Biscayne bound; the DIY self-steering windvane
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- Опубликовано: 2 мар 2020
- Southerly winds ahead of an approaching cold front prompt me to make the 100-mile sail from Marathon, FL, to Biscayne Bay (Miami). On account of numerous requests, I revisit my self-steering windvane, from its design and construction to its operation.
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Yes, have made this trip many times. Usually a nice one. Self steering is CRITCAL with two let alone one person crew. Found a rare good used buy on a Monitor vane gear. Had to Streighten a tube and modify the mount. But worked really well and pretty low maintenance. Enjoy the stream in your favor and without contrary winds. Thanks Kevin.
Damn, you're good. Write a book, man! The world need more.
Hit that "like" button folks!!! These great videos are a lot of work and only 5% of viewers help by hitting the thumb up. "just do it"and help Kevin sail in the sunset.
I really like the simplicity of your self steering!!
Your vblog posts are always the highlight of my week - another good one here - looking forward the the second half of the voyage.
Very much enjoyed your video. It had a little bit of everything; planning, wind vane and sailing! Cant ask for more! Thx!
Thank you for another informative and entertaining video. I particularly liked you discussion of the wind vane steering. It's the best one I have seen! Thanks again.
Best explanation of a trim tab I’ve ever seen!
Nice sail to key Biscayne you are my favorite channel these are my cruising waters year around... self steering is ingenious and simple at the same time
Aye m8, very informative. I like that telling of all trix and tips for going with no motor!
Hey Kevin another great video thanks. Fair winds from John in Sooke BC
I always wondered how that worked. Great explanation, thanks. thumbed
Thanks Kevin. That windvane would work on my Miura. If I ever go cruising. Meanwhile I’m going to try lashing the tiller and balancing the sails. Inspiring as ever Kevin.
Terrific look at the self steering vane. Kevin, explanation was awesome.
Thanks Don, it was little tough filming the operation, I'm still an amateur at this ...
The highlight of my week is your videos cheers mate excellent explanation of the wind vane and ofcourse sailing your girl is
always a pleasure to watch.!!!!
Thanks George, glad you all are enjoying the sailing footage!
Excellent design.
I love your self-steering wind vane set-up, Kevin. In fact, I'll be adding a very similar set-up on my new sailboat (presently under construction). We're still chomping at the bit here in Maine, anxious for the warmer weather to arrive but at least we can sense it on the horizon. Watching your videos helps me get through "wintah" in anticipation of the upcoming boating season. Thanks for another great episode!
Not too much longer now, first day of spring is two weeks from now ... at least it should be warm enough to resume working on the new boat. A lot of work, but exciting too!
You are quickly becoming one of my 2 or 3 favorite channels. I too am a single hander - on the Chesapeake but I've been down the ICW and to the Bahamas. I like seeing your chart plotter, predict wind images, and hearing your strategies for when to go etc. I do the same types of things - it's part of the fun of cruising. I had big plans to do a sailing channel but I found out how hard it is and have nearly given up. So I appreciate all your hard work (filming, editing, etc.). Thanks again, Ron
Thanks for stopping by, Ron. Fair winds for your next cruise ...
Loved this video. Stay safe buddy.
Great show as usual thanks
Thanks, Kevin. Good video...
If you wander around Key Biscayne maybe you can run into a beer or a "cortadito". Good stuff Kevin.
I want to be half as good a solo sailor as you - keep up the good vids
7:39, they used a similar thing on large prop aircraft before having everything hydraulic. When the pilot wanted to change a service, the tab would point in the opposite direction, thus giving him assistance in moving the elevators or rudder.
Hey Kevin lay low buddy and stay safe. Cheers from John in Sooke BC
Thanks for sharing Kevin. Another great video. I recently built a catamaran and while a windvane would not work I find properly set sails with bungy cords on the tiller will steer a nice course for quite some time
Interesting, probably because catamarans are not subject to rolling that they tend to track better. The constantly changing asymmetry of a hull rolling in the water tends to deflect her off course.
Luv'n the video, excellent info here!
I think your DIY windvane suits your boat much better than an Aries or a Hydrovane design-wise. And the mechanism reminds me of the kind of trim tabs you find on the elevators of old-school aircraft.
Hey Kevin,
I enjoyed the brilliance and the simplicity of your wind-vain and your fix with the oversteer , yes bungee cords . It seems to work quite well and as we all know there is no perfect solution with a Boat... always a compromise. Great Job.
