Monitor Self Steering Gear For Sale

Noddy

Noddy

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A friend of mine has one of these he no longer needs.

Thought potential Jesters might be interested

PM me with your number and I'll put you in touch.

Paul
 
G12 said:
Bugger! Im never fast enough! I guess I could do with not spending the money at the moment anyway.
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Duncan Lougee did have an Aries for sale. He inhabits this forum under JesterChallenger, I think.

But for a small boat I think you would be better with something lighter than a Hydrovane or Aries. And for my money you can't go past the Windpilot Pacific Light for robustness combined with light weight. It works well in light winds and down wind, if you know how to use a bit of shock cord [bungee] in the appropriate places. And for the same sort of money you are getting a brand new system that takes into account your exact boat dimensions in terms of height above waterline etc.
 
John,

I'm interested in where you would draw the limit for boat size on an Aries Lift Up model.

I'm currently tracking one on a Dutch auction site and was considering making a silly offer.
 
Glayva said:
Duncan Lougee did have an Aries for sale. He inhabits this forum under JesterChallenger, I think.

But for a small boat I think you would be better with something lighter than a Hydrovane or Aries. And for my money you can't go past the Windpilot Pacific Light for robustness combined with light weight. It works well in light winds and down wind, if you know how to use a bit of shock cord [bungee] in the appropriate places. And for the same sort of money you are getting a brand new system that takes into account your exact boat dimensions in terms of height above waterline etc.
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Hi John,

I was aware of the weight of the hydrovane - a hefty chunk indeed. I've made my mind up that if I buy new then a Sea Feather will be on the menu but if something turns up second hand then I'm all ears!
Howcome the windpilot requires you to use extra shockcord? Some sort of home made damping?

Geoff.
 
G12 said:
Hi John,

Howcome the windpilot requires you to use extra shockcord? Some sort of home made damping?

Geoff.
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I find by using 4mm shockcord in very light airs I can restrict the movement of the vane itself so that it remains upright. This means that it will work in the lightest zephyr, as it just gets pushed over and turns the paddle. I've now found that the wind is not the issue it is the boat speed. Anything less than 1.5 knots there is not enough water movement to lift the paddle.

The positioning of the shockcord is quite critical and you need it to be very light otherwise it provides too much resistance. There is an art to getting it to work. Fortunately the Windpilot has a hole positioned in just the right place on the upright that holds the vane that makes positioning the shockcord quite easy.

I looked at 'Lizzie G's Seafeather but there didn't seem to be an appropriate place to put the shockcord so it may be a bit more hit and miss getting the tension just right.
 
Wunja said:
John,

I'm interested in where you would draw the limit for boat size on an Aries Lift Up model.
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Depends on boat weight I suppose. I didn't want something that was going to affect my fore and aft trim too much and as the boat only weighs 2 tonnes with quite a narrow stern I was looking for something as light as possible. Now of course I find that all my storage is in the forepeak and I could do with something to balance out the stern.

I think if you can get an Aries cheap, go for it. But from memory it does weigh around 32 Kg. that is a lot of weight to hang off the stern of any sort of small boat. The only time I have used an Aries was on a Nicholson 38, so weight was not an issue.
 
Another ebayer

Feel not so guilty about a hijack since the original went, so here's another I've seen on ebay-

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Self-Steering...tEquipment_Accessories_SM&hash=item4156cdfc0b

Not super tidy, but I believe Jesterites are handy, so shouldn't be a challenge.

p.s. I find searching in eBay boaty sections with just "self" works well- winches and steering gear without too much to sift through. (Granny and her egg-sucking habits?).
 
Karouise said:
Wunja - Need a counterbalance - put more beer in the forepeak - not to drink until arrival. :D
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Peter, I understand where you are coming from, but if I fill up with Belgian frothy stuff before I leave, I'm quite sure the other Jesters will feel it necessary to re-distribute the ballast in Plymouth. I suppose it could work if I use Heineken...

Glayva said:
Yes, John Margarson. He had one for the JAC08 on 'Lucy'. Even though it appears to be an exact copy of the Windpilot, he found he just couldn't get it to work effectively.
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I've been in touch with John Margarson. He is selling the South Atlantic for 600 Euros, but still gave an honest appraisal... I've decided that this is one piece of kit that I need to have confidence in, so if anyone else wants a South Atlantic, I can pass on his email.

There is one important difference between the South Atlantic and the Windpilot. The SA has a link between the wind vane and servo pendulum using a pin and fork, whereas the WP and Sea Feather uses bevel gears. According to the Windpilot website, this gives automatic yaw damping.
 
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