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Thread: Monitor on an ultralight

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    28

    Default Monitor on an ultralight

    I just pulled a mint condition Monitor wind vane out of the dumpster at the marina. Wondering if people have used these on an light boat like my Olson 30. Mark I know you have one on the J? I think Allen had a Navik on his SC27. Any thoughts? I have great performance from the pilots, just trying to find some redundancy. If not it will be available for sale at a later date.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Posts
    3,688

    Default

    Here you go:

    Monitor on an Olson 30

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2007
    Location
    San Francisco Bay Area
    Posts
    2,095

    Default

    Yes, I had a Navik on Ankle Biter and I loved it, until the water paddle shattered. It drove the boat almost exclusively for three days and it would have happily driven the boat all the way to Hawaii if it hadn't self-destructed.

    I'm not the most aggressive sailor in the world, and you were a LONG way ahead of me at the finish!!. I didn't have a chute up for 12 hours a day, in contrast to you. I wouldn't trust an SC27 under spinnaker if 18 knots of breeze with a squall coming, with the Navik doing the driving. However, I *WOULD* probably trust the boat under nearly any conditions with fairly big twin headsails and a vane driving. I certainly would trust an Olson 30 on a broad reach with white sails up, and the Monitor driving...no problem at all.

    I'd suggest giving it a try.
    Last edited by AlanH; 11-10-2009 at 02:43 PM.
    1968 Selmer Series 9 B-flat and A clarinets
    1962 Buesher "Aristocrat" tenor saxophone
    Piper One Design 24, Hull #35; "Alpha"

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
    Posts
    609

    Default Windvanes on ultralights

    Windvanes have been used on small ultralights. For upwind and reaching there shouldn't be any issues however things change downwind. Windvanes work using the apparent wind angle so things can get dicey off the wind. When a boat like the Olson 30 surfs down a waves the apparent wind goes WAYYYY forward so the windvane tries to keep up and eventually crash gybes the boat. Most ultralights work much better with a powered pilot off the wind. Also, there is the drag factor.... an Olson 30 is very slippery through the water so any drag, like a windvane, will certainly effect it's performance.

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