Garmin wireless sail pack

[john6206]

Hey everyone,

Turns out electronics are expensive and complicated … who knew?

Does anyone have experience with the Garmin Wireless Sail Pack? The one I just ordered is the wireless sail pack 52.

My concern is the “wireless” part. It seems like a wired system might be more reliable.
it’s a long story but basically I’m trying to keep the budget from exploding and this one was on clearance.

Thoughts?

 

[jssailem]

My concern is the “wireless” part. It seems like a wired system might be more reliable.

Your statement is valid. Wired is more reliable.

It kind of depends on how you plan to use your boat.

If you are planning to sail on long open water voyages that visit remote locations, then the reliability of your hardware and systems takes on a more critical level of importance.

If you're daysailing from port to port/anchorage in the Great Lakes. You are never too far from civilization. You can reach out to fix your boat's hardware with ease. Then the level of unreliability on your boat is more of an inconvenience than life-critical.

 

[dlochner]

Of all the sensors on a boat, the wind sensors are the most unreliable because they are exposed to the elements and some severe jostling around. Think about it for a minute, they are 40+ feet above the water swinging in the breeze when sailing and exposed to much higher winds during storms while at the dock or mooring. There is no UV protection for the units or the cable that connects them to the network.

Cables can fail due to UV exposure and water ingress. The sensors fail because they are working 24/7. Batteries fail from use and they are located at the top of the mast. And don't forget our feathered friends who think the sensor is a conveniently located perch.

Of all the instruments onboard, the wind sensor is the least critical. It's convenient and helps with bragging rights when claiming a storm came through with 40 kt winds. But they are unnecessary. With practice and study you can learn to estimate windspeed with a fairly high degree of accuracy. And there are inexpensive (by boat standards) handheld anemometers that can be used to help learn to estimate windspeed.

The installation of a wireless sensor will be much easier than a wired sensor. If the mast comes down each year, then maintaining is not a big issue. If it should fail in the summer, just wait until the mast comes down and fix it and appreciate the opportunity to learn and practice reading the wind, it will make you a better sailor who is less dependent on instruments to efficiently sail his boat.

Full diclosure, I have replaced both the cable and sensor for my wind instruments because they failed and I do use the instruments when passage making. My autopilot can be set to sail to a wind direction rather than a compass direction, the boat sails more comfortably and the AP is more efficient. I also use the sensor to track wind direction because it has a better memory than I do. Finally, I use it in marginal conditions to make decisions about motoring vs sailing, particularly with apparent wind angle and apparent wind speed. I did experience a failure on a trip south and did not have wind data from Florida to the Bahamas and back to Lake Ontario.

 

[john6206]

Thanks @dlochner
I’ve been sailing 30 years w/o instruments, on boats 11-18’. We made it all through last season on our 32’ boat with nothing working.

if I’m honest, the biggest reason for this investment is that I’m sick of looking at all the instruments reporting no data! Lots of gages, no information!

when I made my list of instruments in order of importance fuel gage and VHF were tied.

you are right, the wind gage is the least important

but!

if you had already ordered the wireless, would you send it back and pay twice as much for the wired one (I’m honestly not sure if all sales are final on clearance stuff).

 

[dlochner]

f you had already ordered the wireless, would you send it back and pay twice as much for the wired one (I’m honestly not sure if all sales are final on clearance stuff).

When I installed the N2K network with new a new chartplotter and radar, wireless wind sensors weren't on the market or where just coming to market. With new technology I try to not be on the bleeding edge so I went with a wired wind sensor. Today, 10 years later I'd be scratching my head and doing more research. At this point, with a working wind sensor I see no reason to spend the money on wireless.

I can't make the decision for you, however, if the price is good and with a new boat and lots of things to spend money on, staying with the wireless makes sense. As you outfit your boat to your liking there will be lots of compromises unless you are independently wealthy and money is no object. Worse case scenario is in a few years you decide the wireless isn't working for you and you switch wired or give up on wind data. Sometimes it is best to not overthink a decision.

 

[Tally Ho]

I don’t have the Garmin wireless wind, but I have been using the Raymarine / Tac Tic wireless wind instrument for about 10 years. I don’t know how old the system is, because it was on the boat when I bought her.

I did replace the mast top anemometer this last year because the battery and solar charger were pretty shot.

But I have been happy with the wireless system. I do have a pretty low-aspect rig (I=38.5 feet). That may help my wireless communication.

Greg