Aries No. 4 Wind Vane Manuals Needed

[Duke 48]

Over the weekend I gained custody of an wind vane">Aries wind vane. From what research I have done, believe it to be an Aries No. 4. It looks to be in very good condition and I would like to mount it on my boat. Unfortunately, there are some components in the box I do not recognize; I believe some of the mounting hardware is missing and there are no manuals or instructions. I would appreciate your help in locating manuals and / or instructions so that I can determine what parts I may need and how to install and use the system. Thanks, Duke

[xsboats]

Try Ariesvane.com or selfsteer.com. I have installed , rebuilt and used numerous vanes over the years and will answer any questions you might have. My contact info is in my profile.

[GordMay]

Stainless and Bronze Model Aries No 4
Produced in 1975/76 the stainless and bronze model #4 works the same as the Standard Aries. There were 400 made but manufacturing stopped due to production difficulties, therefore spares are very limited. However, you can use the present servo rudder without adaptor sleeve needed in coupling.

Installation ➥ Aries Standard Vane Gear Installation.

Parts ➥ Aries Standard Vane Gear Technical Illustration

Rebuilding ➥ Rebuilding hints for the Aries Vane Gear - Standard Model.

[Tarboxpete]

Hi. I recently acquired a #4 bronze and stainless aries myself. I am also interested in any information that's out there. I've already been to the links from Gordon- not much there about the #4 except the drawing. Also, if you've seen the link on the Denmark Aries site that claims with the #4, along with several other highly regarded vane gears such as the Fleming gear, the pendulum shaft will "lose control" in bad weather, I wouldn't worry about it. The shaft can't go out horizontally as he shows in his drawing as long as the arms are connected to the steering lines. If a person was worried about it they could always attache limiting lines to the shaft from either side. I have the gear mounted in a temporary fashion and look foward to trying it out soon. Perhaps we could share information about it. It's an awesome piece of the machinery, isn't it? Mine came apart with no problems at all (cleaned out the old grease and scraped out the teflon? bearings - much less friction), which is pretty rare for a 40+year old piece of used marine equipement. Good luck-hope to hear from you. Peter Tarbox 626-379-7750

[tfgibbon]

Hi, I have one of these as well. As far as I can tell there is almost no information out there. While the website says that this works the same as the standard Aries, a quick look shows it to be a completely redesigned machine.

I wouldn't believe anything on the Denmark site, he seems to be using the No. 4 as an example in his negative advertising against all other competitors. He claims that nick was never able to make any improvements over the Aries standard and that it is the best design available.

But nick was clearly trying to make improvements on the design with the No. 4. While the mounting is a little minimal, the gear is extremely robust, has infinite course adjustment with a worm gear (unlike the limited "clicks" of the standard gear), and a very simple flip up mechanism. The Aries website says manufacturing was stopped due to production difficulties, it seems like it could have been just too expensive to make. I have also heard that there was massive, specific machinery to build the standard that no one wanted to replace. Maybe the denmark site is correct, but if so Windpilot would suffer from the same problem.

Anyways in the few thousand miles I have sailed on it it has proved effective, even in light winds.

[Gunfleet]

Hi All,
This is a first post from me. Has anyone tried to modify the Aries so that it works with an electronic/hydraulic tiller pilot? If so I'd love to see a photo. I have an Aries which I'm fitting to my 4 ton 26ft long keel Nicholson.

[Teremoana]

I also have a No. 4 that I have used for years and quite a few long passages. It's an excellent, reliable vane. I don't think the 'problem' the Danes point out is real. I have never been able to find anything much in the way of manuals specific to the No.4, but they work pretty much like any other vane gear.

[SeaBungalow]

Do any of you have pictures of your aries #4 installation or drawings?

Cheers

[Teremoana]

My boat has a canoe stern, The vane fits over a stainless tube that runs through the stern and terminates with a plate bolted through a wooden crosspiece glassed into the hull.