Hydrovane on a Westerly Corsair

[Pagetslady]

Has anybody fitted a Westerly Corsair with an Hydrovane steering gear if so please could you let me have a picture of it fitted and if anybody has one they no longer need will you consider selling it to me.
Mike

 

[Georgy Girl]

Have you tried contacting Hydrovane for one? We have an Oceanaranger which they were able to supply a drawing for as well as being generally helpful.

will@hydrovane.com

 

[Pagetslady]

Have you tried contacting Hydrovane for one? We have an Oceanaranger which they were able to supply a drawing for as well as being generally helpful.

will@hydrovane.com

Thanks for that I have e-mailed Will but what with time difference and holidays I have not heard from him yet.
How do you like your Hydrovane on your Oceanranger, pretty much the same as the Corsair except for the transom. I imagine fitting will be easier on the Corsair as the transom is almost flat. I thought i would move my Ladder across so that the starboard ladder bolts go into the port side ladder holes and drill two more holes for the port side ladder bolts, which will make getting onboard easier than with the ladder directly behind the back stay. Then the Hydrovane will sit dead centre, do you have davits? if so how do you manage. I have davits and a small rib which hangs just fine but I will have to fix brackets to keep rib off Hydrovane I suppose.
Mike

 

[KellysEye]

>Then the Hydrovane will sit dead centre

Hyrovanes can be offset.

> I have davits and a small rib which hangs just fine but I will have to fix brackets to keep rib off Hydrovane I suppose.

Hanging a dinghy anywhere near a Hydrovane will disrupt the airflow. Only two options, store the dighy elsewhere or don't buy vane gear.

 

[Downsman]

I'll second KellysEye point about disturbed airflow. I had a Rutland wind genny rigged in the starboard corner (where the wooden name board shows) and although on some points of sail there wasn't a problem, on others the Hydrovane would have a sulking fit and we'd be all over the ocean. Took the genny down and it holds a course better than a helmsman..

 

[Pagetslady]

I'll second KellysEye point about disturbed airflow. I had a Rutland wind genny rigged in the starboard corner (where the wooden name board shows) and although on some points of sail there wasn't a problem, on others the Hydrovane would have a sulking fit and we'd be all over the ocean. Took the genny down and it holds a course better than a helmsman..

I will have to sell rib then and go back to using an ordinary inflatable and stow on board so I could also sell davits as well. However I have an Air x wind genie I notice that loads of boats do have both dingies and wind genies on I guess its a matter trial and error but I still have to get hold of the hydrovane,
Mike

 

[Downsman]

As far as the Rutland was concerned on my boat, I knew when I rigged it that it might interfere with the Hydrovane but thought I'd give it a go anyway. I've seen many cruising boats with Hydrovane and wind gennys so it is certainly possible, in my case I think the height and clearance distance was all to pot. I think the vane gear itself, when set up properly, is brilliant. As a singlehander I wouldn't be without it..

 

[jbweston]

Hi. Is the original post a duplicate? Makes it hard to follow the thread(s). Best to post the question only once.

 

[sailorman]

Hi. Is the original post a duplicate? Makes it hard to follow the thread(s). Best to post the question only once.

YES

 

[Pagetslady]

YES

Sorry I was not aware I had posted this thread on this forum anywhere else, unless you mean the post I have put on the PBO forum, I seem to have a few different posts there, I was not aware that the two were considered to be the same.
Mike.

 

[jonic]

Has anybody fitted a Westerly Corsair with an Hydrovane steering gear if so please could you let me have a picture of it fitted and if anybody has one they no longer need will you consider selling it to me.
Mike

I had one on my Corsair set just offset. It performed faultlessly across the Atlantic. We didn't touch it, or the sails for 11 days at one point.

It also steered us through a 55kt storm while we were all throwing up.

Can't praise it enough.

Here's a pic-not great but only one I could find.

Will is very helpful and I have since fitted one- offset again- to a Moody 38.

Great bit of kit

 

[Pagetslady]

Thanks for your reply and the picture.
Regards Mike.

 

[KellysEye]

We have a wind generator half way up the mizzen mast and it doesn't affect the wind vane. There is probably a formula to work it out but my guess would be the wind generator would need to be the same height above the vane as the vane's sail height from the water, which is roughly what ours is.