Hi Guys,
I'm new to this forum so.. Hi!
I'm hoping someone here has good knowledge of the older Fleming Minor wind vane.
I had a Major on another yacht that worked faithfully around the SW Pacific. More recently I bought a Minor and mounted it on my current 33 footer. It has a small cylindrical knob that sets the vane position with a locking ring that you turn to lock it in position. It appears that the only way to set the course is to go to the stern and reset the vane position. On the Major you could adjust the vane by two cords running to the stern which was much better in a blow as you could make small changes in course from the companionway.
Am I missing something? Is there a better way to set the vane angle?
Have you got a picture? I have a Fleming 401 but am not sure what you mean by a small cylindrical knob to set the vane. Mine has a screw gear.
There are several older Fleming steering gears about and I would suggest you do a Google image search to check out the variations. There are a lot of photos. The particular one I think you are referring to is the one with the large SS tube with the gear teeth at the top. Mate of mine has one and there was another boat here with the same system. Some Flemings have a worm gear that does the same job and often has a line back to the cockpit.
My windvane is similar to a Monitor and the vane position is set by a Porsche 928 timing belt from the cockpit. I made a gear to suit at the base of the vane that connects on a shaft to the top of the gear where another smaller belt controls the head. The cockpit end has another gear held in tension with a shock cord. I can tension the gear too to restrict the gear from accidentally moving and spoiling the course setting. I think the easiest way is to instal a shaft parallel to the SS tube and make a gear to mesh with your present set up. Then use a gear at the bottom or just a drum with a couple of turns or cordage back through blocks to the cockpit.
Youtube might be worth checking as well. This is mine. The old system is there as well same belt but used differently!
Thanks for your replies guys. I'll get photos this weekend. I've googled relentlessly for someone who may own one but nothing. Well there was one photo; but I'll take better photos and post them here soon…
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There are thousands of photos of Fleming windvanes. The one above is the early type on a steely that used to moor here. This is the next version and there are a lot of these about. Mate has one on his Hartley RORC 39 here and he sets his at the gear because he is too lazy to rig up the appropriate equiptment.
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That's an Aries. Uses alloy castings and SS tube. Ringle is after Fleming info. This manual may be of interest.
www.fujiyachts.net/manuals/Fleming%20Self%20Steering%20Manual.pdf
Thanks for replies.
Thank you Ramona for your efforts. From that later model Fleming manual, it describes what I'm hoping to achieve as a `course control line' .
The earlier Fleming Major wind vane had an indexed (ratcheted) method of rotating the vane; I had one and it worked well.
The smaller Fleming Minor wind vane that I've bought doesn't have it, it has a simple cylindrical knob and lock nut.
I was at the Tasmanian Wooden Boat festival 2 weeks ago and there was a lovely Ingrid 38 called `Taurangi' with the same wind vane as mine. They have done a lots of sea miles but they still have to lean over the stern and adjust the knob/lock nut to change course. Given that the Ingrid has a stern hung rudder of `beefy' proportions they need to lean well out to make any adjustment to the course. I asked whether this was ideal, to which they replied "no" and if I worked out a better solution would I let them know.Their vane, mine and the one in Ramona's photo of the Hartley RORC 39 are all the same; i.e. a control knob with lock nut. I've yet to meet someone with one of these vanes who has a better arrangement for the course control line.
Hi Ringle,
so is it a Fleming or an Aries lift up that you have? The Aries lift up has an indexer that changes course 6 deg each click, done with ropes to the cockpit. I have an Aries lift up and a Navik
This is a picture of a modification to a Navik vane. The rope drum has been added to the vane post. The drum is connected to the course setting control knob via a flexible piece of rubber tubing. To tack the boat or change course pull which ever side of endless rope to the drum.
I am not familiar with the Fleming but this was a simple set up on a Navik to stop having to lean out over the stern to tack the boat.
The green hulled yacht is actually a steel Roberts 34 now residing in Tasmania. This photo is my mates Hartley 39 gear. I swung past there today on my way home. The adjustment knob is actually machined to take a rope, couple of turns then both ends back to a cleat in the cockpit. Easily swapped out for either a toothed belt or chain sprocket. I would machine up a layshaft to attach to the guard rail driving a shaft down to deck level and from there you could use any number of ways to control this shaft. A long timing belt is the easiest way to instal an endless arrangement. Adding a friction knob set up is dead easy. I shall tell my mate tomorrow to get off his butt and sort this out!
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Select to expand quoteRingle said..
… the same vane as in HG02's photo also.
thanks for posting that.
Sorry Ringgle, I didn't see that photo of HGO2's, I thought you where referring to his Aries lift up in his earlier post. , my confusion .
Select to expand quoteJolene said..Ringle said..
… the same vane as in HG02's photo also.
thanks for posting that.
Sorry Ringgle, I didn't see that photo of HGO2's, I thought you where referring to his Aries lift up in his earlier post. , my confusion .
Sorry I should not have posted that
I have a 28 with a skeg and transom hung rudder.
I was thinking about a vane but what you have ramona, would sink my boat.
Is there a different vane type for tiller operated transom hung rudders? Any websites you could recommend?
I googled vanes but they all are - sorry - terrible looking contraptions to my eyes. They might work well but they are unsightly and fairly complicated.
I found, using the cutter sail sheets and truck inner tubes cut into rings, hooked up - instead of surgical rubber - on the tiller working all right.
I would not mind trying a vane, though.
This is my Fleming wind vane on its previous yacht, a sister S&S34 to mine. It was taken mid Atlantic during the owners circumnavigation a decade or so ago.
From the main sheet he is running almost dead downwind, not a noted point of sail for S&S34s. The Fleming is handling it very well. I have done similar runs with it and it holds course to the wind within a few degrees (<5) which is great when worried about an unintentional gybe.
That close up photo is exactly the arrangement I have, Ramona.
The timing belt idea sounds workable but i'd like something long enough to extend to the companionway when on passage. I could fine tune the course with the Major's ratchet clicks from under the dodger without having to get party gear on.
I'll pull it apart and see what a machine shop can do in the way of a better `rope wheel' .
Select to expand quotesirgallivant said..
I have a 28 with a skeg and transom hung rudder.
I was thinking about a vane but what you have ramona, would sink my boat.
Is there a different vane type for tiller operated transom hung rudders? Any websites you could recommend?
I googled vanes but they all are - sorry - terrible looking contraptions to my eyes. They might work well but they are unsightly and fairly complicated.
I found, using the cutter sail sheets and truck inner tubes cut into rings, hooked up - instead of surgical rubber - on the tiller working all right.
I would not mind trying a vane, though.
You could make up a trim tab style vane that sits on the back of the rudder.
Personally I think that servo/pendulum is the only way to go. There is a built in anti-yaw aspect to the servo pendulum which steers the boat well in fresh downwind. i.e. When the transom lurches to port or starboard the paddle pulls the tiller (wheel) in the opposite direction. They are ultra reliable and steer better as the wind freshens.
