windvane on a Capri 22

[nemier]

Anyone using a windvane, such as a WindPilot Pacific Light, or Monitor? I understand that these units are only found on serious cruising boats, and that there is a certain weight penalty to them... and therefore not likely to be found on a Capri 22... but my question still stands. Anyone?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Solar is much more practical and cheaper

 

[nemier]

Thanks for your reply. Do you mean using Solar to power an electronic tiller pilot? If so, what sort of Solar commitment are we talking about? How many solar panels would that take?

 

[Project_Mayhem]

It depends on the amount of power that your tiller pilot is drawing. This varies based on the model, boat size and sailing conditions. It's best to measure this with a multimeter or other device. I have a 100w solar panel and I can say it's overkill for my needs. As you've probably discovered, your outboard doesn't do a great job of recharging your batteries

 

[nemier]

Hi Project Mayhem, I presently cannot obtain the data (amp draw), as this is a mental exercise at this point because I do not have the Tiller Pilot yet, nor the solar panel, battery, etc. But just running through the equipment required to auto-steer doesn't really seem 'more practical and cheaper' than a windvane which requires no additional power at all? Thanks for your reply.

 

[Project_Mayhem]

Sorry, I thought you were referring to a wind turbine/generator

 

[Dave]

Anyone using a windvane, such as a WindPilot Pacific Light, or Monitor? I understand that these units are only found on serious cruising boats, and that there is a certain weight penalty to them... and therefore not likely to be found on a Capri 22... but my question still stands. Anyone?

I doubt it. Wind vane self steering mechanisms are fairly large and expensive, best suited for larger cruising boats and deep pockets.

A small tiller pilot would work on a 22' boat, I had one on my Tanzer 22 many decades ago. It was great, especially when motoring long distances, like crossing Lake Ontario.

The current draw on a tiller pilot is pretty low, according to the manual a Simrad TP10 draws about .5 amps in use. A 70ah Group 24 battery could run the pilot for about 70 hours before reaching the 50% SOC cut off. With that kind of performance wind vane self-steering just doesn't make much sense.

 

[nemier]

Hi Dave, great reply, thanks. Plenty of food for thought. The electrical draw appears to be much better than I had imagined. Perhaps a dedicated battery for the autopilot would be a good idea?

 

[dlochner]

Hi Dave, great reply, thanks. Plenty of food for thought. The electrical draw appears to be much better than I had imagined. Perhaps a dedicated battery for the autopilot would be a good idea?

I don't know. The place to start is assessing your electrical needs and the amount of power they need for how long. Next, you have decide how long you want to go between major charges. The answers to these 2 questions will tell you how much battery capacity you need. That will tell you how many batteries you might need and how much charging you will need to restore the batteries.

If you are uncertain about power draw for any particular device the manuals will usually provide that information. And yes, some of this will be guess work. Remember no one ever complained about having too much battery capacity.

 

[Davidasailor26]

I’d just add that after you do your power budget, if you find you’ll need another battery it’s generally best to combine it all as one bank, rather than a “dedicated” battery for the AP. Lead acid batteries tend to give more amp hours when discharged slowly than all at once. If you’re spending a day at anchor without using the AP a “dedicated” battery will be just excess lead, and trying to switch between batteries is not as efficient as having them all together. If you combine them into one bank you have more flexibility to use them a little at a time with individual loads or with all loads at once without a big loss of efficiency.

 

[nemier]

I’d just add that after you do your power budget, if you find you’ll need another battery it’s generally best to combine it all as one bank, rather than a “dedicated” battery for the AP. Lead acid batteries tend to give more amp hours when discharged slowly than all at once. If you’re spending a day at anchor without using the AP a “dedicated” battery will be just excess lead, and trying to switch between batteries is not as efficient as having them all together. If you combine them into one bank you have more flexibility to use them a little at a time with individual loads or with all loads at once without a big loss of efficiency.

Thank you David,
All understood. Makes sense.