Robert
North Star
Thanks for another look into your Wind Vane setup Kevin! K.I.S.S. Fix it anywhere. DIY is the way to GO! If in a bind, I bet you could cobble one of those together with stuff onboard or found on a beach! I like the Weather Report and Navigation thought process segments. Fair Winds Dude!
Indeed, always err on the side of simplicity, the sea likes to demolish anything too fancy.
@@howtosailoceans1423 Aye, she does.
Nice , Cool and informative !
ditto the previous comment (s).
I love simplicity!!, but have a tendency to keep adding refinements to my projects. Thanks for the details...
Thank you, Kevin. I had an Aries wind vane on another boat and although it worked well, as you say, too complicated. I’m going to give your Trim-tab method a go but under a Solar Panel. Probably not a true apparent wind direction by we’ll see if it works. Looked like nice sailing conditions.
‘SAYSHELL’
Indeed the Aries was complicated and heavy, also there was the problem with the aluminum corroding all around the stainless steel nuts and bolts, which drove me crazy.
Thank you! For sharing the wind vane information. I was one of the people who had asked. I’m hauling out soon and hope to have enough time to build one for my SC31. As always you have the best channel out and I recommend it often . It motivates me, and yeah, I’m jealous.
I am thinking of buying a SC31 do you have any regrets? Some have said they are old slow boats, but they look comfortable to me.
Dana Johnson , No regrets. Very solid boats with over sized rigging , typical of the design. Not so overbuilt as to be heavy, I was actually surprised the fiberglass laminate wasn’t thicker, but thick enough. It sails effortlessly at 5 knots, I’ve seen 7. Its not a slow boat at all, I’ve passed cats going up wind. If you watch enough of these channels, even big cruisers sail around 5 knots a lot of the time.
@@sailboatcarrabarra3114 - Awesome, thanks for answering. The 31 I'm looking at is a 1978. It's hard to get much information on Southern Cross as a company or much on their boats. There was some postings concerning the "Airtex" cores? Not much info on blistering or osmosis? I know no boat is going to be perfect I just got first time buying jitters.
Dana Johnson ,Keven Boothbys boat is a southern cross (sort of), there’s a owners group on Facebook with info as well. I’ve been a boat builder for 40 years, wouldn’t worry too much about the hull, but the deck will most likely have some wet core (balsa). Mine does and some day I’ll fix it, but it’s still very stiff. If the boat your considering has been taken care of and not sat around unused it’s a good sign. These boats are getting old and lots can go wrong, but it can all be fixed. If you ever have questions I may be able to help just ask.
@@sailboatcarrabarra3114 - Thanks! One quick question, are the chain plates easy to get at, or do you have to tear half the boat apart?
Thank you👍👍🙂
love the show.
thnks
You must have written some great technical manuals in a past life.
(Fact: " You never know how little ya know about a subject... until ya try teaching it." ) Right?
But you, my friend, can stand TALL; ...as your teachings and explanations are always concise clear and thorough. Kudos.
Thanks for that Peter. Yes indeed, you never know what you know until you try teaching it to someone else ... there are often lots of "wait ... is that right? " moments.
Great vid and explanation on the self steering. Love you vids....only problem is there are not enough vids...lol
Well it does take a little while to produce them, just sayin' ...
Hiya Kevin, I've been watching your viideos for some time and enjoying them all very much. I just wondered if the music had gone for a reason? I
like the guitar style and would like to hear more. Fair winds and great luck
There will always be more music ...
thank you (turkey)
I just found your channel and suddenly the threat of two weeks of virus isolation, should it happen, doesn’t seem so bad!
💙
👍🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻
Question for you please. Looking at a few boats with sterns that extend well out past the rudder . . . I absolutely love this concept, but does it only work with no "overhang" of stern? If you get my meaning.(Albin Vega example, rudder is well under cockpit . . )
Excellent videos, please and thanks.
EDIT: Oh, j hadn't seen this updated video. I think you answered my question unfortunately : )
😀👍
Kevin, I would like to build a trim tab like yours at 7:07... for my IP35.
How do you feel about me using the common 1” SS tubing - readily available from yacht chandleries
For both the vertical and horizontal piping?
Fittings like ‘tees’ crosses and 90deg fittings are also easy to get....
number 2
Hello Kevin Boothby.
I am very impressed with your sailing technique.
Have been following you for many years now, and you always show new ways to sail and take care of your boat .... Which is also incredibly beautiful ...!
