Help with Fleming Wind Vane Install

[DefinitelyMe]

Hey guys and girls. I've recently purchased a Fleming Global Auxiliary Rudder wind vane (second hand but never used) and i'm trying to fit it to the boat. I could just bolt it on and hope for the best, but if anyone knows the correct installation procedure, or better yet has a pdf of a manual i'd be exceptionally grateful. Google has failed on this one and the people at Fleming have ignored both of my emails thus far. Cheers!

[roverhi]

If it mounts like the Windpilot Pacific Plus on my boat, just bolt it to the transom with large backing pads inside. There should be information on height above water for the top of the rudder. Fully loaded at rest the top of the rudder should be a few inches above the water. Don't want the rudder coupling under water all the time as things can freeze up when immersed constantly. IIRC, the WPP+ is about 6 inches above the water. The stern will squat under sail and completely immerse the rudder.

WP calls for the vane to be mounted at a slight rearward angle possibly to help shed any weeds etc. that it might pick up. I was concerned about the angle as the vane was second hand and reversed the top and bottom mounts to get it to fit. It has a very slight rearward angle. Sent pictures to Peter at WP and he said it was fine. The pictures at the Fleming website seem to show the gear mounted vertical or close to it.

Installed the WPP+ in the middle of SF winter, in a rainstorm, by myself. Took a couple of hours. Backed the boat stern to the floating dock. Suspended the vane from the stern pulpit. Lined it up vertical by eyeball, marked where the supporting arms should go, drilled the holes and bolted it in place. Used 3/16" fiberglass backing pads cut from sheet stock from McMaster Carr Would recommend using a level to get the vane vertical which I didn't do. Got the vane slightly off vertical but hasn't affected the performance. Actually it's so close that I'm probably the only person that would notice and I didn't see it till the boat was hauled in the Islands 4 years after the installation. Have sailed the boat from from SF to Hawaii and worked a treat. Assume the Fleming which is a very similar design will work just as well.

One thing, I'd use lock washers and red LocTite on all the fasteners and check them regularly that they are still tight. The vane is under a heavy cyclic load and will loosen up any nut that is properly torqued and secured. WPP comes with NyLok nuts which I thought would not loosen up. The bolt that held the lower vane mount to the vane loosened up and the bolt eventually fell out about 200 miles out of SF. That put all the steering load on the upper mount for the vane, the vane pivoted on that mount and ripped out of the transom. Had to turn around and power back to SF. Lucky it didn't wait a couple more days to give up as I would have been in deep trouble. When the vane ripped out it took all the glass around backstay except a very strip that was partiially delaminiated. Luckily the chain plate held and I was able to power back to SF in light winds with the rig still standing.

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by roverhi

If it mounts like the Windpilot Pacific Plus on my boat, just bolt it to the transom with large backing pads inside. There should be information on height above water for the top of the rudder. Fully loaded at rest the top of the rudder should be a few inches above the water. Don't want the rudder coupling under water all the time as things can freeze up when immersed constantly. IIRC, the WPP+ is about 6 inches above the water. The stern will squat under sail and completely immerse the rudder.

WP calls for the vane to be mounted at a slight rearward angle possibly to help shed any weeds etc. that it might pick up. I was concerned about the angle as the vane was second hand and reversed the top and bottom mounts to get it to fit. It has a very slight rearward angle. Sent pictures to Peter at WP and he said it was fine. The pictures at the Fleming website seem to show the gear mounted vertical or close to it.

Installed the WPP+ in the middle of SF winter, in a rainstorm, by myself. Took a couple of hours. Backed the boat stern to the floating dock. Suspended the vane from the stern pulpit. Lined it up vertical by eyeball, marked where the supporting arms should go, drilled the holes and bolted it in place. Used 3/16" fiberglass backing pads cut from sheet stock from McMaster Carr Would recommend using a level to get the vane vertical which I didn't do. Got the vane slightly off vertical but hasn't affected the performance. Actually it's so close that I'm probably the only person that would notice and I didn't see it till the boat was hauled in the Islands 4 years after the installation. Have sailed the boat from from SF to Hawaii and worked a treat. Assume the Fleming which is a very similar design will work just as well.

One thing, I'd use lock washers and red LocTite on all the fasteners and check them regularly that they are still tight. The vane is under a heavy cyclic load and will loosen up any nut that is properly torqued and secured. WPP comes with NyLok nuts which I thought would not loosen up. The bolt that held the lower vane mount to the vane loosened up and the bolt eventually fell out about 200 miles out of SF. That put all the steering load on the upper mount for the vane, the vane pivoted on that mount and ripped out of the transom. Had to turn around and power back to SF. Lucky it didn't wait a couple more days to give up as I would have been in deep trouble. When the vane ripped out it took all the glass around backstay except a very strip that was partiially delaminiated. Luckily the chain plate held and I was able to power back to SF in light winds with the rig still standing.

Wow, that really demonstrates how much load is on these things. My transom is about 3/4" thick solid glass but i'm planning on putting backing plates on anyway.

Thanks for your advice and help. Fleming have actually responded to me today with a link to a pdf manual, so my questions have essentially been answered. Thanks. unfortunately i've already installed the bottom bracket, and i think i've done it wrong, which means re-filling the holes i've drilled and starting from scratch :-(. A couple of hours?! I wish! It's taken me a full day just to drill some holes wrong! I think i'm getting too hung up on making sure everything is exactly level and perfect though, which probably isn't that big a deal.

Yes you are right, Fleming vanes are supposed to be vertical and the rudder and servo-pendulum should be 15mm above the static waterline. Another mistake i've made. Doh!

[FBW3D]

Did you ever receive any installation advice? I salvaged a Fleming auxiliary rudder. All of the mounting hardware was damaged and the auxiliary rudder is missing. Do you have any pictures or information you can share? My emails to Fleming have also gone unanswered.

Fair Winds

[DefinitelyMe]

Originally Posted by FBW3D

Did you ever receive any installation advice? I salvaged a Fleming auxiliary rudder. All of the mounting hardware was damaged and the auxiliary rudder is missing. Do you have any pictures or information you can share? My emails to Fleming have also gone unanswered.

Fair Winds

No i never heard back from Fleming but i figured it out. Unfortunately the weld to the auxiliary rudder then failed and it fell off when i was 300 miles north of St. Maarten. I have now removed the Fleming and thrown it away. The whole thing was a very expensive mistake. I am replacing it with a hydrovane and can so far recommend them as having superb customer service. The vane should arrive next week and i will then fit it shortly thereafter before setting sail for Colombia. In my opinion Fleming are a waste of time and money and i wouldn't touch another one if someone paid me vast sums to do so. The guy from Fleming got back to me when i wrote him a very concise email explaining what i thought of his brand and he admitted that the early (pre-2007) fleming vanes are junk. The current owner bought the company in 2008 he claims, and wants nothing to do with the early vanes. He even had the gaul to tell me that i should have contacted him before buying mine. I did. Twice. And he never responded until i wrote some months later asking to buy something from him. My own view when the auxiliary rudder fell off was that i could have made another one fairly easily (out of glass and closed-cell foam) but then i would never be sure about the rest of the construction. As you can probably tell i'm moderately disappointed by the whole experience! ��

[FBW3D]

Sorry to hear of all your troubles and irritation! The unit I salvaged had the auxiliary rudder cut off and evidently was used as a conventional wind vane. The vessel sailed from the east coast through the Panama canal and crossed the Pacific to Kwajalein Atoll where it broke its mooring and was lost on the rocks (El Nino westerly winds) To bad you tossed the whole thing..... Well, good luck with the Hydrovane.


Best Wishes
Frank