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Well I would consider windvane self steering a must for cruising long distance. But, I was wondering what you "old salts" think. I was talking to an old guy who took me sailing a few weeks ago on his spacesailer 24. He used to have a Van De Stat 37ft he did a fair few trips on that in the pacific apparently.
He swears by his Aries windvane, I have been told by others that Monitors are fantastic, but I'm not sure about that. Every long trip I have seen with a monitor has ended with the windvane breaking. The recent version of "Golden Globe", ARC, Parmelia Race.
I have heard similar things with the Navik
I reckon Flemings and Aries as the best of them all. What do you guys think?
The failure with the Monitors used in the GG were welding problems with the SS. People get carried away with welding SS and make the welds too tidy. I prefer strength. Aries have problems occasionally with the alloy tubes and castings. Navik's are tiny and fragile and out of production. Flemings are good all rounders. If I was to buy secondhand it would be Monitor, Aries and then Fleming but much would depend on the availability and price. I built my own out of SS and it looks like a Monitor but I have stolen all the good ideas from the others!.
The video is of my second unit and this has been modified several times over the years. Cheap to build but very labour intensive!
My Voyager did a great job coming back from Tual to TI. Motor steered in 2 knots across the deck.
No experience with them, but I've always liked the simplicity and looks ofthe Windpilot Pacific Light for small yachts.
Webb Chiles just completed another circumnavigation this time on Gannet, a Moore 24, using Raymarine ST tiller pilots( he carried 4 or 5 of them), and sheet to tiller.
MB has the Fleming 401. It had already done a full circumnavigation on another S&S34.
It is truly fantastic. Wouldn't be without it.
Simple, rugged, sensitive.
Sheet to tiller. I tried it for months and it doesn't work on my boat. A different main sheet setup might help but there isn't enough movement in the sheet to pull anything of consequence.
S&S34s steer themselves up wind. Without any assistance I have left MB sailing on the wind and watched her steer herself for hours.
I have a very good condition global 400 for sale the most modern and smallest of the Fleming they are not cheap but very strong no oil rig hanging on the back
During the GGR you were able to ask questions for the Q&R sessions that were posted on Facebook. I asked the following regarding windvanes: "any comments about windvanes breaking too frequently, especially at the wrong time ie middle of a storm?". Don Mcyintime's response was "My personal opinion is that I would never - ever sail the GGR with anything other than an aries or a hydrovane"
Jean-Luc ( 1st) , who pitchpoled, used a hydrovane and Mark ( 2nd) survived a really bad storm in the Indian Ocean, that dismasted two other competitors, used an aries. I believe they had no problems with their windvanes, though I admit I lost interest halfway through. Unfortunately the competitors using Monitor windvane kept on experincing breakages at the wrong time, normally right in the middle of a storm. Hopefully the makers of Monitors are looking at the GGR experience and re-engineering their Windvanes.
Ilenart
The Aries that did fail supposedly broke the SS tube support. Photo in the article shows the tube braced with a bit of plywood. Looked at two Aries windvanes this morning, old one and a new one and they were both all aluminium! I have never seem one that did not have aluminium tubes.
The photo is my mates alloy Cole 43. The windvane is an old Fleming with the large diameter tube cut out and thin framework of SS tube welded up similar to mine and Monitors. Pushrod changed to a carbon fibre tube.
Aries have aluminium support tubes that are 38mm dia and have wall thickness of 6.35mm or (old school) 1 1/2" x 1/4 " wall,
The connecting ends are bolted,,,no welds and strong as
My windvane was made for the previous yacht, so when transfering it to the present yacht I made the supports out of 20 or 25mm stainless angle.
Mine is similar to the Fleming but was made by Norvane in California.