I myself have a Koster from 1939.
Built on the west coast of Sweden. She has the same kind of hull as a smaller Colin Archer. Built for harsh weather and sea.
Well .... One question - How big is your Wind Vane wing?
Will build a similar one.
Finally, I want to thank you for being able to keep up with your travels!
Sincerely.
Piéro Mengarelli
Stockholm Sweden.
By wing I assume you mean the air paddle. It is constructed from 1/8" marine fir plywood, approximately 30" by 18". Use your eye for size--the air paddle is not hard to construct or modify.
@@howtosailoceans1423 Thanks for the info.
Have more fantastic days at sea.
Best regards Piéro Mengarelli
✌💪
I've often wondered if a trim-tab would steer better if you could remove the tiller? Of course though, a removable tiller could make people a bit nervous.
So long as you do not have the problem with oversteering like I do. I need lashings on the tiller with shock cords to prevent this.
Hello, I have been your channel for a few months now and I find it very interisting !! Your boat is very nice and I would like to know its brand and these dimensions and characteristics ? Good navigation, Cordially. Olivier
She's a Gillmer 31, which is a partially factory finished Southern Cross 31. The rig is custom, mostly the previous owner, though I modified it a bit to cure a balance problem.
Thanks for another great video.
Over-steering almost certainly means the trim tab is too big. I.e., it has too much power/influence. Tough to prove that though and fix it since would require a new trim tab- also sounds like you have a solution with shock cords.
Good luck, hope trip went well.
Yes! That's my sense as well--I did the whole thing by eye, but I think the trim tab is too large. Not ready to build v2.0 yet, though.
Wow, yes I loved the video! As an airplane mechanic that has specialized in old airframes, I have picked up a few things from watching your video! You are oversteering because you either have too much balance in the front of the servo rudder, or not enough servo rudder. Watching the video, it would seen that you could foil tape an addition on the back of the servo and see if that negates how much shock cord, or bungee you need. It would be easier to remove material off the front, removing some of the balance tab, but it would be very difficult to get it right. You could shave off a 1/16th until it balanced, but if you went 1/16th too far, it might ruin what you have. All in all, I am pretty blown away!
I haven’t seen you fish along the trips...is it allowed or do you have to have specific permits?
Thank you for the informative video. So the wind vane tab moves in the opposite direction of the rudder? I noticed that you are sailing a double ender. In some postings people regret the loss of storage of a canoe stern. Do you feel there is an advantage to having a double ender?
Yes, the trim tab will push the rudder in the opposite direction, which all works out perfectly for a directly attached air paddle... as far as canoe sterns, they are famously sea worthy, especially for running in big seas. However, there's the loss of storage problem, but there's also the fact that they drag their sterns as they approach hull speed, and are prone to hobby horsing.
@@howtosailoceans1423 - Hmmm.. Hobby horsing you say? well, there's no perfect design I guess. Thanks for the honest answer.
@@howtosailoceans1423 i remember hearing that double enders were designed on a lark by a bunch of designers at the same time in the 70's then they quickly realised the folly of their ways
Kevin do you have a problem with the interior of Ruth Avery heating up too much due to the black hull? I've read that in the tropics its best to have a white hull because of this issue, and wonder what your view is.
The airex core seems to act as insulation, I do not notice too much difference when I go aboard white boats, but I've never done a scientific comparison.
Nice information on your wind vane. You following the warm air north?
Yes sir.
could you combine with a tiller pilot
I'm curious; Do you find the EU forecast models generaly more accurate than the US models - for surface winds and sea states?
In general, yes. However, I've found on the Chesapeake Bay the NAM model (which is US) seems to be more accurate.
i've switched from the "wave rover" plans to yours. it's all built except for the air paddle itself. wondering how big the air paddle needs to be. for my tab of 64 inches square on 18 foot capri.. thanks for your time and trouble!!
That sounds plenty large, especially if it's a paddle and not a vane/weathercock. Btw, I went through several sizes before I settled on one.
thanks much for your comments. helps me move forward with some assurance !!!@@howtosailoceans1423
🤙😎👍🌴🥂🥂🌞
Hey Kevin. I've been looking at your self steering for several years and I think I am going to build one for my Flicka. One question. Is the shaft 5/8" solid or tubing? Would you still use Mahogany for the servo? Thanks. Jack.
Solid SS. I used mahogany for the trim tab, and encased it in fiberglass roving and West Epoxy. So far that has worked well.
