
Current cruising yacht autopilots aren’t quite as sophisticated as IMOCAs etc, but the technology has definitely rippled down and modern underdeck ram autopilots are a world apart from early tiller pilots.

Fact. Look at my 30ft (NON round the world!) light displacement tiller steered boat. Your sweeping statement was about below deck auto pilots which are indeed things of marvel. When the winds up with some North Sea chop, my otherwise excellent Ev100 tiller pilot is sometimes over powered. My Sailomat windvane copes better. Daydream Believer, who sails in same area as me, often says the same of his Aries.

 

[Cerebus]

Take both: electrical auto pilot (and spares, manual soldering iron) and wind vane.

 

[Cerebus]

with those large sugarscoop sterns?
View attachment 201276View attachment 201276

Why are two outboard engines needed, does anyone know?

And solar panels mounted vertically can’t be optimal surely?

 

[dunedin]

Fact. Look at my 30ft (NON round the world!) light displacement tiller steered boat. Your sweeping statement was about below deck auto pilots which are indeed things of marvel. When the winds up with some North Sea chop, my otherwise excellent Ev100 tiller pilot is sometimes over powered. My Sailomat windvane copes better. Daydream Believer, who sails in same area as me, often says the same of his Aries.

The OP was asking about a modern (ish) 38 foot wheel steered boat, hence my comments. Easy to fit a good autopilot and the batteries and charging systems to keep going. Hopefully that boat will allow ram drive below deck, not the wheel pilot versions.

I agree that a tiller pilot on a 30 footer is very different (been there tried that). Hence why most wind vanes are now on small stiller steered boats, not on the type the OP started this thread about.

 

[TomK]

Hydrovane will certainly fit. Went across the pond on my friends Moody 38cc which has a very similar stern as the boat pictured. The hydrovane was the best investment he made for the trip. Amazing bit of kit.

Try posting on the moody owners forum, or get in touch with Hydrovane for advice.

 

[TomK]

nowadays they can steer much better under sail than a wind vane

That does not chime with my experience.

Also we had untold problems with the autohelm and electronics (and yes, we did carry spares) none with the wind vane.