Can you use a Hydrovane on a Catamaran?

[river251]

These look like a great device, but will they work with Catamarans?

Thanks.

[Yihang]

https://seawindcats.com/community/cr...apagos-part-1/

Some seawind 1160 owners seem to find it working well for them. Might not be the case for heavier cats.

[Tin Tin]

Looks like a really annoying appendage.

[Yihang]

You'll have it stowed 99.9% of the time. haha.

[fxykty]

Because compared to a monohull, cats have higher cabins, large biminis, davits with dinghy, and solar panels: there just isn’t clear air back there for a wind vane to work on a cruising cat.

Possibly with one on each stern, using only the windward one?

Next problem is to connect to the steering system, which is generally much more complicated with two rudders and their interconnected cables, chains or hydraulics. And often much further distance to the wheel(s).

Biggest issue might be the greater range of apparent wind angles for a given true wind direction because of a greater range of boat speeds. A wind vane would be steering all over the place in many reaching conditions.

[Yihang]

Beauty of hydrovane is it doesn't connect to the steering system.

Biggest problem is probably a performance cat can sail at windspeed so there is almost no apparent wind for the windvane.

Might come in useful as the third backup rudder....

[river251]

Originally Posted by Yihang

Beauty of hydrovane is it doesn't connect to the steering system.

Biggest problem is probably a performance cat can sail at windspeed so there is almost no apparent wind for the windvane.

Might come in useful as the third backup rudder....

Hi Yihang, I'm more thinking of a Prout, not a fast modern one....unless you can make me a small loan....

Would a Hydrovane, or other brand, work on a typical cat?

[river251]

Originally Posted by fxykty

Because compared to a monohull, cats have higher cabins, large biminis, davits with dinghy, and solar panels: there just isn’t clear air back there for a wind vane to work on a cruising cat.

Possibly with one on each stern, using only the windward one?

Next problem is to connect to the steering system, which is generally much more complicated with two rudders and their interconnected cables, chains or hydraulics. And often much further distance to the wheel(s).

Biggest issue might be the greater range of apparent wind angles for a given true wind direction because of a greater range of boat speeds. A wind vane would be steering all over the place in many reaching conditions.

fxykty, I'm thinking of using one on a Prout. It's not like new cats; it's a pretty low cabintrunk. It's not going to be changing speeds from slow to fast either I don't think. But the problem of two rudders....is that solvable?

This makes a big difference in choice of boat. I will be single handed, and don't want to have to steer the boat every second.....


Thanks.

[Tupaia]

It may work on a slower cat but anything with a cabin will probably require one per stern. I seem to remember a Prout with this years ago. Also Cooking Fat a small open bride deck Wharram used one on a circumnavigation but it was a slow boat with no cabin.


What most people miss is that cats do not suffer lee or weather helm due to healing so with a balanced set up rudder control is finger tip (mono sailors express this by saying cats have no feel). But finger tip also means that an electric autopilot is very efficient and draws very little power with a bit of solar it will run you boat happily and precisely even downwind with very little apparent wind.


So there are better ways.