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Old 09-06-2011, 11:33   #1
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Wind Instruments

Hello,

I have been contemplating the purchase of a TickTak system. I really like the idea of being able to see windspeed, wind direction, depth and speed on water all in an integrated display. What are your thoughts and/or reccomendations? I have a 26' International Folk boat so I like the idea of not having to rewire for the main unit. I already have power where i'll be mounting the display unit. thanks in advance.

Pura Vida

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Old 09-06-2011, 12:30   #2
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Re: Wind Instruments

I've never had a windpoint/speed gauge other than a mast head Windex. Haven't missed it. when I have sailed with a windpoint instrument, seemed to spend too much of my time glued to the gauge rather than having head out and looking around. Of course, that was racing where absolutely spot on wind/heading control was demanded. About the only reason I can see for having a windpoint/speed on a cruising boat is for bragging rights. You can take pictures of the gauge as the anemometer twists off in 70k winds. With the wind gauges going for more than a boat unit, can find much better ways to use that money. Of course, if you have the bucks burning a hole in your pocket, why not.

BTW, it's a Tacktick instrument. Don't think they'd appreciate being called ticky tacky. Have heard of some problems with the instrument head not always being able to read the rf signal from the sender at the mast head. Seems they can be sensitive to location and very sensitive to stray rf interference. Might want to check into how prevalent the problem is and whether they've improved the sytems.
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Old 09-06-2011, 14:01   #3
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Re: Wind Instruments

They are expensive.
But that being said if I was building/fitting out a new boat there would be no electric wires up the mast. Dunno how to get around the lights up there, but theres gotta be a way.
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Old 09-06-2011, 14:21   #4
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Re: Wind Instruments

The feel of the wind on your cheek (the one on your face for you jokers)
A feather tied to a shroud with a bit of thread.
Or a piece of yarn. the fluffier the better.
Mechanically gauges have a tendency to malfunction every now and then. But they do help a lot. Either hand held or mounted.
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Old 09-06-2011, 14:26   #5
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Re: Wind Instruments

I'm kind of a geek who likes that kind of stuff. It's not always necessary but it's fun.
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Old 09-06-2011, 14:46   #6
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Re: Wind Instruments

Quote:
Originally Posted by MarkJ View Post
They are expensive.
But that being said if I was building/fitting out a new boat there would be no electric wires up the mast. Dunno how to get around the lights up there, but theres gotta be a way.

I researched them and posted a question just like this a couple of months ago.

The tacktic really isn't much more than a Raymarine ST60. And it probably is a less expensive project that a standard once you deal with the wiring.

I'm going to go this route when I get around to it.

BTW - there are 2 different tacktic wind instrucments. There's a lower priced unit that needs power supplied to the readout (not a big deal if you're mounting it next to an already powered instrucment) that says it is "only" good for up to a 36' boat. And then there is the more expensive unit that uses the solar powered readout. I contacted TackTic about the boat size thing and they said for me (basically a 44' boat) the lower priced unit would work.
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Old 10-06-2011, 00:31   #7
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Thumbs up Re: Wind Instruments

Quote:
Originally Posted by dofthesea View Post
I really like the idea of being able to see windspeed, wind direction, depth and speed on water all in an integrated display.
I say go for it... sounds like a fun project you want to do. It certainly will do no harm and having access to more info can make your sailing more enjoyable and even make you a better sailor if used well.

If you sail by your "cheek" this will be a nice cheek checker. If you find your cheek is useless you can train it.

-p
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Old 10-06-2011, 03:39   #8
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Re: Wind Instruments

We've been running a TackTick windex for a year now and like it. Every once in a while it needs to be rebooted by turning it off and then on again but no big deal for the kind of sailing we do. Racers would mind the half second or less delay between wind and display. But zero power draw, it's always on, which is nice because I'm often curious about wind speed -- or lack thereof -- when the instruments aren't on. The solar charger on the display keeps the light going all night. With the light on I can read it at night across the cockpit, the captain can't.
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Old 10-06-2011, 05:23   #9
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Re: Wind Instruments

Quote:
Originally Posted by dofthesea View Post
Hello,

I have been contemplating the purchase of a TickTak system. I really like the idea of being able to see windspeed, wind direction, depth and speed on water all in an integrated display. What are your thoughts and/or reccomendations? I have a 26' International Folk boat so I like the idea of not having to rewire for the main unit. I already have power where i'll be mounting the display unit. thanks in advance.

