john adam Windpilot on Albin Vega?

[Vegadank]

Hey
I have an Albin Vega and are currently working on rigging it for Blue water Crossing.
I stand over an old John Adams Windpilot. It looks verry big and are quite Heavy.
The rudder looks realy good, as it looks like it may be used as an emergency rudder aswell.
The rudder can not move horizontal. Will this be a problem?
Anyone that have any information to give me on this?
Thank you all

[double u]

very popular with the bluewater-krauts in the late 70ies & 80ies, many rtwed, people always spoke highly of them

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-N2vmmgNdo

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1btla8xQPGo

at 0:32
apparently despite the extreme simplicity it worked well, I personally remember 2 singlehanders & an austrian couple on a C&C 27(!!) on tradewind circumnavigations in the early 80ies.
remember: those were the days before good, cheap autopilots (& before gps...)

[Vegadank]

Alright double U thank u verry much for good answer
You say you seen it mounted on an c&c 27. This it the excact same lengt as the vega. But it weights 200 kilo more.
If it worked well there, it should in theory work well with the Vega aswell right?

I see some is saying that the rudder on the windpilot may couse alot of vibrations when wheather is heavy and speed high. Any input on this?

[double u]

all the other boats were much bigger, one was a 35 & one a steel 38 footer.
I can't find the pics on the net right now, but there was another thread about somebody building his own windvane with the same principle as this old windpilot & I postet the pics there.
I'm not familiar with the AV, but barring high friction in the Windpilot it should work well on the AV. like any auxiliary-rudder wv-design I suppose that changes in windstrength will require adjustment, but they are easily done. afairemeber the gear looked very solid, simple & easily checked.

[double u]

vibration of the rudder could be caused by the turbulence from a big fixedblade prop...
the C&C 27 was a fairly fast boat for it's length, I seem to recall they made some respectable passages (spent a cycloneseason anchored in Brisbane side by side so knew the owners, Alfred & Inge quite well, the 2 other boats with wp, Gentle Giant & Windrose just a few meters further on, mustabeen 84...when we were young...)

[double u]

here the "windrose" with singlehander rolf

[double u]

more, seems an old pic too

[thinwater]

This Vega sailed around the Americas and mounted wind vane, although I'm fuzzy on the specifics. I believe it is currently on the hard in Deale, MD

[double u]

obvious disadvantage of the old wp: simple engaging mechanism that has no "remote" possibilities, you have to reach the top of these big gears by hand (no prob on most small aft-cockpit boats)

[Screw Loose]

I bought an Albin Vega in Brisbane. It had sailed out from Europe using a wind pilot. Search ‘Warskavi’ in youtube. They owners reckoned it was great.

[blueazimuth]

John Adams wind pilots have excellent reputation, and for much larger boats, but are very heavy
. Imho, unnecessarily heavy for your boat.

Look for a used French built Navik - they too, are excellent, but much lighter.

[double u]

the extreme simplicity & sturdyness of the old WP & the extreme sophistication & fragile looks of the navik (trimtab actuated pendulum)do not compare well...

[250224]

There are also new Windpilots [1]. Not sure if they are an offspring of the John Adam model (they look completely different). In any case: top!

[1]: WINDPILOT - Products

[roverhi]

Think you'd be better off with the newer Windpilot. WINDPILOT - Products

Pendulum Servo vanes are more sensitive and powerful especially in light air than auxillary rudder systems on smaller boats, are lighter and have less drag. With the keel attached rudder and tiller there just isn't much to go wrong on the Vega so the emergency rudder benefit of an Aux rudder system are largely negated. The WindPilot you are looking has two areas of concern for me. The first is the nylon gears that transfer the force from the vane to steer the rudder. I haven't had anything that's used plastic gears last. The gear teeth on the plastic strip out. Second is the vertical axis wind vane. Blondie Hasler used them on the first pendulum Servo vanes he invented but all later vanes went to horizontally pivoted vanes because they worked better.

Pendulum Servo Vanes that steer through the boat's rudder are simple, light, proven self steering systems ideally suited for a Vega. The vanes are available used for under $2,000 and have seen some for half that. They are available new from WindPilot, Monitor, Fleming, Sailomat, Aries and others.

Might want to read this article about a Vega's circumnavigation of the America's using a Monitor wind vane for self steering.

[blueazimuth]

I have no association with Navik wind vanes. Yes, they Look frail, but are not. A Cape George 31 completed a circumnavigation with a Navik.