Wind speed and direction equipment-I need info

Stu Jackson · Jun 17, 2017

Jimongee said:
Our 356 still does not have an electronic wind instrument.

I sailed our C25 for 13 years without one. I have one on our C34 for the past 19 years and rarely look at it. I think they are overblown (pi!

).

I gauge wind speed based on the Beaufort scale and the condition of the water. If you have a 36 foot boat, the direction of the wind should be something you already know, right?

Since you are cruising, it is not as critical as if you were racing.

Good luck.

Your boat, your choice.

Ted · Jun 17, 2017

I race and find that having a wind instrument is useful. When not racing, I find that the most useful function is the ability of the autopilot to steer to a specific wind direction. If the wind instrument is interfaced with your autopilot (if you have one) your boat will maintain better speed and control. This is because most autopilots have difficulty steering when the sail trim is incorrect. If the autopilot steers to a wind direction, sail trim will remain constant. Find out which wind instrument would easily interface with your autopilot. There are all sorts of black boxes that make mixing and matching possible but they can sometimes cause issues which are difficult to troubleshoot. Wireless units have been around for a while and the early bugs have been worked out. Installation is very simple which may be a primary reason to select wireless over wired. I personally think that the wired instruments have better reliability as they are simpler by design.

Stu Jackson · Jun 17, 2017

Ted said:
If the autopilot steers to a wind direction, sail trim will remain constant.

Could also result in course changes.

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HMT2 · Jun 18, 2017

Jimongee said:
OK so in about 10 days my wife and I are departing Lake MI -destination the North Channel For the summer. Our 356 still does not have an electronic wind instrument. We have been looking on line at so many during the past few days...and still don't know which type or manufacturer would do the job for a fair price. Our questions are; is wireless a good choice? Are the solar powered units reliable? If any sailors out there have information on the best overall way to go keeping a good value price in mind...please let us know.
Thanks
Jim n' Kathy
SV SamiDog
Boyne City, MI

Some additional information would be helpful, such as do you phave an existing MFD? Do you have a NMEA 2000 backbone?

I put a Garmin G10'wireless wind instrument, it has a battery and a solar charger. Suppesdly the battery will need to be changed every five or so years. Anyway the wireless G10'worked great initially but after several months began to stop working intermittently.' After months of replacing one component at a time and working with Garmin support I gave up and went with the wired Garmin G10 and it has worked flawlessly.

markwbird · Jun 18, 2017

I think you are ok without it. Take your time and outfit your boat with one that sincs up with your existing electronics. With that said: Wireless never works as well as hard wired. I don't care what the ad says.

Bill Roosa · Jun 18, 2017

I'm with Stu, windex and Beaufort scale. course when we have folks over for a sail they find it easier to sail the instruments. Also makes sailing at night in the rain a bit nicer.

Joe · Jun 19, 2017

If you have a later model chart plotter/mfd that supports a nmea 2k network...all you really need is the "smart" transducer, such as the B&G Triton 508..... shop around.. with 20 m cable around $500. For instance... adding the tranducer to this B&G Zeus MFD provide a complete page of all the wind info your heart could desire....

So.... check your chart plotter's capabilities before you buy a complete system.

Most important to invest in a system that can give you TRUE wind info, besides the simple wind vane's Apparent wind info. Modern Chartplotters use the true wind info to create lay lines for your waypoints..... something you'll find very useful when navigating.