Pura Vida

David
For an all-in-one universal display, consider the Garmin GMI-10. A single display can show wind, depth, speed, GPS info, and heading. Not all at the same time, but you probably don't need that unless you're racing. You can get it bundled with the GWS-10 wind instrument and a "smart" nmea-2000 depth/speed transducer for about $1100 (e.g., here). You will have to run a cable up the mast, but that's not all that difficult, and you save cutting multiple holes in your bulkhead.
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Old 11-07-2011, 09:45   #10
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Re: Wind Instruments

The wind instrumentation is valuable to less confident sailors. I keep the wind instrumentation for 2 reasons. The first being an easy visual reference when teaching weekend friends basic sailing techniques. They have the visual reference and can learn to feel the wind on their cheek and compare this to the instrument. The second reason is that I feel ALL information when at sea is good information. As with all my instruments, it is necessary to learn to live without them, because at some point, this will occur.

Besides... it looks cool!
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Old 11-07-2011, 10:07   #11
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Re: Wind Instruments

I just got mine working and I love it. Great support, and if the masthead unit fails (they used to have battery problems), they'll send you another one for about $100.

We just got back from a 4 day trip through the Gulf Islands in the PNW. We used it constantly and loved it.

First, we're fairly new to the boat and have never had a wind instrument before. So we can now say, "Oh, so this is what 15 knots feels like on our cheek. When the lighthouse report says 15 knots, it means it will be like this."

Second, we spent a lot of time motoring and watching the water for hints of wind. We saved a lot of frustration by knowing the direction and velocity of the true wind, even though we were motoring. 3kn and 5kn looks pretty similar on the water, especially considering current, whether wind us coming up or dropping off, etc. However, we would shut down for 3 kn and find it really fluky, frustrating sailing, but in 5 kn we were getting along just fine. So we'd watch the gauge for the true wind speed to see how consistent the wind was and whether we should give it a go.

Third, we learned a ton about sail trim. We could make a change and see if we got a jump in boat speed (SOG doesn't work that well for that with our old handheld because of currents), and we could play with the VMG setting on the tacktick which would give us the VMG dead upwind. From this we learned that we are a lot faster and more comfortable by pinching a surprising amount. In 10 kn of wind we changed our Apparent Wind Angle from 45 degrees where the telltales were streaming to 30 degrees where the luff of the sail was starting to go soft. We stood the boat up, lightened the helm, and got a knot more of VMG. Wind on my cheek wouldn't have given me that.

Fourth, when I went to bed last night, I brought the wireless display with me and could watch depth and windspeed when I woke up.

Fifth, I'm a geek and I love my numbers. I feel it lets me understand more about what is going on and calibrate my other senses. In a few more years I might gain a lot less from having the instruments, but for now I really like them.
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Old 11-07-2011, 10:32   #12
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Re: Wind Instruments

I would second the suggestion of a GMI-10, for a display, and the Garmin wind sensor, or perhaps the Maretron ultrasonic sensor.

The only trouble with mixing and matching instruments and transducers/sensors, is that you need a way to calibrate the wind sensor (or depth, etc) and for that you need a display from the same supplier as the sensor. I have a mish-mash of sensors and displays. To configure the Maretron gear, I use their USB interface, which also emulates their display. The real displays are nice, but use too much power for a miserly sail boat.

Once you go NMEA 2000, you won't turn back, as the data is available everywhere, to all sorts of gadgets that are available now, and might come along in the future.

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Old 11-07-2011, 11:33   #13
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Re: Wind Instruments

Might want to look at the Nexus wireless wind system also. The starter pack contains speed/depth in addition to the wireless wind option. If you have amast much over 35' you will find that the tick tack system is not recommended. Nexus told me that the transmit range for their system was 400'. With a 67' mast I bought one.
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Old 11-07-2011, 13:05   #14
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Re: Wind Instruments

TackTick works fine on a 57 foot mast.
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Old 11-07-2011, 15:59   #15
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Re: Wind Instruments

Not to argue, their website "The T033 Wind system is the ideal solution for cruising yachts 35ft or under". I'm happy it works for you, they did not recommend it for my boat. For a 26 footer it ought to be fine.
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