Hydrovane old model. Help needed

[Sailor3]

I got an used Hydrovane self steering. I think its more than twenty years old. So far it works well, but sometimes a wave lets the wind vane swing around. There is a kind of „remote controll“ which I didnt use yet, but I think the friction on the disc wouldnt solve the problem. Is there another way to lock the vane? The new model has a vane lock I think.
Maybe anyone understands what I mean?

Thanks for your answers

[bcboomer]

Try contacting Hydrovane. They are very responsive to queries about older units and will know better than anyone here how to solve your problem.

[boatnerd]

We have a very old model on our boat. It works well but ive had to do several mods to get it up to par. The course setter I mounted on the unit itself just next to the hole where the lines come out. It's a little challenging to get the slack out of control lines so I use a small wood wedge to tension the lines so air paddle doesn't pivot. A big improvement has been larger air paddle made of box section acrylic board(similar to monitor light air paddle). Another upgrade have been a threaded stainless insert on the bronze shaft fitting where I can screw in a small tiller to use with a tillerpilot. I had some play on the ratio adjustment where the pin rides between the two fingers. I used a Teflon bushing which helped correction sensitivity. The newer units are much beefier and improved but our has worked just fine.

[Sailor3]

Helpful answers, thanks.

[boatnerd]

A couple pictures. .

[Sailor3]

Thanks boatnerd! Still I dont understand how this remote control originaly worked.
I found some simple rubber rings in a hardware store which I put between two of these plastic discs, see the red rings on the photo. Yesterday in the waves the vane didnt swing at all! Looks like I have a self steering now.

Do you have a photo of your wind vane? Mine came without, so I use a piece of plywood.

[Sailor3]

[Triumphant]

Originally Posted by Sailor3

Do you have a photo of your wind vane? Mine came without, so I use a piece of plywood.

I was told by Derick Daniels, the guy who invented and first sold the Hydrovane that plywood is too heavy for a vane, he said it would be better to attach a black garbage bag to the aluminum frame that the very light spinnaker type material is stretched over

[Sailor3]

The plywood seems not to be too heavy, but I think the original vane is bigger than mine. The guy I got the self steering from used plastic sheets.
Does anybody know the dimensions of the old vane?

[Triumphant]

Originally Posted by Sailor3

The plywood seems not to be too heavy, but I think the original vane is bigger than mine. The guy I got the self steering from used plastic sheets.
Does anybody know the dimensions of the old vane?

The proper vane IS VERY LIGHT much lighter than a Monitor one, suggest as already raised contact Hydrovane, they are very helpful

[boatnerd]

Sorry for late response. Here's a pic. Works better than the original. 10% longer, much lighter

[boatnerd]

On our old model the original air paddle is about identical to dimension of the rudder which worked well. I made the new one out of acrylic board with carbon fiber rods inserted into box section to stiffen it. With heavy use the original plywood one started cracking where knob to mount is. . On our way back to Tonga from NZ tomorrow. Time to put it to use.