The Gulf Stream is always slop coming from everywhere? Sounds like Lake Erie.
Ha! Used to sail on Lake Michigan, I remember those northers with "full fetch" down by Chicago.
My boat is a Foxcub 18, and the ridder line is straight up, so therefor the trip tab axis cannot cross it. Will that be an issue?
You will have to angle the trim tab axis forward so that it crosses the rudder axis at the point of attachment to the air paddle. It does not have to be exact, just close.
ok. i love this design. but my boat has a vertical axis rudder. how to intersect properly ??? is it not possible to use this method on my boat? thanks very much for your advice
I've seen the trim tabs angled quite far forward on Bristol Channel Cutters, whose rudders are nearly vertical. Also check out Alan's Mark II vane (Sailing Wave Rover on YT), as Wave Rover II has a vertical rudder like on a J24. I think he uses some sort of a cable linkage. Last I checked he sells the plans for it.
thanks for your super quick reply. i am about half finished with the wave rover gear. however, i love that your gear is simpler and easier to build. i have an 18 foot capri. i am heartened by your comment on the bristol channel cutter and the tab angle! i could use some of the stuff i have built from my mark ll partial build. b/t/w i was going to use "teflon" cutting board for bearings. i guess i could still do that. what are your bearings? anyhow i saw your gear years ago and should have followed thru. now i am excited to follow your design. i like dead simple. thanks again for your very good explanations. i became enamored with your site when you said one could "sail oceans without an engine"@@howtosailoceans1423
thanks! i have the wave rover plans and was half way thru building it. but have changed to "your" system and have it practically done already. i'm wondering is there a ratio of some kind to determine size of wind paddle? looking forward to testing on my 18ft capri. there is a lake close to where we live in lawrence ks area. thanks again@@howtosailoceans1423
i have the rover plans and half built. BUT have switched to your design and have it done except for the vane and counter weight and attachment mechanism. would love details on how this is attached to tab shaft. i see a cotter pin at the top but then??? thanks again very much for your advice and expertise. @@howtosailoceans1423
i have reproduced your vane for 18ft my tab is about 60 in square. about how big should the actual wind vane be?? please, please thank you !@@howtosailoceans1423
I want to make one of these. any more plans online ?
See my website www.kevinboothbysailing.com, under Boat Projects I have an article on how to build the vane.
I'm just learning so forgive my ignorance. If you have a self steering wind vain, that follows the course of the apparent wind course, how then can it be useful if your course is not in the same direction as the apparent wind course, how would it maintain course and not take you away with the wind?. again I'm learning and i am just in process of booking my first sailing course, which is my level of inexperience/ignorance...
It is steering a course RELATIVE to the apparent wind. As long as the apparent wind stays steady in direction, the course you dial in will you also stay the same.
What software are you using that shows the wind direction?
The forecast app I use most when I have internet is Windy.com.
Sorry pal, but tell me you are NOT risking drowning every time you walk and work on that narrow deck as waves are beating at you boat sides constantly?
Are you in that great physical shape where you can grab something extremely quick--the day you are about to be flung overboard?
I am dying to know the answer and I hope you are not dying with a stumble overboard, too. ;)
My boat will use both "ends" as bows, as it shunts instead of tacking. The cutwater of each "bow" will be vertical (straight up and down), and the rudder at each end folds back against the "flat" leeward side of the hull, so I'll have trim-tab steering at each end.
It needs to be simple and robust, so I'll be using "your" design. :) Aloha nui ʻoe ʻīlioʻaukai..!
Yes, you have the south seas proa if I recall, they're symmetric both side to side and fore-and-aft. Remember to take your GoPro with you when you get sailing, many of us would be interested in watching!
@@howtosailoceans1423
Ai ai Cap'n....!
..actually rather surprised you remembered that. :)
The whole "problem" with a very light and very wide outrigger boat facing big honkin' waves and heavy winds is keeping all the parts fastened together while dealing with the crazy torquing of the sea state, so EVERYTHING has to be robust and simple in operation,.. and of all the self-steering mechanisms I've seen, your choice is by far the best fit!
Thanks again, fellow Kev,.. aloha!. 🤙
first
Naked feet onto bare anchor chain!? Whoosh. Get some boots on them hobbit feet dude. Mind your gnarly hands too. Some gloves would be handy dandy.
Ruth Avery sure is a beautiful girl.
The European model is also predictimg you to wear a dress