Wind vane steering

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Slowtack

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Advice welcomed on selecting windvane self steering system for a 5tonne 33ft wheel-steered cruiser, conventional low-aspect fin keel and skeg hung rudder.
 
Aries is my vane of choice. I suggest you do a search in the liveaboard or skuttlebutt forum (sorry, I can't remember) because there was a long discussion there not too long ago.
 
Wheel steering= friction in the links to any pendulumservo windvane.
Add in low apparent windspeed when running......
Has to be a Hydrovane..and they do come up secondhand
 
Just as a different point of view have a look at Monitor, the only s/s gear, still in manufacture, used by BOC RTW racers.

We've done a fair few 000s of miles using ours and yet to have any problems with it.
 
We have just been through the selection process for wind vane steering and came to the Hydrovane conclusion. I am currently in the process of fitting it to the boat and it does appear to be a very well engineered piece of equipment. Second hand ones do appear to be quite rare and as somebody else saysabove they tend to be around 75% of the new price. Ours was £3500 including delivery etc. Ordered at LIBS and delivered last week.

Fitting is not too bad, not that ours is finished yet, it seems that the boat needs to be in the water to get the trim correct.
 
I've had both Aries and Hydrovane, both work brilliantly. Plus for H vane is no string and can, at a push be used as a back up rudder. Downsides are that when no wind and you are motoring the rudder is still there causing serious drag and also reversing in a marina with the rudder attached is not always that easy. Fitting the rudder when out of the marina is also not easy. The aries, and all servo-pendulums, don't have these probs but have lots of string. All wind vanes are fantastic extra crew offshore once you have learnt to use them (not a 5 minute job).
 
Having sailed with Navik, Aries and Monitor vane gears, my vote is Monitor. It out performs the Aries, particularly in lighter winds, and doesn't suffer from the dissimilar metal corrosion that prevented me taking my Aries apart after 3 years in the Med'. If you don't want to go the servo pendulum route, obviously the Hydrovane is an option - but so is the Wind Pilot. Feedback from friends suggests that servo pendulums work with virtually any boat, whilst the Hydrovane and Wind Pilot seem to engender more of a love 'em or hate 'em attitude depending on what boat they're attached to. Have you seen any of your sister ships with vane gears? Most owners would be happy to provide feedback. In the end, it might come down to geometry. Is your boat aft or centre cockpit? For a servo pendulum gear, long runs for the steering lines can be a nuisance.
 
I've used a Monitor and a Wind Pilot.

Not for nothing was the Wind Pilot christened "The Sulky Hun".

The Monitor held the speed record surfing at 12.5 kts in a 33' on passage from North Carolina to St Maarten. It's a lovely bit of engineering and beacuse of its custom made mounting bracket it is easy to move from boat to boat, as I did.

I'd like to try a Hydrovane or a Fleming.
 
2nd hand vanes

Posters have commented that there seems to a dearth of second wind vanes about. I spoke to a mate this morning who has an Aries that came off his Sigma 362 last year. He is Falmouth based, if anyone fancies it pm me and I will give you his details.
 
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