Wind Instrument cockpit mounted?

[AirBoyzT]

Do they have any wind instruments that you do not need a tranducer mounted on the mast? Any brand names or links would be appreciated?

Thanks!
-Aaron

[alex2035]

Raymarine ST40 Rotavecta is seen many times installed in cockpit area, you can tell in the display where it is installed (mast or cockpit) configure wise. you can use the Rotavecta windvane as well with ST60 Raymarine display, because it has connectors for it.It is an analog display, as opposed to alfanumeric one in ST40. more expensive too. good luck.

[AirBoyzT]

Originally Posted by alex2035

Raymarine ST40 Rotavecta is seen many times installed in cockpit area, you can tell in the display where it is installed (mast or cockpit) configure wise. you can use the Rotavecta windvane as well with ST60 Raymarine display, because it has connectors for it.It is an analog display, as opposed to alfanumeric one in ST40. more expensive too. good luck.

Does the ST40 require a sensor on top of the mast though?

EDIT: So the Rotavecta can be in the cockpit area, stern of the boat etc. and does not have to be on the mast?

[alex2035]

Originally Posted by AirBoyzT

Does the ST40 require a sensor on top of the mast though?

nope, the sensor IS the Rotavecta part, you can put that anywhere in the cockpit, you tell the software where it is installed, to acommodate its idiosincracies. (not the same wind at top than at cockpit level you see.

that Rotavecta sensor can go with the ST60 display if you like analog display and can afford the price (analog=real pointer)

in short, ST40 and ST60 wind instruments are the displays, Rotavecta is the windvane which can go anywhere you need and it is seen frequently in sailboats on cockpit, mostly from my experience (Raymarine Tech) on blue water sailboats, used sort of a backup for the top vane (in case it gets blown away, which can happen). and used in motorcruisers as well, on flybridges, aside radar domes, or sattelite things.

and YES to last minute question, it doesnt need to be at the mast.

EDIT: take a look at it at raymarine site, I havent told U how it looks, unlike a "common" windvane, this thing is sort of a little pole with a rotating caps at the top, with one of them with a specialdesign which through a clever software/hardware thing, sorts the direction of the wind blowing. (more easy to see it than to explain it, I am afraid, hope you get the idea.

[AirBoyzT]

Appreciate it Alex!

[Jim Cate]

FWIW,

You can mount the sensor from ANY wind instrument anywhere you want it. The reason that most folks put them at the masthead is the wind is less disturbed by the boat up there. A wind instrument in the cockpit area will give a distorted and inaccurate measurement of true conditions. Ain't no way that clever software can know about the eddies and lees formed by YOUR dodger, davits, solar panels, weathercloths etc.

In short, there is little to recommend placing the sensor (whether Rotavector, conventional vane+anemometer cups, or AirMarine solid state) in the lower parts of the boat, for the info will be false.

Cheers,

Jim

[Ziggy]

If you want a wind instrument in the cockpit, you should consider an ultrasonic sensor like the Maretron WSO100 or Airmar. The reason most wind sensors are mounted on the mast, by the way, is that there are no obstructions, turbulence is reduced, and the wind direction and speed readings are more accurate than in the cockpit.