My husband and I own a Hunter 31 and he would like a wind vane from Santa Claus. Any suggestion as to what model I should get?? Thanks for suggestions.
Wind vane
- Thread starter katharina95cats
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electric or manual?
The Windex is just about the only thing in the manual world. As for electronic wind instruments you have to begin with the end in mind.
Do you see yourself with the full Monty somewhere down the line? GPS/plotter, wind, knot meter, depth, autopilot, radar, VHF???
If so then you want to make sure you can network them together in the final setup. That means you have to understand which units can and cannot be networked together. A lot of manufactures will say that NMEA can network with all other instruments but NMEA is a "one talker/many listener" network. The GPS/plotter generally does the talking BTW. So if the GPS does not have both a "talker" and a "listener" channel you are going to be out of luck to begin with. The GPS/plotter is the typical place for all the information to come together with the autopilot being the second most common place. Integrating GPS and autopilot is not for the faint unless you have common manufactures and an autopilot that can't react to the wind is pretty dumb so make sure the wind instruments can talk to and be understood by the autopilot as a minimum.
I would recommend picking a manufacturer that offers everything that you are looking for in the end and sticking with them. Ray marine is my choice but there are other equally good systems.
The Windex is just about the only thing in the manual world. As for electronic wind instruments you have to begin with the end in mind.
Do you see yourself with the full Monty somewhere down the line? GPS/plotter, wind, knot meter, depth, autopilot, radar, VHF???
If so then you want to make sure you can network them together in the final setup. That means you have to understand which units can and cannot be networked together. A lot of manufactures will say that NMEA can network with all other instruments but NMEA is a "one talker/many listener" network. The GPS/plotter generally does the talking BTW. So if the GPS does not have both a "talker" and a "listener" channel you are going to be out of luck to begin with. The GPS/plotter is the typical place for all the information to come together with the autopilot being the second most common place. Integrating GPS and autopilot is not for the faint unless you have common manufactures and an autopilot that can't react to the wind is pretty dumb so make sure the wind instruments can talk to and be understood by the autopilot as a minimum.
I would recommend picking a manufacturer that offers everything that you are looking for in the end and sticking with them. Ray marine is my choice but there are other equally good systems.
Manual/electronic - you need to determine that first.
There are many choices if you go with an electronic wind seeker. One option is to go with a wireless unit so you do not need to feed the wires down the mast.
http://www.tacktick.com/products/145
If you are not interested in this then you can start with Raymarine, Simrad, B & G and the list goes on.
Personally I would stick with a main stream mfg. If you need help when the units get older you will have a better chance than with an off brand that seem to go out of business or get bought out and then the product is dropped.
You also want to determine if you want an integrated system or stand alone components.
There are many choices if you go with an electronic wind seeker. One option is to go with a wireless unit so you do not need to feed the wires down the mast.
http://www.tacktick.com/products/145
If you are not interested in this then you can start with Raymarine, Simrad, B & G and the list goes on.
Personally I would stick with a main stream mfg. If you need help when the units get older you will have a better chance than with an off brand that seem to go out of business or get bought out and then the product is dropped.
You also want to determine if you want an integrated system or stand alone components.
Here's a solution for less than $10. and you can install it yourself. Then let the captain do the upgrade. I would not want my wife choosing what amounts to a "system" for our boat.
http://www.apsltd.com/gallerypopup.aspx?GalleryID=868
http://www.apsltd.com/gallerypopup.aspx?GalleryID=868
Here's a good solution if you have an antenna on the top of the mast. It's a plain wind-vane that works like those seen on barns. It uses the radio antenna as the support and axle to pivot about. Cost about $35 and it's good enough for the casual racer.
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|311631&id=74368
If your budget is in the $700 range then go for one of the TackTick units.
If you are never concerned about maximizing your speed:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|295761|301233|938227&id=1150660
If you are serious about racing:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|302025|746004|850187&id=744357
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|118|311631&id=74368
If your budget is in the $700 range then go for one of the TackTick units.
If you are never concerned about maximizing your speed:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|295761|301233|938227&id=1150660
If you are serious about racing:
http://www.defender.com/product.jsp?path=-1|344|302025|746004|850187&id=744357
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