Windvane Steering? Autopilot or Both for Offshore Cruising

[Bluewaters2812]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Also have a look at the WindPilot web site... heaps of such installations.

Cheers,

Jim

Thanks Jim and Ann, will do. Have now downloaded a copy of it to my HD and will spend some time reading it, appreciate the link.

[goboatingnow]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Also have a look at the WindPilot web site... heaps of such installations.

Cheers,

Jim

Thats a great site, BTW for general review of "blue water" boats. I met him in Las Palmas a few years ago.

Dave

[Livia]

Originally Posted by MarkJ

What bizarre results!
I need you to up anchor and go to the other Samoa and check there and report back

I wonder.... Wonder if its got to do with Samoa being more off the cruisers "normal" coconut run?

I don't know Mark. My numbers (mentioned earlier) are similar to svmariane and they are from the highway of the milk run -French Poly and the Cooks. I have seen a fair number of windvanes so far in the Pacific. I am not saying you have to have one but the idea that they are rare there doesn't jibe.

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by graydog

I've been going back and forth between a CPT autopilot or simrad pilot but am wondering if a self steering windvane is the better solution. Any ideas

Just bought a CPT autopilot as a back-up to my Raymarine below deck autopilot.... still no windvane in my future.

[robert sailor]

Your CPT backup might have been a good choice, where are your sailing plans taking you?

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Your CPT backup might have been a good choice, where are your sailing plans taking you?

Circumnavigate the Caribbean Sea then who knows. My wife wants to head West, I want to head East.... we'll head West I'm sure

[robert sailor]

Sounds more than adequate for the Caribbean

[Matt Johnson]

Originally Posted by robert sailor

Sounds more than adequate for the Caribbean

We figured this was a good inexpensive spare that doesn't rely on any of the Raymarine below deck components. If something with our main autopilot fails, we can just hook-up the CPT. Also, this wheel pilot seems to use very little power. Maybe we will use it more than I was thinking.

[robert sailor]

The CPT is very old in design, very simple. Its good and bad. Simple things can be fixed easier but as an autopilot compared to todays autopilots it doesn't hold a course anywhere near as good but it's OK and should make a decent backup. It also depends on the boat it is steering, if you still have the Sabre 34 then it should be more than adequate. If the day comes when you are crossing oceans in that size of boat I'd seriously consider a vane, just my personal opinion.

[S/V Alchemy]

Of course, the effectiveness of both vane and AP is strongly influenced by the proper balancing of the sails and even how the boat is trimmed. I have heard anecdotally by people with an interest in power usage that proper sail trim can reduce the energy consumed by a typical AP by 60-75%.. The same sail trim would likely reduce chafe on a wind vane and wear on its mounts and moving parts.

Yes, it sounds obvious to state it that way, but I've been on boats with indifferent trim and you can hear the AP grinding away to make small corrections to a boat that is largely capable of steering itself if handled properly.