Navik Self-steeringGear

[clyst]

Does anyone use one of these units? Ive recently fitted a second hand unit and nearly severed my fingers whilst trying to set up/trim whilst sailing made me jump a bit! Any tips on adjustment and general dos and donts before I throw the lot overboard would be appreciated! Cheers.

 

[johnsomerhausen]

Do you have the instruction manual ? If not, you could order it from Plastimo, the manufacturer. It's a brtilliant design (I wonder whom they pirated it from, as they did with the Henderson pump, as M. Henderson once told me) but the execution is pretty lousy (the cast alloy piece on my first one broke after twelve days' use, but a boatyard workman in Mindelo made a faithful copy in mild steel which I later had galvanized and am now using on my second Navik). I don't see where you have problems if you installed it correctly. Just set your sails for the intended course relative to the wind, connect the two lines to the tiller, orient the vane so that the ribbon pn the vane is just in line with the vane and turn the little plastic piece on the counterwight to let the vane oscillate. You may want to fiddle with the lines to give more or less weather helm. On my 8.7 meters LOA boat, the Navik has steered perfectly in winds from 3 to 40 knots (and the seas that come with a Force 8 gale). I've had a few breakages, but nothing I couldn't jury rig or fix myself. Remember always to block the vane with the little tab if you want to work on it. If you've got more specific questions, e-mail me direct
john

 

[clyst]

Cheers for the info John.
I do have the instruction book albeit a bit tatty!The initial problem I encountered was that the good book says that the paddle assy must be raised and secured to the vane assy whilst motoring. so far so good. When lowering the unit for sailing whilst inserting the locking pin without being connected to the vane the bloody thing paravaned up to stbd trapping me pinkies in the alloy frame. lost all enthusiam then!!
Question. Is it alright to keep the paddle down all the time or will it possibly cause damage other than to me fingers!
Yours Aye Terry.