DIY wind-vane for non-transom-hung rudders?

[bigpizza]

I'm interesting in building a wind vane, and I've found two DIY plans. Unfortunately both are designed for transom-hung rudders and require a trim-tab to work.


I've seen references to a wind vane that is built from a bike frame - but I haven't been able to track it down on Google.


Does anyone know of any available plans for wind vanes that do not require transom-hung rudders?

[BlueChicago]

Have you looked at Gerard Dijkstra's book "Self-Steering for Sailboats"? Perhaps it will help you design one.

[Benz]

John Letcher's "Self Steering for Sailing Craft" has all the science and design information you could want.
Are you thinking of building a servo-pendulum style (like a Monitor), or a backup rudder (like a Hydrovane)?

[bigpizza]

Originally Posted by Benz

John Letcher's "Self Steering for Sailing Craft" has all the science and design information you could want.
Are you thinking of building a servo-pendulum style (like a Monitor), or a backup rudder (like a Hydrovane)?

Definitely servo-pendulum. I haven't purchased the boat yet, but I'm not planning on anything much larger than 27'. The backup rudder systems seem overkill for my purposes.


Currently I'm reading Bill Morris' "Windvane Self-Steering Handbook", which has some details on designing your own. However I was hoping to find something similar to the MK-III - where you can just purchase the plans online and build it.


The closest I've seen is the WoodenB and the Hibridean - but both seem to be abandoned projects.


The two most promising off-the-shelf options for my needs are the Mister Vee and the WindPilot Pacific Light. Both are around $1800, which isn't unreasonable. However I'd like to try to build a cheaper one if at all possible.