Benning,

Mine is 25 years old, home made by the guy that finished the inside of
the boat. It is the "obsolete" axillary rudder with trim tab type.

I can only vouch for it. But IT is wonderful.

My advice? Get one. You have to figure out the type. I'll be
interested in other peoples comments as someday mine will break and I'll
have to replace it. But replace it I will.

FWIW, the axillary rudder gives you a spare rudder to steer by, should
anything happen to your main. It strikes me the single disadvantage of
the aux rudder is that it makes backing difficult.

Howard

Benning Wentworth wrote:
Yesterday; closing up the boat. Talking over the season with the other
victims { oops, I mean sailors of sailboats } ..

Anyway, after we got done talking about the rain in May and June ; the
heat of July and August; the ripoff marina's we visited;

the beautiful anchorages we found, the fog, the wind, ............. we
started on the crew. Or, lack there of.

Then we all walked over to the boat/sailboat with the wind-vane. "Sure does
look cool", "kinda says I am going solo and my windvane is steering". said
one of the boat owners.

Sailboats with wind-vanes look like boats that have been somewhere. They
have that something about them that sets them apart from the sailboats that
go out for a day sail. But what about the wind-vane? Should I get one?
Would it be practical for cruising up and down the coast of New England?
Huum. Sure would be better than the blue bungy-cord self steering device I
use now.

We got to talking ... "I should get one of these" said the red hulled
sailor. "But what about the cost" said the blue hulled sailor.

"Probably be able to find one cheap on ebay" said the 26' boat owner as
"she" kept working away.

"Ya think so"? said I. "Sure, look at all the ya-hoos around here who talk
about going to the Caribbean or somewhere else and never get further than
Cape Ann" she said.

"Why don't you look on the net, see what you can find, get an idea of price,
and then next time your here we can talk wind-vanes" the 26' owner said.

So .. what do you all think? Any wind-vane owners out there? Do you use
yours much? Are they a good addition? What about second hand? What brand
is the best? Do they need to be sized for the boat? Will they work with a
tillar?

Lots and lots of questions.

All answers will be printed, and passed on to the owners of a red boat, blue
boat, 26' boat, two guys looking for a boat, one motor boat,
..........................................

Gotta have a wind-vane if your going to look like the boat that is going to
Antigua. Even if the red boat owner tells me the boat going to Antigua has
been going to Antigua for ten years!