Mystery Self Steer Wind Vane Help

[yellotaxi]

I picked up the wind vane below as a "pig in a poke" to settle my curiosity after seller who was selling it for a friend and had no information. Having failed on net to identify for two days. Any identifying of maker, type etc. or how it works and experience with this type of unit would be greatly appreciated.

[DDabs]

picture might help

[yellotaxi]

Sorry, I thought I attached a picture, I am technically challenged with computers. You have to be patient with us senior citizens. I can send you a few I have from my email yellotaxi@aol.com I know only old farts are still on AOL.

Put same re in email in case it goes to spam.

...smooth seas and fair winds...

[over40pirate]

Here is a few pics you sent me, my computer challenged friend. Glad you sail a lot better than you use the PC!

[model 10]

That looks home made, nice welding. Is it a pendulum style? Hard to tell from the pictures.

[over40pirate]

it's not a pendulum style. Lines run to the tiller. It looks well made, looking at it in person.
It's a horizontal axis vane. In a book that came with it on wind vanes in general, it is the same design as a kit available years ago from Quantock Marine Enterprises.

[Snowpetrel]

Yes, looks like a QME style, also very similar to Bill Belchers OGT series. He used them as ztandalone units for smaller boats or for very well balanced rudders and auxiliary rudders. And as a vane unit for his more complex trim tab and servo units. Looks well made. Do you have any dimensions for the vane? How is the cover attached to the vane?

Sent from my SM-G930F using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by yellotaxi

I picked up the wind vane below as a "pig in a poke" to settle my curiosity after seller who was selling it for a friend and had no information. Having failed on net to identify for two days. Any identifying of maker, type etc. or how it works and experience with this type of unit would be greatly appreciated.

If you want to sell it, let me know I may be interested. It looks like a pretty well-made copy of the basic QME concept which had lines that run to the tiler. Yours was made, I believe to have a cloth covering on the vane. I used to sail with a friend who had one and it worked great for us on a Columbia 24. Any boat up to 30 with not too much helm and/or balanced rudder would do ok I bet.
oops forgot:
The way it works is, it's mounted off the stern and the blade sticks straight up. Rotate the blade so that it in line with the wind. Attach lines coming off that large pulley wheel under the blade to your tiller. If the boat's angle changes the wind will then be hitting the blade face on one side thus pushing on it. Since the blade is long and large, the leverage is pretty good to tug on the line that then alters the tiller angle and brings the boat back to its course. Once the wind is no longer striking one side of the blade, the lead weights bring it back up. Works better than it sounds.
I guess you can tell how old I am if I am enthusiastic about a QME!

[jag39]

Let us know if you decide to sell it. Always looking for another self steering wind vane to try.

[dick sargent]

Don T. you should be an instruction manual writer....Great job explanation.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by dick sargent

Don T. you should be an instruction manual writer....Great job explanation.

OK, you are joking, right?
In the chandlery near me they have a real QME hanging on the wall as a nautical decoration! They won't sell it to me!

[over40pirate]

The frame of the vane that the cover goes on is 5' tall, and 16" wide. The 2 covers that came with it are 2 1/2' and 3' tall.
The covers have a vertical zipper, and common sense fasteners (twist fasteners) at top and bottom.

It has 4 split aluminum mounting blocks for, I guess, mounting to a push pit.
The welds are beautiful. Both the aluminum and the stainless.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by dick sargent

Don T. you should be an instruction manual writer....Great job explanation.

Sorry if I came across as a wiseacre, I didn't think the explanation was as clear/detailed as it should have been.

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by over40pirate

The frame of the vane that the cover goes on is 5' tall, and 16" wide. The 2 covers that came with it are 2 1/2' and 3' tall.
The covers have a vertical zipper, and common sense fasteners (twist fasteners) at top and bottom.

It has 4 split aluminum mounting blocks for, I guess, mounting to a push pit.
The welds are beautiful. Both the aluminum and the stainless.

Could you take a couple more photos of it? If it's not for sale I'd like to refresh my memory on all the parts if I venture into building one. 5 feet is really tall, that is a lot of leverage.. perhaps meant for something like a Westsail 32. The QME has a wooden blade, but somewhere in my memory banks I recall hearing of models like yours where the different sizes of fabric were for different wind speeds, reefing as it were,.. could be wrong... there must be some other old farts like me out there who remember... BTW anyone remember the kind Robin Graham had on "Dove?" What was that one called or was it just a homemade design? (just a quick thread drift)
http://www.natgeocreative.com/comp/01/275/617428.jpg

[over40pirate]

Here is a few more pics.
The big pulley is attached to the vane, and the lines go straight down, to a pulley, then to the tiller, via a pulley on either side of cockpit.
I think there needs to be 2 more pulleys, below the small one on the vane, to guide the lines forward and outward. In the first picture showing the small pulley, the forward line coming off the pulley, would rub on the small metal disc, with the 6 bolts in it.
The line with the cam cleat turns the vane into the wind.
I'm sure the different sized "sails" are for wind conditions, and amount of force required.