Want To Buy: Sell Me Your Monitor Windvane :p

[NOMN]

Hi Guys!

Getting about ready to ready about (sorry, I had to.)

I'm in desperate search of a Monitor Windvane, the later the production year the better. (Early 2000's ideal, 2010 even better.)

If anyone has one, and are willing to part with it at cost to fuel my circumnavigation, please let me know.

[laika]

Sorry, no info about a monitor, but I just bought a new Norvane and am totally jazzed with it. It's robust, quality, now tried and tested on the market (being relatively new), and lighter than a Monitor. About half the price. A new one will run you under $3000, including a custom mount for your transom and a kit of spare parts.

I have a 27 footer and the smaller, lighter norvane is a better fit for my boat, IMO. If you have a couple weeks for the time it will take for Phil the owner to make and ship one to you, that'd be my unsolicited recommendation.

NORVANE Self-Steering Wind Vane. Stainless steel, servo-pendulum. Powerful, sturdy and reliable for sailboats 20’ to 60’

[DefinitelyMe]

Well, i have a monitor that you can have for free but it's missing a few parts, namely the rudder part (got carried away in a hurricane) and maybe some of the gears, though i have a bag of spares somewhere. The catch is it's in Bermuda..........

[NOMN]

Originally Posted by laika

Sorry, no info about a monitor, but I just bought a new Norvane and am totally jazzed with it. It's robust, quality, now tried and tested on the market (being relatively new), and lighter than a Monitor. About half the price. A new one will run you under $3000, including a custom mount for your transom and a kit of spare parts.

I have a 27 footer and the smaller, lighter norvane is a better fit for my boat, IMO. If you have a couple weeks for the time it will take for Phil the owner to make and ship one to you, that'd be my unsolicited recommendation.

NORVANE Self-Steering Wind Vane. Stainless steel, servo-pendulum. Powerful, sturdy and reliable for sailboats 20’ to 60’

This is why I post here. I seriously love you man, thanks.

I contacted the guy(s???????) over at the Monitor Windvane place, and they were total ******** to me. I really didn't want to go with them. Their manufacturing/production costs are around $1500 per unit, and they charge almost 6 grand for a new one. Totally ripping people off.

I was going to build my own out of bamboo, but I never got around to it.

[DennisDW]

I've just done some repeat business with monitor for reusing mine on my new boat. They have been very helpful and have drawn up fitting plans at no charge. The calculated new tube lengths and decided I did not need to buy anything from them at all. My experience had been great in all my dealings with Scanmar.

I did build my own vane gear on a previous boat. It was an auxiliary rudder style and worked well. 'Not as powerful and the servo pendulum kind but definitely steered just fine. Give it a try, there are lots of resources for plans I think.

Good luck to you,
Dennis

[marc2012]

I found the people at scanmar to be very helpful & polite.I tried to buy a norvane but was unable to contact them for 2 months & gave up.If you have trouble contacting them to buy one i shudder to think if there is a problem.marc

[sanibel sailor]

Originally Posted by NOMN

Their manufacturing/production costs are around $1500 per unit, and they charge almost 6 grand for a new one. Totally ripping people off.

Nice attitude. Did you explain their unfair pricing to them before or after they treated you unkindly?

There is a lot more to being in business than the production cost of what you are selling. You might try starting and running a small business sometime, it is enlightening how quick the money goes out. I quit trying to judge if a product was a rip-off or not. Now it is just whether I want to pay what they are asking. For a Monitor, 6K, no way, got mine used $800 on craigslist. Patience Grasshopper.

[cheoah]

Originally Posted by NOMN

This is why I post here. I seriously love you man, thanks.

I contacted the guy(s???????) over at the Monitor Windvane place, and they were total ******** to me. I really didn't want to go with them. Their manufacturing/production costs are around $1500 per unit, and they charge almost 6 grand for a new one. Totally ripping people off.

I was going to build my own out of bamboo, but I never got around to it.

I just contacted them about a used monitor I am purchasing and they were generous with their time, sent drawing for my boat, told me about bending the frame and what wall thickness bends well and what doesn't, etc, etc.

You might be surprised what the cost of production is for many items you own. Remember that there is this thing called overhead, and profit, insurance, taxes, and on and on. Monitor is in business; it puts food on the table for people, I hope.

Not sure you're approach is working out for ya, might retool that, or there's always bamboo

What boat are you mounting it on?

[John A]

Considering the location of Scanmar, their security cost must be astronomical, Apartment buildings in the area have bars over the back windows of units on the second floor.

Their located in Richmond, Calif. close to San Quintin The Fed prison with a gas chamber.

[NOMN]

Originally Posted by cheoah

Monitor is in business; it puts food on the table for people, I hope.

What boat are you mounting it on?

It puts more than that .

I'm honestly glad everyone else has had positive experienced with them.

It's going on mah cape dory.

[sanibel sailor]

I had an Aries on my CD26, don't know how your diesel vs my outboard affects trim, and the Aries does weigh a ton, but it was too heavy, really squatted down. Might consider the lightest vanes as alternatives.

[The Vortex]

I love my Monitor, the guys at Scanmar were terrific, and the total for mine, last year, was a little under $4000. So...

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by NOMN

This is why I post here. I seriously love you man, thanks.

I contacted the guy(s???????) over at the Monitor Windvane place, and they were total ******** to me. I really didn't want to go with them. Their manufacturing/production costs are around $1500 per unit, and they charge almost 6 grand for a new one. Totally ripping people off.

I was going to build my own out of bamboo, but I never got around to it.

Originally Posted by NOMN

It puts more than that .

I'm honestly glad everyone else has had positive experienced with them.

It's going on mah cape dory.

Well I take it you are a newbie to this forum...sailing and looks like life too. I bought an old monitor off an almost abandoned boat and being a Toolmaker/Machinist by trade, fixed it up. I was on a limited budget and wanted to take my Ingrid 38 to Hawaii from Ca. I went to Scanmar and the manager spent at least an hour with me and discounted the parts I needed. A few weeks later asking him advise on making my own air vane as I could not afford a new one. He gave me one of his experimental ones...yes gave.
I can tell you they are hand made. Being a Machinist, I know the costs of making such a contraption. I was told they out source plenty of their parts to local businesses in the area. I can tell you have no idea of the reality of manufacturing and that's fine. But you should not be making random generalizations about them either.

[NOMN]

@ Above ^-----

I'm not going to feed more energy into it, other than the undeniable truth that A) I had a horrible experience with one of their personnel, and B) I'm actually involved in a few small businesses and have things manufactured like prototypes, chasis housing, and other sheet metal molding. I'm not an expert, but they certainly are making quite a hefty profit at the expense of their fellow yachstsmen.

Lighter? Lighter is good.
IT LOOKS LIKE THE NORVANE IS WINNING .

[Celestialsailor]

...I'd say from my post and others that it is only your undeniable truth. The rest of us have had pleasant experiences with Scanmar... and them making hefty profits is only your misguided conclusion unless of course you have some how obtained their profit sheets. Their building is in a very bad low rent area. They drive older vehicles. I am assuming you only contacted them by phone to draw your critical conclusion.
I'll go out on the limb here and guess you want something for nothing and when you can't get your way...they become ********.