Aries vane

[drwayne]

I have an Aries vane on the Valiant 32 I purchased. Has anyone been able to get a response from the Aries site via email? I've emailed them several h me s about acquiring the rebuild kit, with no response.
drwayne

[OZwingle]

We sail on Velic, a Jason 35. Our Aries works very well, and since the Valiant 32 is quite comparable, it should work well on your boat.

How old is the Aries vane? Of what vintage?
I had excellent response and service from Helen Franklin for a rebuild kit of my historic Aries. Helen is the daughter of Nick Franklin, the original developer of the Aries. Now, this was five or six years ago.... At that time she supplied very complete rebuild kits. The replacement bevel gears are investment cast SS jewelry; much better that the original cast aluminum gears.

Try ariesvane@gmail.com

I understand that new Aries have gone through two subsequent owners/manufacturers since Nick Franklin passed.

Also, other than the bevel gears most of the parts could be made by a talented local machinist. Or found off-the-shelf at a good hardware shop. Nick Franklin was very practical.

It is well worth refurbishing a vintage Aries. It is an excellent windvane. But, like all windvanes, it takes a bit of experimentation and gumption to learn how to both balance the boat and tune the windvane correctly.

Best of luck