QME anyone?

[ianwright]

A wind vane question. The elderly typs among you may remember the QME, (Quantock Marine Enterprises) Vane. Made of plywood and a little weak on tiller thrust. Well I've got one, had it for twenty years in the shed, and I was wondering... if I fitted a trim tab to the rudder and let the QME operate that, backwards, would it be any stronger?

IanW

<hr width=100% size=1>Vertue 203, Patience

 

[graham]

Afriend of mine fitted something similar operating a trim tab on the back of the transom hung rudder on his Pandora 22.

It worked reasonably well with the wind either abeam or forward but not reaching or running.

His was made of stainless rod with a vane made like a small flat sail. Ithink the heavy old QME things are best left in sheds ashore.I had one once from a jumble but never got it to work well.

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[bajo]

I would be glad to get information on it for a friend, who has one less the vane ,he has no idea how it works,thanks for any info,though it is likely to remain in his shed. ALL THE VERY BEST FOR 2004

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[ianwright]

I've still got instructions hidden away somewhere, I'll see if I can find them.
The trick with the QME was to have a boat that would steer itself, which my Vertue will as long as I stay in the cockpit (!) and to keep things in balance by reefing early. I'm thinking that a trim tab might help by adding a little power, enough at any rate to let me go forward.
Any first hand ideas? Other than not to be so cheap?

IanW

<hr width=100% size=1>Vertue 203, Patience

 

[Mirelle]

I remember the vane that my father and I constructed after looking at a QME (now, that's really cheap!). Problem was the bearings, really. We never got round to adding the trim tab that we thought would make it work properly.

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?

 

[ianwright]

Well, I'm not going to chuck it out just yet, it cost me nearly £70 ,,,,,,,, I wonder if anyone has ever got as far as trying a trim tab? If you me and your Dad thought about it someone must have tried it. I'll let it stew for a while longer,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

IanW


<hr width=100% size=1>Vertue 203, Patience