NASA Wind Masthead Unit - Any positive experiences?

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yachtorion

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I'm considering buying a NASA masthead wind unit. I've read a lot of threads with people having problems with them - no need to add to those.

I was wondering if anyone could provide positive experience please? Anyone had a good few trouble free years from one?
 
I had one fitted to my Centaur. Took it to the Azores and back and worked a treat. Had the boat 4 years and never needed to replace the cups once.
 
Had NASA unit already installed on my boat when acquired 10 seasons ago. Lost the cups about 5 yrs ago whilst boat was out on the hard after very heavy storms over 2-3 days. NASA v helpful on phone in getting replacements& fitting advice/support. Relatively inexpensive. Still have those cups on the mast. No issues other than needing one trip up with PTFE lubricant when I started to get obvious variable under readings. Seems to have cured it & no probs since.
 
yachtailsa said:
I'm considering buying a NASA masthead wind unit. I've read a lot of threads with people having problems with them - no need to add to those.

I was wondering if anyone could provide positive experience please? Anyone had a good few trouble free years from one?
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My experience with this particular product has been dire.

Has sat at the top of the mast not working for much longer than it ever worked. Really is the weakest part of their range, in my expereince. Though the GPS repeater comes a close second.
 
Gwylan said:
My experience with this particular product has been dire.

Has sat at the top of the mast not working for much longer than it ever worked. Really is the weakest part of their range, in my expereince. Though the GPS repeater comes a close second.
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On previous boat I had the wind instrument for about 10 years with only one replacement of cups. On previous boat I had a GPS repeater for the 3 Years before I sold her and the replacement boat already had one fitted and that has worked OK fork the last 6 years. As another poster has written these instruments are at the cheap end of the market but I consider them good value for money and easily visible unlike some of their competitors.
 
There was a post on here a few years ago where someone modified the Nasa MHU with a metal spindle. Might be worth a search as he posted a fairly comprehensive description of the modification.
I had a Nasa unit on a previous boat. Had the usual issue with the wind cups blowing away after a year or so. Frustrating!
 
I've got a spare one in my shed. No idea if it works and the wind vane tail is slightly broken. The instrument itself was wrecked by water ingress so I decided to do without it. I've had a raymarine in the past and replaced the MHU once in 4 yrs so they're not without problems either.
 
I tried to replace the missing cups on my NASA masthead wind unit myself about 9 years ago - my "fix" lasted about 6 months. I then sent the unit to NASA who fixed it and it has worked without problem for the last 8 year or so. I'd get another if I had to replace this one now.
Morgan
 
Brilliant unit, brilliant service from NASA (I am an engineer and we talk the same language).

Survived the storms we had last winter - many other makes did not.
 
I haven't found NASA any less reliable than Raymarine - not that that's a glowing recommendation.
Surprised by criticism of the GPS repeater, I think it's great.
 
Plevier said:
I haven't found NASA any less reliable than Raymarine - not that that's a glowing recommendation.
Surprised by criticism of the GPS repeater, I think it's great.
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Likewise, I've had good service from the GPS repeater.
The wind system seems poor, with only 6 degree increments, so no use for steering to up wind at night.
Wind speed is useful, but it seems like 2/3 the price of Raymarine for less than half the usefulness, IMHO.
 
I've had a NASA wind speed unit for about 6 years, no problems and still working fine.

There have been numerous previous threads on this topic as you've already acknowledged, but several points worth repeating are:-

  • Failures of masthead units aren't unique to NASA. All makes have similar problems (Check previous threads)
  • NASA are at the lower end of the price range - so probably sell more - so there are probably more out there to fail. Their failure rate per se probably isn't any worse than any other make (that you pay much more for). Call it the "Ebersplutter syndrome"
  • Some posters seem to have irrational / snobbish prejudices. "It's rubbish because it's NASA and I hate NASA because they're cheap" sort of thinking
  • NASA's customer service is excellent. Almost universally acknowledged, except by the people who expect something for nothing (FOC replacements for masthead units around or beyond a year old)
  • Wind cups have been criticised for being too flimsy. But if they were made of stainless they wouldn't turn in anything less than a F6. That's not to say the design probably couldn't be improved, but some people have unrealistic expectations
  • UV attacks all plastics and makes them brittle. It happens.
 
yachtailsa said:
I'm considering buying a NASA masthead wind unit. I've read a lot of threads with people having problems with them - no need to add to those.

I was wondering if anyone could provide positive experience please? Anyone had a good few trouble free years from one?
Click to expand...

6 years and counting - no problems whatsoever.

Compared to the cost of other units I am more than happy.

There are a few Nasa haters on the forum who seem to think buying British should be avoided.

And what is really good is you can just phone Nasa up (as I did to enquire about extending a cable) and they give you an answer there and then - unlike the frankly awful Raymarine support forum / queue and the equally awful Garmin method, both of which it has been my misfortune to try to use of late.

Go for it.
 
Trundlebug said:
  • NASA's customer service is excellent. Almost universally acknowledged, except by the people who expect something for nothing (FOC replacements for masthead units around or beyond a year old)
  • UV attacks all plastics and makes them brittle. It happens.
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Do you mean NASA products aren't guaranteed for a year?

By way of anecdotal evidence my B&G masthead unit lasted for 12 years before needing the bearings changing - plastic structure is still fine. Incidentally I've nothing against NASA and have just installed one of their BM-2 Battery Monitors. But I'd be wary of using the stuff for critical functions in a yacht where one really depended on the stuff. E.g. I wonder how many ARC, or indeed RTW yachts use NASA equipment.
 
Some of these comments bear out the o/p's suggestion on another thread that the NASA stuff is so economical that they can be thought of as almost disposable. That is an exaggeration of course but in my experience the two sides wind transducers I have had, Stowe and Tacktick both had issues after a few years which given the wear and tear they have with countless revolutions is not surprising.
Suppose there are two approaches, go NASA and expect to replace in say 3-5 years or Garmin and replace in say 5-7 years.
If your mast is unstepped regularly then maybe NASA may be the best option
 
dom said:
E.g. I wonder how many ARC, or indeed RTW yachts use NASA equipment.
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Not sure I'd ARC or RTW in my Horizon 26 either...

That probably sounds a little flippant but isn't meant that way - horses for courses. Coastal sailing in my Horizon not a lot is critical and the plotter offers backups. Not to mention the handheld plotter in the metal paranoia tin...

If NASA stuff was dangerously deficient they'd have been sued out of existence by now. If anything, simplicity can correlate with reliablility... As I said in another thread I'd seen plenty of 20 year old NASA instruments working happily...

That said I agree. If I was kitting up a boat for that circuit I'd be fitting B&G.
 
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yachtailsa said:
That said I agree. If I was kitting up a boat for that circuit I'd be fitting B&G.
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Hello Yacht ailsa,

SMALL dreaded thrift,

I am readying for a RTW. B&G was my first choice but... Raymarine has better support worldwide and their warranty is more solid than B&G.

Installers tell me to save my dosh and go Raymarine... Go figure!!
 
yachtailsa said:
If anything, simplicity can correlate with reliablility...
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That's a fair point; either way keeping these relatively simple instruments going will no doubt be helped by NASA's reputedly excellent support line - something few of the big manufacturers are even close to getting right.
 
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