Sayes Rig Self-Steering

[Celestialsailor]

My new boat has hydraulic steering. Apparently do to slip in these systems, conventional servo-pendulums do not work well. I has been suggested to me to get a Sayes Rig. As luck would have it I have most of the parts for one and being a former toolmaker and access to shops, I could patch it up.
Does anyone have direct experience with these units? How are they in light airs. How are they compared to a Monitor or Aries for steering accuracy and reliability? Does that moment arm off the rudder cause any problems?

[Celestialsailor]

Well...Guess I'm on my own!

[Jolly Roger]

Go to http://www.selfsteer.com/ you will find everything you want there and they are very helpful people.

[Celestialsailor]

Thanks JR... They sell the unit but I was looking for personal experiences

[gdecon]

Hydrovane systems also fit your description but are probably more expensive.

[Celestialsailor]

Originally Posted by gdecon

Hydrovane systems also fit your description but are probably more expensive.

Thanks but I already have most of the pieces for a Sayes. As luck would have it, It was motoring my dinghy around the Bay today with my dog and ran into a fellow with a 45 ft steel boat with a Sayes rig. He loved it. Apparently the prior owners sailed across the Atlantic with it. He had not yet tried it downwind yet. Good input though.

[engele]

Did you ever build a Sayes rig? I am tempted to try it myself and am also looking for experience on this.

[Seymore]

Originally Posted by Celestialsailor

My new boat has hydraulic steering. Apparently do to slip in these systems, conventional servo-pendulums do not work well. I has been suggested to me to get a Sayes Rig. As luck would have it I have most of the parts for one and being a former toolmaker and access to shops, I could patch it up.
Does anyone have direct experience with these units? How are they in light airs. How are they compared to a Monitor or Aries for steering accuracy and reliability? Does that moment arm off the rudder cause any problems?

Worthless. My Westsail 32 had a Sayes Rig on it when I bought it in the BVI. I sailed the boat from there straight into Charleston SC, singlehanding. The Sayes Rig would not steer the boat. I could set the Sayes Rig however I wanted and it didn't make any difference, the boat did whatever it wanted. Finally I just set the sails and the boat tracked nicely with its full keel.

The Sayes Rig won't steer in light airs or heavy airs. I'm sure Monitor and Aires will steer accurately, Sayes Rig does not steer. (For me, the ONLY wind steerers that work are the servo-pendulum steerers, and they work well.) The moment arm off the rudder does not cause any problems.

If a Sayes Rig is set up, the only reason a boat is going in the right direction is because the sails are set right.

When I got into a boatyard for a refit, the first thing I did was get rid of the Sayes Rig and get a Cape Horn.

[Snowpetrel]

I had a sayes rig on Snow Petrel. It worked for me but wandered more than a servo pendulum. She was a fin keeled roberts 34 without much ability to self steer without a vane. It was very powerful. I couldn't force the tiller over against it by hand if we where doing 5 or 6 knots. I prefer a serve pendulum, but on some boats ie big long keeled ketches with hydraulic steering it could be a good option.

[AnsleyS]

I have used the Sayes rig quite a bit both on my boat, a Camper Nicholson 39 CC ketch and on a 34 foot cutter. I sailed from Maine to the Caribbean and back with it. The Sayes works well but it takes some patient tuning the first few time that you use it and the sails must be balanced for it to work well. Read the manual. They tell you that in big bold print.

I see that your boat is a center cockpit design and that may be a reason to look at another steering device. The Sayes has a lever that engages it and it would be not handy from a center cockpit.

The Sayes does not do as well in light wind but is very good as the wind picks up.

Feel free to PM me with specific questions.

Cheers