Mr V Windvane

[hoppy1848]

Hello, does anyone have experience of the Mr V Windvane? Comments on accuracy, reliability and value for money would be very helpful.

I am toying with putting a hydrovane on my Moody 31 MK ii because I would like to sail AZAB next year and Jest 2016. The thing is, I am likely to move up to a larger boat when I retire in a few years time and if I could get away with. Cheaper but reliable Windvane for the time being, then that would be good. I'll save the Hydrovane until retirement and hopefully round the world et al.

Any thoughts?

Thanks.

 

[Independence]

I've no personal experience of them but have not heard much good about them from those who have tried them off-shore.

Could be worth posting something on the Jester Challengers website if you are thinking of going single-handed (I'm sure there are other good sites, including here!)

 

[Blueboatman]

Take the Hydrovane with you onto the next boat and fit a natty boarding ladder to cover the two old transom mountings?

H. is so very good, proven for race and RTW, this way you only buy once!

 

[Kelpie]

That's both confusing/confused and pretty unfair.
People's plans change. Maybe you're the exception to that. Well well done to you.

FWIW I have found the chap at Mr V to be very helpful and prompt answering my various queries, even though I have never bought anything from him.

 

[oldbilbo]

Deleted.

Senior moment. The other fella is right.

 

[KellysEye]

I'd buy a Hydrovane for the AZAB then sell it when you get a bigger boat and buy another one. The sail and rudder are different sizes the bigger the boat the bigger they are. Having seen dozens of boats with wind vanes the great majority are Hydrovanes and a few Aries. I've never heard of or seen a MR V (other than the video) and wouldn't touch it, you could find yourself hand steering, go with something proven.

 

[MoodySabre]

There was a guy on here called Jellie who conned everybody into voting for him so she could get one for nothing.

Had his boat somewhere near Preston.

Worked in some sort of meedja.

He/she won.

Heard no more.

Or am I confusing things?

http://mrvane.com/

It was Nathan Whitworth who won one. Not sure it ever worked well. Send him a PM. http://www.ybw.com/forums/member.php?31227-nathanlee

 

[Steersman]

As an option, you might want to have a look at this

http://www.steersman.net

 

[CPD]

I fitted a Mr Vane to the back of my Centaur for Jester Azores 08. I never had a really happy time with it, and spent most of the time head over the stern, fiddling. I eventually gave up and used tiller pilots. Chap at Mr.V very helpful and pleasant, and I know they have been updated since then, so cant comment on current model. Buy once would be my opinion, hydrovanes seem to be great bots of kit.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Buy once would be my opinion, hydrovanes seem to be great bots of kit.

I have a Sea Feather. Works beautifully. Nice people to deal with.

 

[hoppy1848]

Thanks everyone for the replies and experience.

It will be a hydrovane if anything. Survey today and I'll see the damage there before finalising.

Another question. Any idea of resale value for the hydrovane after say 3 years?

 

[30boat]

Watched their video and noticed the plastic gears.Not very fond of that really.

 

[wully1]

I had a Hydrovane on my last boat- one of the best bits of kit I have ever bought for a boat.

 

[KellysEye]

>Hydrovane on my last boat- one of the best bits of kit I have ever bought for a boat.

I agree with a slight difference it was the best bit of kit on the boat. It doesn't sleep, eat or use power and as two handers it was the third member of crew.

>plastic gears

They are not plastic they are hardened nylon and we never had any trouble with them for 10,000 miles.

 

[TimBennet]

It doesn't sleep, eat or use power and as two handers it was the third member of crew.

That applies to all windvanes.

If anyone looking for a secondhand windvane, don't limit yourself to just Hydrovane. In my experience of quite a few different makes, there are others that are worth considering or, if you were me, preferring. I wouldn't pass up on a late model Monitor (Aries/ Windpilot, etc) for the right price because I had my heart set on a Hydrovane.

As with all bits of kit, nothing is perfect and compromises have to be made. Just make sure the compromises are the best for your exact situation.

 

[Blueboatman]

I have Monitor, which works very well. Had I been able to do a remotely sensible tradein or sell off tho, I would have bought a new Hydrovane, based on my experience with it on my last boat, simply amazing, independent rudder and no blurry strings all over the cockpit
Just my two vanes worth ( though I have sailed with a few others and built a fancy one that took me to the islands of rum n sun beautifully, once)

 

[KellysEye]

>Aries

We've seen two Aries so corroded they didn't work, dissimilar metals are used.

>As with all bits of kit, nothing is perfect and compromises have to be made.

Given that Hydrovanes are used by the majority of long distance cruisers I don't see where compromise comes in.

 

[TimBennet]

>Aries

We've seen two Aries so corroded they didn't work, dissimilar metals are used.

>As with all bits of kit, nothing is perfect and compromises have to be made.

Given that Hydrovanes are used by the majority of long distance cruisers I don't see where compromise comes in.

The dissimilar metals is their downside (and some hanging on the backs of boats have been neglected for 40 years), and strings in the cockpit, etc, but as I said, they all have their downsides. But the idea that Hydrovanes are the most widely used certainly isn't my experience. They are favoured by UK boats because they're local and that's reinforced by all those 'gear surveys' published after the ARC, but neither is representative of cruising worldwide.

 

[KellysEye]

> but neither is representative of cruising worldwide.

Where is the evidence of that? For example we have never seen an American yacht with a wind vane because they don't have to sail long distances, or strangely a Kiwi or Australian yachts. We have seen Hydrovaneson Dutch, Swedish and Norwegian yachts, so it's not just UK boats. Hydrovane's head office is in Canada but they are manufactured in the UK.

 

[TimBennet]

For example we have never seen an American yacht with a wind vane because they don't have to sail long distances, or strangely a Kiwi or Australian yachts.

What? Quite an incredible statement. Ever been to the Pacific? Full of US, Canadian, Australian, NZ yachts who have sailed long distances. I don't think they would have kept windvane manufactures in business in the US if no one bought them.