Wind vane steering

[Harry Black]

I have an Alberg 30. A few have citcumnavigated.They are known to be very seaworthy and have a comfortable motion. They are narrow beam and have a full keel. I sail on Lake Ontario which is like a small inland sea.my boat even though I have restored it isn’t worth more than $15000 or so. I do all my sailing single handed and am in my 70’s. My question is, is it worth installing wind vane steering snd if so what system is recommended?

[Harry Black]

I have an Alberg 30, built in 1965. Narrow beam, full keel, very seaworthy,1.6 capsize ratio, 32 comfort ratio. Not worth more than $15000. All sailing single handed. I’m in my 70’s. Is it worth a windvane steering system?

[Pegu Club]

We have a Bristol 29.9 equipped with a Monitor steering vane, it works very well! Three years of full time cruising the East coast and Bahamas, we have no complaints. New, a monitor is not cheap, (5K), but there are steering vanes on the used market for noticeably less, but will require additional funds to get it mounted to your specific boat, so keep your eye out as it were, comb the marine consignment shops. Our longest non stop passages have been a handful of two and three hundred mile outings, and the Monitor has worked tirelessly, it’s a crew member that doesn’t require sleep, food or your single malt..., By the way, we are 62 and 52 years old.

Imo, yes it is worth it, and hell, it’s only money...

Fair winds,

[Don C L]

If you are singlehanding over a hundred miles or so, and you have a windvane, you'll look at that thing steering you faithfully hour after hour and say, "sure glad I got that!" Then you'll see it was worth it.
I don't have one now (installed... got one in the garage) but that is only because all my passages are only a day at most these days. It's not what it is worth relative to the boat's value, it's the value of what it does for you that is important.

[Mike OReilly]

If all you plan to do is sail the lower Great Lakes, then maybe not needed/worth it. Kinda depends on what deals you can find. A new vane will run $5,000 or more. Used can be cheaper, but none are inexpensive.

If you plan to take the boat further afield, either out to the coast or north to the Big Lakes, then having a reliable self-steering tool becomes essential.

On my boat we have both an Aries windvane and an electric tiller pilot. Aries are available on the used market, but they are heavy. Might be too heavy for your Alberg.

[Emoyeni]

Originally Posted by Harry Black

I have an Alberg 30. A few have citcumnavigated.They are known to be very seaworthy and have a comfortable motion. They are narrow beam and have a full keel. I sail on Lake Ontario which is like a small inland sea.my boat even though I have restored it isn’t worth more than $15000 or so. I do all my sailing single handed and am in my 70’s. My question is, is it worth installing wind vane steering snd if so what system is recommended?

My vote is yes. You only live once. This is your boat. You've put in all this effort to restore it. The value that someone else gives your boat is irrelevant. If you want to enjoy the boat without the whining of an autopilot, just get the darn wind vane! You can buy used and sell it separately if you ever sell your boat. No big deal. Windvane sailing is beautiful. If it makes you feel any better, my boat is also about 15k in value and I will be getting one, too.

[Fore and Aft]

Harry Black, if you can find a used wind vane cheap enough then why not install it. A lot of sailing is about fantasy and messing around in boats.
Have you read Sue Williams book about crossing the Atlantic in an Alberg 35? It is a good yarn.

Cheers
https://www.nauticalmind.com/105992/...to-come-about/

[SVTatia]

100% yes. Read my post on windvane, brand new, $2500 CAD. Not related to the manufacturer, just a customer.

[mait]

Many people say windvane self-steering is not needed for coastal sailing. If your sailing trips are only 2-3 hours from your home marina with a lot of course changes, tacking and gybing, then don't bother with the windvane. Any longer than that and it becomes great fun and help.

I have a cheap 29ft 2.8ton boat and fitted a second-hand Windpilot Pacific Light, excellent piece of kit. This was the most lightweight and compact kit I could find.
Works like magic. For Alberg 30 you might look for Windpilot Pacific (not Pacific Light). I single- or doublehand most of the time, my longest trips are 24h hops but I deploy the windvane even on short passages because it is so easy to use. Gives you a lot of freedom while the crew is not feeling well and you want to step away from the helm

Here is link to a short video showing Pacific Light in action on my Shipman 28:

https://youtu.be/UREg2iOTUMw

[Tomodore]

We use our monitor if the wind is up on voyages of under an hour. Perhaps our boat balances more easily than some others or perhaps monitors are a bit more forgiving than some other types. One vane design that is always coming up for sale when I talk to owners they say they don’t use it very often and usually blame their skills rather than the fact that their vane is junk. Not necessary to have a monitor but make sure the vane you get is a good one then your use will go up with big smiles.

[Seymore]

Originally Posted by Harry Black

I have an Alberg 30........... My question is, is it worth installing wind vane steering snd if so what system is recommended?

Yes, it is worth installing wind vane steering. I'll recommend a Cape Horn.... CapHorn – Régulateur d’allure intégré It's lightweight and easy to use.

Note there that Yves Gelinas, who developed the Cape Horn servo-pendulum windvane, installed the prototype on an Alberg 30 and sailed around the world--28 200 miles. In 282 sailing days, he did not hand steer one hour.

Cape Horn Marine Products is in Oka, Quebec, near Montreal. They sell a real good DVD movie of that trip.

[parachute]

Long distance sailing, 6 years and 10,000nms, and in a 100+ marinas the wind vane I saw most was the Hydrovane.

[thomm225]

For sailing Lake Ontario, a tiller pilot might work for you.

I sail mostly in the Chesapeake Bay distances around 70-80 miles on my weekend cruises, and that's what I use.

I have a Raymarine ST2000 I use now, but also have a Simrad TP10. I thought I had blown it up cross wiring it, but I got it working again. It's my backup now.

You can hear the Raymarine at the start of the first video bringing the boat back on course.

The louder Simrad is steering on the second video.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agtdrmAqojs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhNQs1DUaDY

[Hesti]

We got a used Windpilot Pacific for our Baltic trip. One of the best investments we did - and we were two on the boat. We also have a tiller pilot - but that needs electricity.

The tiller pilot comes on when motoring or sometimes motorsailing. No worry about electricity then.

The wind steering comes on when sailing or often also when motorsailing. No worry about battery capacity.

You can - concentrate much better on the lookout, as you do not have to concentrate on holding your course. After a good look around, if everything is clear, you can go below for a minute or two or go on deck and sort something that needs sorting.

You have both hands free most of the time, so, you can eat better or navigate better or - whatever.

About cost and value: First, you can always sell them again seperately for good money. Second, they replace nearly a person on board. Third - if you have the money and enjoy sailing on your own, go for it.

[FAST FRED]

If the tiller load is fairly light an autopilot will do just fine , AGM batt .

For offshore in following seas the ARIES does a great job as when a wave from the stern knocks the hull off course the pendulum move in the right direction and instantly works the tiller.