Self Steering Gear

[Athene V30]

As a follow up to clicky I have now had the chance to play with my Sea Feather.

There is only one word that almost describes it..........WOW!

Ok it was only in F3 to 5 and between Brightlingsea and Lowestoft but I could not fault it on or off the wind. At one stage I was running goose winged (admittedly no sea to speak of) and did not feel I was about to gybe. The only time it felt a little underpowered was when the apparent wind fell below 5 or 6 knots downwind on a very broad reach so the genoa was blanketed by the main. Maybe a spinaker would have helped but one thing at a time! To windward (well 60 degrees off wind) 18kts apparent, full sail & over 6kts through water no problem.

Downwind
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Upwind (ensign gets in way) and it was rougher than the picture looks, honest! [image]

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Fantastic bit of kit. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[damo]

That's the thing about wind steering gear - you wonder why you never fitted it years ago /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Maybe that's why they often acquire names for their "personalities"!

 

[helixkimara]

They are just magic. My old Hasler SP2 is a great bit of kit. Got to balance the sails otherwise she plays snake trails. named her "Angel" and talked to her "allot" ! ! (As well as my boat and "salty" a small teddy) Well, and the dolphins, birds, whales, sails, mast, rigging etc. etc.

 

[Athene V30]

No name has come to mind for the vane gear yet. Was thinking about calling it 'Bob' after a vain chap I know through work who can't pass a mirror without looking in it!

May just end up calling it Dave after a policeman friend who is the best helm I have ever sailed with!

Make a change to talk to Dave rather than just talking to the boat in general.

 

[damo]

My mate Bob built a small Hydrovane in st/st, for a Pageant. Its called Vanessa - Vane Activated Non-Electric Self Steering Apparatus /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[Sixpence]

[ QUOTE ]
May just end up calling it Dave after a policeman friend who is the best helm I have ever sailed with

[/ QUOTE ]

Almost felt flattered there /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif until I got to the last bit /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[CPD]

/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

 

[Rigby]

I brought my Windpilot Pacific Light home to service it - and noticed that the pendulum rudder appears to have some fluid in it. Probably (of course) sea water but it appears to be a sealed unit. Not a lot of water/fluid and not really a problem but will sleep easier once I know whats going on. Any ideas?
Rigby

 

[Athene V30]

Assume the pendulum rudder is GRP? Any obvious holes in it or has water got in by 'osmosis'?

Could you not drill a couple of small holes to let water out, dry it out, fill holes then epoxy the whole unit?

 

[080653]

Re: Self Steering Gear-losing power at low windspeeds

I used a Hydrovane for the JAC08, just brilliant if a bit heavy for Goldie. Named it 'Maisie' 'cos it just kept amazing me how well it worked.
Ref low wind speeds, tie a plastic bag to the top of the vane to increase power, trust me it works brilliantly. Send PM and I will send a photo as I don't know how to put it here!

 

[nathanlee]

Where's the blue ensign from, flipper?

I'm jealous about the wind vane too /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I'm looking like I might have to make my own at this rate /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[Athene V30]

[ QUOTE ]
Where's the blue ensign from, flipper?

[/ QUOTE ] Member of Royal Naval Sailing Association

[ QUOTE ]
I'm jealous about the wind vane too /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif I'm looking like I might have to make my own at this rate /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ] Sea Feather is a great bit of kit

I recall at one time you were looking for a bigger boat? If you want a DIY project you might want to have a look at Flipper (excluding vane gear /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif!). I just dont have the heart to take the insides out of my boat and refit her but confident the boat is worth it.

 

[Rigby]

Made from aluminium and not GRP. Your proposed solution would of course work but I think windpilot offer a lifetime warranty and so reluctant to 'fiddle' with drilling holes until I have checked it out.
Thanks for the reply.
Rigby Raine

 

[Gargleblaster]

I have a Windpilot Pacific Light and it also has a small amount of water inside the aluminium paddle. There are a couple of small holes towards the top that have some sealer stuck in them and I suppose that I could remove the sealer and tip the paddle upside down to empty it. But to date it hasn't worried me and it has done about 15,000 miles.

I wasn't aware of a lifetime warranty on the Windpilot.

Just returned from a sail on a boat equipped with a Aries between Antigua and the Azores. At anchor in English Harbour the paddle floated towards one side or the other [fibreglass and possibly lighter that water] and I wasn't sure how effective it was going to be. However once we were underway the paddle behaved perfectly and steered without fault despite a very complex steering system on the centre cockpit boat.

 

[co256]

Maybe? being made of fibreglass and therefore lighter than aluminium it would make the paddle more sensitive and effective in lighter airs?

The other route is a larger and/or lighter wind vane.

Any thoughts John?

 

[Gargleblaster]

[ QUOTE ]
Maybe? being made of fibreglass and therefore lighter than aluminium it would make the paddle more sensitive and effective in lighter airs?


[/ QUOTE ]

In my experience the paddle is more effected by water speed than wind speed. If there is enough wind to flop the vane over, the paddle will then steer itself but without sufficient water speed it can't lift enough to pull on the steering lines. Overall I like the aluminium paddle because at least it looks as though it is hydrodynamic. The fibreglass ones with slightly rounded corners just don't look as sensitive to water speed. That said I was shocked by how good the Aries was for being an old and extremely heavy bit of kit. It was as every bit as good as my Windpilot at low waterspeed, i.e less than 2.5 knots. I can't talk about the wind speed as we were on an old 10 tonne ketch that took 10 knots of breeze before she would make any way, so naturally at that wind speed the vane worked well.

 

[co256]

two thoughts spring to mind....

1, the weight of water any given paddle has to push is the same for any paddle (of the same size) regardless of it's structural material.

2, if the weight of the paddle has no effect, why do sailors spend so much of their time trying to make their boats light?

maybe, as the water is pushing on the paddle, rather than the other way around, the lighter the paddle the easier it is to move?

Guy.

 

[Rigby]

John - Thanks for the post. Interested to learn of another Pacific Light user. I was sailing a few days last week, and I have to say I have still to get the WP set up properly. Despite best efforts I still end up with the vane tilted over and the pendulum arm on its limits too frequently, indicating something (I suspect the control lines) are not properly tweaked. If you're happy to PM me a contact no would love to give you a ring and talk this through.
Rigby Raine

 

[Gargleblaster]

The first thing I learnt about my Windpilot was that even though the manual says that the eyebolt that you tie the lines onto on the top of the paddle was supposed to be central mine had to be at the top to provide maximum leverage. The second thing I learnt was keep your lines tight at all times or you lose force.
I recently helped bring a Nicholson 38 from Antigua [following Classic Week - Pimm's and Cucumber Sandwiches on the lawn of the Yacht Club] to the Azores that was fitted with an Aries. The Nic 38 has a really horrible steering system and I thought the Aries would never work. Once again it had to have tight control lines and it had a tweaker fitted into the control lines which I am going to try and fit now to my own boat rather than retying my knots every time the lines become loose. The tweaker was just a simple block fitted to one of the control lines the other line was tied to a stanchion and had a block and a cleat on it to pull on the block on the control lines.