On Fri, 30 Apr 2010 08:58:57 +0100, "Mike Coon"
wrote:

I've never sailed with any sort of windvane, probably because they are too
temperamental and vulnerable to fit to inshore charter boats. But I have
used wheel-pilots, bolt-on tiller jobs and built-in heavy duty jobs.

Anything "reliable" is only so until it breaks. Then the advantage of
windvanes to blue-water sailors (I gather from my reading) is that they can
be repaired with DIY skills and easily carried spare parts. Though, since
they are mostly outboard, not without some danger.

So, as usual, maybe it is horses (colts or fillies) for courses...

From what I've seen the "wheel pilots" and "tiller pilots" are too
lightly built for long term continuous duty. The built-in heavy duty
units can be made as reliable as your check book permits but they are
in fact heavier in weight and take more power to run. The integral
electric/hydraulic rams made by Simrad and others seem to be a good
compromise between price and durability.