True Stories

From: Jan Kamenz
Sent: 16 May 2024
To: Will Curry, Richard Minielly
Subject: Experience with the Hydrovane emergency tiller and estimate

Dear Hydrovane Team,

I had an exciting and perilous adventure on my voyage from West Palm Beach, USA, to Bermuda. The journey, which is only a few days behind me, took place aboard my Jeanneau 43 “Rocinante”. Since 2022, I’ve had your wind vane steering system, and I love it. I call it the “Lord”.

I had also purchased the offshore spare parts kit and emergency tiller back then, hoping I would never need them.

During the aforementioned voyage to Bermuda from May 6th, 2024, to May 14th, 2024, on May 10th, 2024, at the position 29.42,2N and 073.19,1W, approximately halfway, we collided with an unknown object at 02:30am local time. As a result, we discovered that our rudder was not only damaged but completely lost. Thus, the Hydrovane emergency tiller was used for the first time. And how?

A frontal passage brought more wind on Friday and Saturday, with wave heights rising to over 3m. These conditions were actually great for excellent and fast sailing. But with a emergency steering system?

After overcoming our initial shock, we began to organize ourselves and, as mentioned, attach and use the emergency tiller. We quickly realized how strenuous it was to steer without a rudder and how easily the ship veers off course downwind and into the wind. But we learned quickly and got a feel for this unusual steering sensation.

Our goal was to sail about 150sm closer to Bermuda to be prepared in case of emergency to cover the remaining distance under motor. Initially, the weather forecast gave us hope that the weather would calm down, but unfortunately, that was not the case. Except for brief periods of relaxation, the wind remained at 18-25 knots and the wave height at 2.5m – 3m. From Friday on, the wind gradually shifted from SW to NNO, forcing us to sail close-hauled towards the end.

There were only two of us on board, which meant we had no breaks except for sleeping and eating. Standing on the platform steering 12 hours a day. Nonetheless, we reached Bermuda on the afternoon of May 14th, 2024, after almost 500sm of manual steering with the Hydrovane and a missing rudder under the ship. For the last approximately 300 nautical miles, we sailed with motor assistance, as we found that the flow of water over the Hydrovane rudder facilitated sailing or increased the steering effect when the motor was engaged.

Without the Hydrovane, I wouldn’t have a ship today. It’s as simple as that. And even though I had doubts at times about whether we could make it purely in terms of strength, there’s always a little reserve to take one step further. In any case, I’m extremely grateful for your product and for having made the decision to purchase it back then.

That’s the brief report of our journey on the Rocinante. Unfortunately, after reaching Bermuda, we discovered that something was wrong with the Hydrovane. Apparently, something is loose inside the shaft, as it has about a 1 cm vertical play, and the tiller unit rests directly on the metal of the control unit and has already begun to grind the metal. In my pictures, you can also see a black round part on the back that is completely loose.

I would like to ask you to try to determine, based on the photos, what exactly is broken and to send me a cost estimate for a replacement part that I can submit to my insurance. Since we are quite sure that what damaged and tore off our rudder also collided with the Hydrovane, it would be interesting to know if, in your opinion, the damage to the upper part was also caused by this.

[Editor’s Note: It was discovered that Jan’s Hydrovane had been damaged in the same incident as the rudder. Repairs were made in Bermuda and they were able to successfully complete their Atlantic crossing!]

Thank you very much, and I hope for a prompt response, as I am currently stranded here in Bermuda, with hurricane season approaching, and I need to continue my journey.

Best regards,

Jan

From: Pavel Novotný
Sent: Wednesday, July 10, 2024 7:59 AM
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Fwd: JAFIPAPA-spares Kit + shaft bearings

Hello Richard,

We got the Hydrovane in 2017 and it is the best crew member!

We have been travelling around the world and we are now in Fiji. We need a new OFFSHORE SPARES KIT- OSK with Vane cover XT and we also have a lot of play in the rudder and hopefully we can eliminate that with SHAFT BEARINGS .

Please give me a price including shipping to [redacted].

Is delivery to that address possible by 31.08.2024?

