Looking for Sailomat 601 wind vane dimensions

[SailorMcCruise]

Hello,

i just recently picked up a used Sailomat 601-X in good condition.
However it is missing the varioius wind vanes.
Does anyone here have this model and can provide me with the dimensions, so I can make my own?

Thanks a lot!

[EnduroSailing]

Hi,
I'm in the same boat as you. My used sailomat came with a homemade vane with dimensions that appear a little large to me. Its also too heavy to be properly counterbalanced, and appear to be only mountable backwards?
I believe the previous owner made it larger to get more power out of it, to compensate for all the seized bushings and missing bearing rollers.
The shape proportions looks like factory though: 110x26cm at the highest and widest. The modern sailomats use a more oval shape. I dont know how sensitive they are to vane shape, as long as its reasonably balanced and light it shouldnt add much friction to the bearings.
If anyone has dimensions of 601 or newer vanes that work in practice, Im also interested.

[Benz]

Please stand by for a few days, and I'll measure the ones on my boat.
I'm thinking of making spares out of corrugated clear plastic like Monitor now uses--sign shops and some hardware stores carry it in sheets.

As for balance, I like to keep the vane bigger and the counteweight lower--seems like a bigger pendulum moving further would create a smoother effect.

[EnduroSailing]

Thanks Benz, I'll be waiting for them!

Good tips with the corrugated plastic. Maybe it would be overkill to make a composite divinycell/glassfiber one like I first intended. Have you experimented with downwind rake angle in higher winds, as recommended by Peter Christian Förthmann in his book self steering under sail?

https://bluemoment.com/downloads/selfsteering.pdf

[Benz]

Ok, I had them in my shop, so a lot closer.
The larger vane is 43 1/4" from base to tip. 10" up from the base is the widest point, which is 8 1/2" it narrows to 5" near the top where the arc of the rounded section begins.
The leading edge is straight--all the dogleg to reach the widest part and then taper happens on the trailing edge.

The smaller vane is 41 1/4" long. It's 8" at the widest point, which occurs 7 1/2" up from the base. The leading edge is not straight, but tapers in each direction from the widest point, though the trailing edge does more so. It's 5 3/8" at the top where the arc of the roundover begins.

Hope this helps.

[EnduroSailing]

Thanks Benz, much appreciated!

I have uploaded a drawing with your dimensions (converted to metric) if that can help anyone else. The numbers within parenthesis are the dimensions of my oversize vane, which at 1.2kg is too heavy for the 601 counterweight to be balanced properly. Most likely, a straight wing with rounded ends like the modern sailomat designs would probably work just as well.

I ended up making the bigger of your vanes, see attached. It weighs in at half of my plywood vane, at 600g. I used 5mm PVC foam core with a cutout for an aluminium insert where it meets the windvane mast. I epoxied one continuous layer of 300gsm weave glass fiber per side, with a second layer reinforcing the bottom. I will paint it for UV resistance and add a strip uv spinacker cloth to the trailing top edge for light wind sensitivity as according to Self-Steering under Sail by Christian Förthmann.

[Benz]

Originally Posted by EnduroSailing

Thanks Benz, much appreciated!

I have uploaded a drawing with your dimensions (converted to metric) if that can help anyone else. The numbers within parenthesis are the dimensions of my oversize vane, which at 1.2kg is too heavy for the 601 counterweight to be balanced properly. Most likely, a straight wing with rounded ends like the modern sailomat designs would probably work just as well.

I ended up making the bigger of your vanes, see attached. It weighs in at half of my plywood vane, at 600g. I used 5mm PVC foam core with a cutout for an aluminium insert where it meets the windvane mast. I epoxied one continuous layer of 300gsm weave glass fiber per side, with a second layer reinforcing the bottom. I will paint it for UV resistance and add a strip uv spinacker cloth to the trailing top edge for light wind sensitivity as according to Self-Steering under Sail by Christian Förthmann.

Awesome! Glad I could help.

[SailorMcCruise]

Thanks for the upload Benz!

[EnduroSailing]

Update to my previous post:
The sandwhich vane works well in light airs with a strip of spinacker cloth attached to the top. I have tested it up to 40kn winds, and would recommend anyone planning to sail in winds over 30kn to have a separate smaller and stiffer storm vane since mine bends quite heavily above 30kn apparent.