Wind gear do you really need it?

onesea

onesea

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Just looking at the prices of the stuff, its a considerable % of the value of an old boat and its seems to need constant TLC. Whats so special?

You can buy this:
shopping

for 1/10th of the price...

My ST60 Raymarine wind gear is only few years old (came with the boat) and to be honest I don't trust it, I do look at it think how long is that going to last. The log and sounder seem OK (although the log is not that accurate). Is there any maintenance I should be doing? apart from the steamy screen thing, which I reduced considerably by keeping the boat well ventilated...

The wind gear well sailing on the Solent I have Chimnet, Bramble met, Hurst Wind, Lymington Wind high cliff wind (although I don't know where that's measured) frequently its no where near. The only thing it is of use for is measuring the magic 5 knots at which point I stop my engine, although invariable I will drift awaiting the 5 knots....

Strikes me there are companies making allot of money out of making stuff that is just not so special....

The only thing I would really miss are the sounder and wind direction feed to my auto pilot, the rest is nice but far from essential...

As far as I can see the best way to get a good price is to spend ALLOT of money and then the discounts start coming....
 
Interesting wider question too - what do we really need, and what do we like to have.

A smartphone with Navionics or similar for £35 plus a couple of bits of wool on the stays could in theory remove any need for:
1) Charts
2) Log
3) Sounder (see charts and cheap/free apps for tides)
4) Compass
5) Wind instruments
6) Almanac
7) Pilot

Only the autohelm adds anything of massive value - the rest are backups, aesthetically pleasing, or of interest for that last quarter knot.

So I would say the only electrics I truly want are my personal phone, inverter, ice maker and autohelm, and the phone is the only thing I need. But I still spent half an hour with the Raymarine people yesterday at SIBS looking at all the new gizmos.
 
I have that very celestorn on my house. The unit has been faultless for 3 years. However the wind speed is inaccurate even on a pole from my gable end. It also has no nmea out. The batteries have lasted all 3 years in the wind sensor and the rain sensor lasts about a tear on AAs.

I have a brand new b&g wind system on the boat. The first masthead wind sensor lasted 7months and was replaced under warranty. The sensor is £400 on its own! New sensor has only been up 4 months.
 
I'm quite happy with just log and depth, can't see the need for wind instruments beyond a windex as I don't race. Sailed the Atlantic with only a Walker Log and they weren't really missed, except we never knew just how hard it blew in the tail of a hurricane (perhaps just as well not to know that).
 
From your question you seem to be be considering not having wind gear at all. If that is the case then you probably don't need wind instruments on your boat for the sort of sailing you do. You might not even need wind instruments if you should cross the Atlantic. On the other hand I wouldn't be without them although I have to confess that I did switch off my wind instruments, and some others, for large periods of an ocean crossing.
 
13 years full time cruising including transatlantics and never felt the need for that sort of instrument. I did have a handheld one left over from my hang gliding days but it stayed in the drawer. If I think it is getting windy I reef. I watch the water upwind and listen to what my boat is saying to me.

I trust my sense more than any digital readout.
 
bjl said:
From your question you seem to be be considering not having wind gear at all.
Click to expand...

I have sailed for long enough without them, I have spent to long looking at the sea and going home and comparing notes. I know when I am right and my wind gear is wrong...

This boat is the first boat I have sailed on where it is my wind gear, and I am learning it ain't that accurate. Put it on actual and beating up wind into 25 knots of wind suddenly looks like 30 (as it should does not make a happy crew) put it on true and its just never that accurate, the log is about as accurate as I can make it. It just strikes me that the house hold variety is probably good enough and cheaper to replace! I had a set that lasted 18 months and got broken during a house move cost me 40 quid.

I am not replacing as I can better info online locally and the position of the house is such it will never be accurate.

I do like the autopilot wind function I really can take it or leave it. I do think that at the price the home weather stations are we are paying allot of money for stuff that with little modification could be produced at 1/10 the price...
 
