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Excellent summary of how servo-pendulum and trim-tab vanes and auxiliary rudders work. Includes comments on sensitivity, power, friction, durability and other aspects of wind vanes.
[Hydrovane, West Vancouver, BC, Canada]
An explanation, with drawings, of trim tab steering for an external rudder (vane vertically or horizontally pivoted), auxiliary rudder with trim tab, and the pendulum-servo design. Advice on linkages and operation.
[Fay Marine, USA]
Matthews rates the equipment that he found most useful, including his wind-fane self-steering, on a cruise from Charleston down through the islands to Venezuela.
[SailNet]
Notes from a seminar on autopilots and vane steering given to skippers before the TransPac shorthanded race. Contains a discussion of wind vanes on boats that will surf, some tips on dampening, and some recommended wind vane models.
[BlueMoment, January 2002]
A grab bag of facts and commentary to help choose a windvane self-steering gear. Contains excerpts from hard-to-find bulletin board and newsgroup postings, as well as links to useful sites and vendor pages.
[Bill Dietrich, USA]
On-line discussion board on the design, construction and use of wind-operated self-steering gear.
[Cruisenews Network, South Haven, MI, USA]
A discussion board and photo gallery for cruising sailors and wannabes focused on windvane and sheet-to-tiller steering.
[Cruisers Forum, Buskerud, Norway]
How to integrate an electromechanical autopilot with a windvane self-steerer. This lets the servo-pendulum do all the work, while the electronic compass gives the guidance. This article gives some other tips on light-wind steering with wind vanes.
[Terrence D Sargent, Alief, TX, USA]
An engineer and the owner of a double-ender designs and builds a trim-tab self-steerer, and tells you how to do the same, in over 100 pages with drawings and photos.
[Sarana At Sea, USA]
The mechanics of trim-tab systems which work with the boat?s rudder, and auxiliary-rudder systems which steer with their own built-in rudders. Although less powerful than servo-pendulums, these wind vanes are useful in some situations. No illustrations on-line.
[Cruising World, February 2002]
Using the sensitivity of the autopilot, with its flux gate compass, and the power and speed of the windvane as an integrated system is the answer to a helmsman′s prayer.
Terry Sargent
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