H260 wind vane advice

[Fos]

We plan to do all trailering with the H260.

I tried leaving the wind vane at the top of the mast but it must have gotten wrecked on tree branches coming home. Any advice for H260 wind vanes? How to get them to the top easily? Alternate location? Etc.

Mark

 

[BlowMeAway]

Two x 18 inches of yarn on the outermost shrouds on both port and starboard sides. Place them about 6-8 feet up the shroud. Works like a charm, and no worries about issues at the top of the mast. Have trained numerous helms-people to keep me direct into the wind when hoisting both main and headsails. These give you the apparent wind relative to parallel with the boat from bow to stern. Zero maintenance except periodic replacement and a good knot.

 

[Kermit]

Im with BlowHimAway. I use either cassette tape or VCR tape. Whichever is available. I know others will extol the virtues of a masthead Windex but I don't want to bother with one ever again.

 

[BlowMeAway]

I have a Windex that makes my neck very sore looking up the mast. Hate it! Very fragile and needs discipline when the boatyard demasts for the winter. No fancy instruments needed for a Winnapasaukie (excuse spelling) excursion.

 

[Fos]

That sounds like a win. I will put it past the captain!

 

[isaksp00]

I have a SparFly, which is not too expensive and works well. I have been lucky, I guess, as I have always remembered to remove it after I lower and install before I raise (well, with the help of checklists). The plastic vane does decay in the sun over a few seasons, but you can buy replacement vanes. Looking up has not bothered me.

 

[BlowMeAway]

I have a brand new Windex in the box if you'd like it. Offered at an incredible discount. Just send me a private message and we'll make arrangements. Cindy, my admiral, has a brilliant fluorescent green yarn on the starboard side and the brightest red she could find on the port shroud. When sails are full only one yarn on the windward side is the apparent wind, the other usually flagellates. When setting sails the yarns run parallel along the length of the ship. She's gotten this wind direction thing to a point she comprehends and is awesome on the helm. I've only gotten two rope burns on my hands when she's a bit off, gloves are ordered.

 

[BlowMeAway]

Oh yeah, to answer your original post (op), this is what you need to do to get to the mast head...she's only at the spreaders after setting a new flag halyard.
Brave woman, helms person in training before installation of wind yarns.

 

[Crazy Dave Condon]

The problem with wind vanes left on they will snag and break when trailering them in place for example a tree limb, wire and so on. The other issue is the vane it self will spin fast and eventually break. Although Kermit ties his, still the vane can catch on something and break.
Windex many years ago made a vane that went into a spring loaded base that was easily removable fast which was ideal but did away with it many years ago to the cries of many to include me. They lost me as a customer or dealer. Now it is a fixed base and when on a ladder that high up with mast down you certainly do not want to be fooling around with tools. Everyone ohas their solution and that will be a choice to you as the owner.

 

[isaksp00]

The Davis SparFly comes with two ways to attach it. One is a small metal disc base that screws into the top of the mast crane fitting, and the threaded vane shaft screws into this. The other is a spring clip that screws onto the side of the mast (maybe like what CD described above), and the vane shaft slides into this. You squeeze the ends of the clip toward each other to remove/install it - takes 5 secs, no tools. I don't trailer from place to place (trailer used only for winter storage), but it would easily support doing this - of course, only if you remember to do it.

 

[Justin_NSA]

I don't see why you would leave it on when trailering. They are pretty fragile. When my Mac mast came down, the Windex came off, period. Then all you have to blame for damaging them are the birds that like to perch on them. My last one had a bird spike but they just rode around on the vane.

 

[isaksp00]

I don't ever move the trailer with it on - the spring clip (side mount) makes it easy to remove, and I do that as soon as I drop the mast.
The only issue I ever had was that I store the vane (and other removable parts) in my basement over the winter. The next Spring when I relaunched, I could not find it - I forgot where I had stashed it, so I went one season without the vane (too much trouble to pull the boat and drop the mast just to add the vane after I later found it).

 

[Benny17441]

We have a windex on our trailerable and it just takes loosening a set screw to remove the feather.

 

[Kermit]

IMy last one had a bird spike but they just rode around on the vane.

Seriously? Jeepers. I'm hoping to add an osprey deterrent soon. I sure hope they won't ride around on it. With my luck it'll become an amusement park ride for them. Ospreys lined up for hours waiting for their turn. I guess I'll have to install signs telling them how long the wait from this point will be. Sheesh.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Seriously? Jeepers. I'm hoping to add an osprey deterrent soon. I sure hope they won't ride around on it. With my luck it'll become an amusement park ride for them. Ospreys lined up for hours waiting for their turn. I guess I'll have to install signs telling them how long the wait from this point will be. Sheesh.

Holy crap! Excuse the pun. What a mess. I just deleted a couple pics of an Osprey squatting on a mast top a couple docks over.

 

[John23883]

I like these Davis Wind Tells, as stated above I can't look at the top of the mast with my neck. I put them about 5 feet up the shroud. I take them off for trailering.