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MASH said:
I'm quite happy with just log and depth, can't see the need for wind instruments beyond a windex as I don't race. Sailed the Atlantic with only a Walker Log and they weren't really missed, except we never knew just how hard it blew in the tail of a hurricane (perhaps just as well not to know that).
Click to expand...
+1, wind instruments totally unnecessary: my present boat has them as it was fitted as part of a standard set, but I've sailed much longer and further without them than with.
 
How does the phone tell you depth of water? I'll show the charted depth but bot any anomalies.
Agree about wind instruments though. I've never found them any use and they are always breaking. I don't need one to talk me when to reef - common sense tells me that and woollies on the shroud tell me the direction. What more do you need?
RupertW said:
Interesting wider question too - what do we really need, and what do we like to have.

A smartphone with Navionics or similar for £35 plus a couple of bits of wool on the stays could in theory remove any need for:
1) Charts
2) Log
3) Sounder (see charts and cheap/free apps for tides)
4) Compass
5) Wind instruments
6) Almanac
7) Pilot

Only the autohelm adds anything of massive value - the rest are backups, aesthetically pleasing, or of interest for that last quarter knot.

So I would say the only electrics I truly want are my personal phone, inverter, ice maker and autohelm, and the phone is the only thing I need. But I still spent half an hour with the Raymarine people yesterday at SIBS looking at all the new gizmos.
Click to expand...
 
Wind speed I use for two reasons,
Firstly I use it for target speed, ie in 12 knots apparent I know I should be doing 5.8 to 6.2 knts upwind, if I'm not something is wrong.
I have target speeds for most apparent wind speeds from 5 knts up to 20 knts for upwind, beam reach and broad reaching.
I rarely use the wind direction facility choosing to use the windex off the wind and marked sheet positions and tell tails for upwind.

The other use is a guide to what its like outside.
i.e. on our berth up the river it often feels like a force 2 in the cockpit but the readout tells me a different story up and out of the way of sheltering of boats and buildings around me.
 
Never had one on my Gaffer, but on current wheelhouse motor sailer I find it vital to have any chance of steering to the wind and to compensate for wind shifts. Also being insulated indoors, it is useful to know when the wind is picking up.

Also just fitted a cheapo rudder indicator, goes a long way towards replacing the 'feel' of a tiller when assessing sail balance.


Never needed either in a cockpit, but in a wheelhouse I think they are vital. Sailed the Colvic Watson (28 ketch) for nine hours non stop with no engine! :-)
 
Re. wind instrument problems, I used to have them with the transducer seizing up but found that a squirt of Wurth Ultra 2040 provided an instant cure and also I bring the transducer home in the Winter and mount it on a post so that it spins all Winter long. Being Tack Tick I can switch on the display and check the [true] wind speed in our paddock.
 
jwilson said:
+1, wind instruments totally unnecessary: my present boat has them as it was fitted as part of a standard set, but I've sailed much longer and further without them than with.
Click to expand...

I don't find them as essential as my race-oriented son. He constantly bemoans the lack of expensive new wind instrumentation. Can't see very much point in lashing out the £££ on it, unless I was integrating it with an autohelm, for solo sailing.
You can only sail to the wind you have ?? knowing real wind is 4.45Kt less than your apparent wind, and a bit more on the beam than the bow is fine, but makes no difference to how you need to set your sails. I met a boat this summer with electronics probably worth more than my entire boat, - and the skipper was wittering on about the need to upgrade x y and z, at considerably more £££!
If you race lots, fair enough, otherwise do whatever makes you sail comfortably?
 
I now use my autopilot in Wind Vane mode, so the wind instrument is key to that operation.
SWMBO likes the wind instrument as:
a) she knows when I should reef. :p
b) she is not confident in wind direction assessment - not a natural sailor, but she can hold the helm to an apparent wind angle quite successfully.

Not an answer for the purists, but there you go.
 
Of course wind instruments are unnecessary and expensive. On the other hand, they can make sailing easier and more pleasurable and I have no intention of passing on lots of cash to the children when I can spend it on myself.
 
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