Windvane on a M26 ?

[racegig]

Anyone has installed a windvane on a M26 ?

[racegig]

I'm talking here about a self steering system like the

Yoyager Windvane
http://www.voyagerwindvanes.com/Voyager/News.aspx

or the Monitor windvane
http://www.selfsteer.com/products/monitor/index.php

[Loala]

No room for it.

[James V]

A windvane is for offshore use where you have constant wind direction most of the time. Not really useful for most of us.

[J.Teixeira]

Hi

When I was younger I did some ocean crossing cruising in a heavy 42 sailboat, that had a wind vane and believe me those things can be very very dangerous near a coast line…

It uses the wind angle to the boat instead of a compass in a autopilot.

And plus.. A Mac is a very light boat it would respond to fast .

It would be a very unstable steering

I don’t think it is a good idea

Jose

[racegig]

Guess I will forget about that idea. Thanks

[delevi]

I use a Raymarine ST40 electronic wind vane which is hooked up to the autopilot. I love it. Can lock in a wind angle and just let it steer to the wind. IF there is a wind shift of 20 degrees or more, an alarm goes off. The AP will not alter course until you choose appropriate action. You can't install it at the mast head due to the rotating mast. I mounted a pole holder on the side of the transom and a 6 foot post with corss bar at the top on top of which the wind transducer is mounted. This also makes it easy to remove for trailering.

[Hamin' X]

I had a self-steering rig on my old Venture 17. It was for tiller steering and was connected to the main sheet through turning blocks on the gunnels. Basic operation was that the sheet was free to move with the mainsail as the wind shifted. if the wind moved more abeam, the mainsail would sheet out and pull the tiller with it, causing the boat to head-up and maintain it's heading. It took a little fiddling to get it set right, but worked well. Same principle might work with wheel steering if you hooked it to the bottom of the wheel instead of a tiller. Do a google search on self steer sheet and you will get all kinds of info,

~Rich

[mgalbreath]

I have done extensive research on this subject because I want to sail my 26X to the Caribbean and there are several equipment requirements for such a voyage; some kind of autopilot is one of them.

A windvane will not work on a 26X or M because there is no room to mount it on the stern because of the outboard motor and dual rudders, and taking the motor off is not a viable option. That leaves one with electrical autopilots like ones from Raymarine. These autopilots work well, but draw 4-5 amps (depending on wind-necessitated course corrections) and to keep from draining the 2-battery bank on a 26, an auxiliary charging system must be installed. In practical terms, this means a combination of wind turbine and solar panels.

Another drawback of the 26 series is it is impossible to install a dinghy davit on the stern, forcing one to either tow a dinghy with a painter (not recommended) or live with the hassle of inflating one at anchorages.

Finally, there is no good place for an instrument panel on a 26, particularly for chart plotter and radar displays. Let's face it, the Mac 26 is a glorified day-sailor, and I would never have chosen to buy one (I inherited mine). Fortunately, I live on the Chesapeake Bay and am able to use the boat pretty much at will. But my quest to sail the Caribbean will have to be done in another boat; the Mac just isn't suitable for blue-water sailing.

Mark

[dlandersson]

Okay, my windvane/wind indicator is on my mast and the display is to the left of my companionway entrance.

My radar display is on my steering console - above the wheel. Finds fishees too - kids love that.

I have done extensive research on this subject because I want to sail my 26X to the Caribbean and there are several equipment requirements for such a voyage; some kind of autopilot is one of them.

A windvane will not work on a 26X or M because there is no room to mount it on the stern because of the outboard motor and dual rudders, and taking the motor off is not a viable option. That leaves one with electrical autopilots like ones from Raymarine. These autopilots work well, but draw 4-5 amps (depending on wind-necessitated course corrections) and to keep from draining the 2-battery bank on a 26, an auxiliary charging system must be installed. In practical terms, this means a combination of wind turbine and solar panels.

Another drawback of the 26 series is it is impossible to install a dinghy davit on the stern, forcing one to either tow a dinghy with a painter (not recommended) or live with the hassle of inflating one at anchorages.

Finally, there is no good place for an instrument panel on a 26, particularly for chart plotter and radar displays. Let's face it, the Mac 26 is a glorified day-sailor, and I would never have chosen to buy one (I inherited mine). Fortunately, I live on the Chesapeake Bay and am able to use the boat pretty much at will. But my quest to sail the Caribbean will have to be done in another boat; the Mac just isn't suitable for blue-water sailing.

Mark

[mgalbreath]

The original post, nor my answer, was concerned with a wind direction indicator at the top of the mast, but a windvane self-steering mechanism that bolts onto the transom. The configuration of the Mac 26X/M is such that I cannot see any possible way to install one, even with custom-cut tubing. That leaves an electric autopilot as the only viable self-steering option, which would require a wind generator bolted to the side of the transom to keep the batteries charged. I've read of people sailing the Caribbean without self-steering, but it is a very dangerous endeavor for single-handed sailing, particularly in a monohull boat where fatigue can quickly overcome a sailor over long passages, like from the Turks and Cacos to the Virgin Islands.

I am researching Raymarine autopilots with a wind generator and solar panels for battery charging for my 26X. As far as I can tell, the radar antenna would have to be mounted on a custom transom jig involving a tube on the outside of each side of the transom welded to a cross-tube. This configuration could possibly be used to mount wind generators on either side of the antenna.

Anybody have ideas along these lines?

Mark

[dlandersson]

From another poster on anther thread:

"Raymarine S1000 wireless autopilot...only works with hydraulic steering so I upgraded to Baystar by Teleflex Marine and a 20 inch wheel. The difference is amazing. The stock rack and pinion is loose and sloppy, especially with the stock 15 inch wheel."

Note that several persons report that sail and motor autopilots have different effects. So perhaps you need to think about what type of boating the autopilot is for?

Does this help?

[kadet]

Another drawback of the 26 series is it is impossible to install a dinghy davit on the stern, forcing one to either tow a dinghy with a painter (not recommended) or live with the hassle of inflating one at anchorages.

Says who Now has a solar panel on it to power autopilot.

[Saxacussionist]

Hi Kadet,

Would you be interested in telling us how you built this dinghy davit? I need to do something simular for my 26S before mid-summer. Thanks!

[kadet]

A picture is worth a thousand words. See the ones below.

http://s511.beta.photobucket.com/user/_ ... ary/Davits

They are constructed from 25mm Bimini stainless steel poles and fittings. To strengthen the poles I inserted (bashed in with a hammer) hardwood dowels. It is all then u-bolted to the stern rail seats and rigging wired to the mast crunch. I have sailed with the 35kg dingy and 12kg outboard on the davits without problem, outboard comes off for trailering. Dingy has to be tired off tight to stop it moving about but is fine. I use 2:1 lifting tackle and have no problem launching and retrieving by myself, motor and rudders must be down.

I have since replaced the rigging wire with an aluminium frame for a solar panel and this has stiffened the davits up even more.

http://www.macgregorsailors.com/modt/in ... ewimg=3594