View Single Post
  #7   Report Post  
posted to rec.boats.cruising
Bruce Bruce is offline
external usenet poster
 
First recorded activity by BoatBanter: Mar 2007
Posts: 117
Default self steering for the mid sized vessel

On 7 May 2007 05:04:42 -0700, tom wrote:


Do a Google search. I have seen at least one do-it-yourself article on
building a wind vane. (they are bloody expensive to purchase). One
thing you probably already know, they don;t work when motoring.
'

Actually they do work when motoring, they don't work without wind, and
they don't work so well if you are motoring hard due to cavitation.
Also make sure you have a light air vane, else they won't work below
10 knts.
Tom
ps above applies to the Monitor wind vane from personal experience,
other
vanes may be different.


Well, I was probably trying to simplify the answer too much. Wind
vanes don't work well while motoring unless the normal wind velocity
is higher then the relative wind generated by the boat's forward speed
as the vane reacts to relative wind.

Bruce in Bangkok
(brucepaigeatgmaildotcom)

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com