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Post by Admiral on Jan 4, 2010 12:23:28 GMT
I thought some of you may be interested to hear of our experience with the Hydrovane that we fitted to our SO45 last season prior to a our cruise to the Azores. Despite having some reservations about modern twitchy boats being difficult to steer it proved to be fantastic and even steered the boat well at speeds up to 13kts. After that it got a bit hairy so we switched on the inboard electric pilot as well and with both steering we went back to our books down below! It saved so much power that I only needed to charge every other day!! (LED lights help) I am a great fan of this equipment and recommend it most highly.
Admiral
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Post by Zanshin on Jan 4, 2010 13:14:26 GMT
I extremely interested in a windvane steering system for my 49DS but am worried about losing the dive area in the sugar scoop. Did you mount the hydrovane centrally or offset and how much mounting hardware did you need to add?
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Post by Admiral on Jan 7, 2010 1:04:31 GMT
Hi Thanks for your reply. I mounted the unit centrally and was still able to use the boarding ladder. The 2 arms of the upper support were bolted down onto the horizontal area just behind the doors. This proved a very sturdy base as it is thick grp plus the teak on top. The lower bracket was mounted just above the gas locker drain. This again is quite secure but adequate backing pads were fitted all round. We increased the bolt diameter for the lower bracket. Tight nuts are essential as the whole kit does vibrate at high speed (10kts+). The rudder should be removed for any manoeuvring in marinas otherwise you will curse! At first sight you might be forgiven for thinking that it is in the way but actually we are quite used to it now and it makes coming alongside in the dinghy much easier.
I will take some photos for you when the wx is better.
Hope this has whetted your appetite!
Admiral
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Post by Zanshin on Jan 7, 2010 22:54:42 GMT
Admiral - I've since written Hydrovane and gotten quite a bit of information as well as a quote (ouch) but I'd love to see your pictures before I make the decision.
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