Tacktick wind system

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Miker

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I've had continual trouble with my Navman wind system since I installed it a few years ago and more recently with the replacement Northstar which has never worked despite being sent back for testing twice. The Navman kept fogging up with damp ingress and losing the display after an hour or so. The Northstar will not calibrate properly, even with a new Navman masthead unit I was sent some time before and which I was assured was compatilbe.

My patience is exhaused and I'm thinking of ditching the lot and installing a Ticktack T033 wind system. Has anyone installed one and, if so, what is involved? Can it easily be done without dropping my 10 metre aluminium mast? Also, what are the dimensions of the display? If it is as big as the old Northstar display it will make the job much easier.
 
Ours was installed with mast down in early 2006. We had initial problems with a faulty masthead assembly [replaced under guarantee] and with sticky bearings in the replacement in 2009 but it's easy to calibrate using the GPS and we've had no problems with the displays [we have three of them]. The displays are 110 mm. square overall with the LCD part being 80 by 64 mm. . We always unclip them and store them down below when the boat's not in use and usually bring them home for the winter - that plus the reduced number of wires in the mast are the advantages of the wireless system.
 
Thanks. I'm undecided whether to get my crew to go up the mast or to get a rigger to drop the mast and replace the shrouds at the same time. The shrouds are 15 years old and must be around their "Use by" date.
 
simonfraser said:
easy to install with mast up, done it twice.
display size, look it up on their web site.
excelent system, mine is 5yrs old now and still working.
try not to get confused connecting the wires ;)
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Unlikely. The T033 'entry level' system was introduced at the start of 2009. However, it allegedly shares the same windtransducer masthead as the earlier T101, which has greater range, more software, and inbuild solar panel. The T033 display feeds itself from 12V.
It generally works well, but last season, the windspeed rotor bushing developed a problem (needed some 4 Bft wind oomph before starting, and giving lower readings ; in wet weather however, it worked normally). It has now been send to the manufacturer in the hope that it will be solved.
 
I have had an extensive Tacktick System for a couple of years now and am very pleased with it. The only niggle, however, is that the wind instrument data goes off-line now and again (couple of times a day). Usually sort out with by turning off the system and turning it no again but it always seems to happen at the most inconvenient times. Apparently this has been sorted by boosting the signal transmission strength and receiver sensitivity on more recent models. So, I'd recommend it, but you may need to send your mast head transmitter and display back under guarantee if you suffer the same problem.
 
I had a Tacktick 101 on my last boat and when it worked it was excellent. However in 3 years I twice had to replace the masthead fittings because the cups stopped rotating or were very obviously under-reading. Replacements were sent with no argument but it was a pain dropping the mast to do the work.

On my present boat I have a NASA unit and that too has started under-reading.....
 
Reading of your problems makes me wonder whether I should forget about a wind indicator and fill in the hole in the cockpit where the present useless Northstar is, or just leave it there for decoration.
 
Tacktick Wind System

I had the same problem with my Navman instruments. All of them (Wind, Log, Depth) gave trouble and after a couple of 'free' replacements also failed, I gave up and changed over completely to Tacktick a year ago. So far they have been brilliant.
 
I'm in a similar situation with an old SeaTalk 20 system. Wind not indicating, other displays are fading towards illegibly in bright light. I'm thinking of making the change, any chance anyone else has replaced Seatalk instruments?
 
smeaks said:
my advice is to go for the raymarine st40... cheap as chips and bullet proof
Click to expand...

Looked at the ST40. Given the problem of the cable run from the masthead, I quite like the idea of the wireless connection of the Tacktick, even though it is around £90 dearer.
 
gonad said:
excellent installed with mast up remember to pair them before going up the mast!
Click to expand...
When our first Tacktick wind instrument played up the vendor suggested that maybe it had "lost its handshake" or something with the display. His suggested solution was to start the handshake process with the display in the cockpit and then, within 60 seconds or so get the display up to within a foot or so of the masthead transducer so that the handshake could proceed. This called for the display to be quickly placed in a small bag which had already been attached to a spare halyard [with a downhaul] and then run up the mast. Quite entertaining but it didn't work so we got a replacement.
 
reeac said:
When our first Tacktick wind instrument played up the vendor suggested that maybe it had "lost its handshake" or something with the display. His suggested solution was to start the handshake process with the display in the cockpit and then, within 60 seconds or so get the display up to within a foot or so of the masthead transducer so that the handshake could proceed. This called for the display to be quickly placed in a small bag which had already been attached to a spare halyard [with a downhaul] and then run up the mast. Quite entertaining but it didn't work so we got a replacement.
Click to expand...

You sure you weren't being filmed for Candid Camera?
 
Tacktick wind instruments

Have Tacktick system and is ok. However, the "glass" cover has "crazed" over. Any one know if you can get a replacement part or if not a work around?
 
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