NASA wind - still rubbish mastehead sensors?

oldharry

oldharry

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5 years ago I had a NASA Clipper wind system whose masthead sensor needed new cups and vane every season, and new bearings if wind speed exceeded around 50kts for any length of time. They were not UV proof so the plastic just broke up after a few months exposure.

Are the current ones any better, or have NASA not bothered to upgrade them?
 
After 2 complete clipper wind units & 4 sets of cups, I drop-kicked my unit where it belongs, 'File 13' !

It stopped working the second time around 4-5 years ago, and the cups were still not just 'unresistant' to UV, they seemed to be particularly surprised to be out in it at all - probably 'indoor' grade design & materials judging by the amount of satisfaction I got...
 
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On the basis of my experience NO!
They seem to think that replacing the bloody cups every couple of seasons is fair wear and tear. And £13 for a few grammes of rubbish plastic does not make me feel favourably disposed to adding any of their other products to the boat.
Not to mention the cost of getting a lift to the top of the mast and maybe having to pay someone to do the job if you don't have a head for heights or the time to do it.

Shame really!

Anyone fancy a 'class action'?

Reading the thread on LED's I wonder what they are doing there
 
I've had my NASA wind instrument for seven years. It was second hand when I got it. I've had to replace the cups once. NASA were very helpful when the wiring got a bit damp and the display went blank. I managed to fix it myself with e-mail help. I am very pleased with the instrument.

Neil
 
Another positive experience of Nasa instruments. The masthead unit on my Clipper Wind was faultless from new for 8 years until I sold the boat. And it had 50+ knots past it on at least one occasion. Bought 1999 so maybe slightly more recent ones are of poorer materials? All my Nasa Clipper instruments gave the same fault free service over the same period, and they sent a spare paddle wheel for the log quickly and cheaply.
 
My experience exactly the same as Neil S. I found NASA helpful and prices for spares reasonable. Compare the price of ST60 covers to NASA Clippers!
 
There's clearly a wide divergence of experience with the NASA wind unit. Mine, as you might have guessed, isn't good. But it did encourage a little empiricle research. So for those of you with one not working, here's a rough and ready guide to gauging wind speed:

8 knots: wind generator spins.
16 knots: NASA anemometer spins.
35 knots: outboard propellor spins on pushpit.
70 knots: it's best not to know.

P.S. There must be a direct relationship between wind gen output and wind speed, albeit not at mast height. So why not a gizmo to indicate wind speed from that?
 
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I just fitted a clipper, I thought the vane itself was pathetically thin and it wasn't even perfectly straight. A few pennies worth of better plastic would be a good investment in my opinion. It is however massively cheaper than the competetion! I did think of buying Stowe instruments but even they were more than twice the cost of the clipper with a bit of boatshow discount.
Perhaps it is possible to put a thin UV resistant coating on the plastic before fitting - some type of varnish perhaps. It's not going to affect the performance of the unit if it's a very thin even coat say from a spray can.
 
My first Clipper Wind was a gift to me, about 1999.

That lasted 11 months ( with a new set of cups at half that time ) and NASA just did not want to know about guarantees !

As a complete fool, later when I had some money I bought another, largely to fill the hole in the cockpit bulkhead !

I noticed the second had a completely different masthead unit.

The cups again lasted a few months - as previously mentioned by someone, the vane came with a bend already in it.

After about 18 months it packed up, with the direction spinning around and speed stuck.

I phoned NASA, " definitely the masthead ". As I wasn't convinced by the tone of voice and wasn't going to take my mast down mid season for this, I waited.

At Excel, I asked at the NASA stand. " definitely your display unit ".

As I never wanted the thing anyway, a windex and wool shroud telltales give direction better, and I know the boat well so can judge windspeeds by how frightened I am, I happily removed the lot.

Now I am stuck with a blot on my cockpit panel which serves no purpose; so no different to having a Clipper Wind !
 
Interesting bipolar views of NASA.

I have always found them incredibly helpful. The wind instrument mast head unit is the most challenging. It worked for for about four years, and then was fine again after a new set of cups. Again OK for about another four years, when I got them to replace the spindle, which solved the problem. None of these fixes cost any serious money. My other NASA instruments all have been fine.

I have heard plenty complaints about equipment 3 times the price, so I'm not convinced that spending more more will necessarily solve the problem.

However my experience does not seem typical.
 
Like Amulet, I have had good service from my Clipper wiind meter and from NASA when it needed fixed. The first set of cups lasted three years and were broken by me walking too close to the masthead when the unit was on the ground. The masthead unit needed repair this winter as it was full of water and this was done by NASA quickly and at reasonable cost.

It is not just NASA cups that break off. I have seen several boats with their masts still up missing some of the bits on my last trip to the marina.
 
Some people seem to have much better luck than others !

My anemometer cups only lasted months, and during various periods when present between replacements were both immobilised and covered in a very thick black plastic bag ( anti UV ) over winter...

I agree one will see other manufacturers' kit with broken cups, but I suspect not after a few months use !

BTW I checked and it was not seabirds landing on the thing, I made a point ( literally ) of having the VHF aerial close to discourage that.
 
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