Thank you for your reply

Have a nice day

Best regards

Pavel Novotný

https://jafipapa.cz/en/ 

From: Rob Hurlow
Sent: 14 July 2024
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Cool hydro pic

This was taken at Attu island. Western most of Aleutian chain

Just finished a 1400 mile passage from Hokkaido, Japan. The vane was awesome.  The installation up high worked great to see the wind

We are pretty big and heavy 25t but it seemed fully capable. Using our hydraulic steering as a trim tab was essential but easy to balance up

Thanks!!

From: Mario van den Broeck
Sent: 14 July 2024
To: Brooklyn Foster
Subject: Re: RE: Hydrovane Unit Order | Mario van den Broeck

Dear all

I am currently on my first singlehanded  trip crossing the English channel from Zierikzee, Holland to Lowesoft, UK and back.

What a delightful experience to sail with the Hydrovane .

I had winds from 10 to 22 knots out of all directions.  Typical in our waters . I can say I was impressed of the performance.  It steers MIVIDA, a Jeanneau SO 36i, from close reaching to downwind. It demands me to set my sail trim correctly which is a huge plus I think.  It will make me a better sailor in the end .

And he is a nice dude.  He never talks back always agrees with me and looks even great on my boat.

When I arrive at my destinations people look at me like ‘there is a proper sailor’. Even though I don’t now what I am doing half the time. These long trips are new for me

But hey, at least I am not alone anymore on my future adventures.

In two weeks my wife comes aboard for a couple of months . I am sure she is going to like PAUL as well.

Met vriendelijke groeten,

Mario van den Broeck

From: Lúthien Tinúviel
Sent: 5 July 2024
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Help with excess play in drive unit

Good Evening,

We just did the passage from New England to the Azores and used our Hydrovane the whole way. It worked great and we absolutely love it; you guys have a great product! However, after 19 days of straight use with quite a lot of it in 20-25 knots and some stronger squalls over 30, I’ve noticed it doesn’t seem as “tight” as it was before we left. There’s quite a bit of play in the system now. It still works well, but you can see the vane sort of flop over a bit before it engages the rudder. Can you offer any assistance or advice in how to adjust the unit to remove this excess play? I attached a video to demonstrate what I’m talking about.

Thanks very much,

Josh Kegan

From: Richard Minielly
Sent: 5 July 2024
To: Josh Kegan
Subject: Help with excess play in drive unit

Hi Josh,

That’s amazing to hear the Hydrovane was able to steer you the full 19 days! Congratulations on making landfall in the Azores.

Do you mind if we post your email to our True Stories Page? Potential customers really value the real-life feedback. No worries if you prefer to remain private.

Regarding the looseness, I couldn’t quite see the two areas I was looking to check in the video: The Worm Gear (#80) and the Axles (#47). Those are the two parts that can get shaken slightly loose over time and need to be adjusted.

When you try to turn the unit as if you were changing headings, rotating the top section around, do you notice the actual Worm and Grooved Wheel sliding side to side? Over time, the Grooved Wheel can get pushed farther down on the worm, allowing it to shift side to side and adding some looseness to the system. If this is the case, you can back off the set screw in the wheel (Grooved Wheel Screw #83), push the Grooved Wheel #82 back onto the worm, apply Loctite and tighten up. You can see a short explanation of that here: https://1drv.ms/v/s!AsB2NHN4gj0EgrsiEZ93pZkofDb-XQ?e=Tnw4Yt

The other thing to check is the axles. Particularly in rough seas where the vane moves in jerky motions, these can slowly get pushed out as well. To check these and potentially reset any that have slipped loose, follow the steps in our instructional video here: https://youtu.be/ZOYz3h0qndw?feature=shared

The other things that happen over time are just normal wear on some of the consumable parts. The shaft bearings will wear slightly over time and should be replaced after ~10,000-20,000 nautical miles depending on condition. The Drive Sleeve (part #19) will develop grooves over time as well and should be replaced when worn, likely every 10,000nm. None of these are critical for safety or operation but will improve performance as you’ve seen.

Happy to discuss any other questions.

Best regards,

Richard Minielly

From: Patrick Fox
Sent: 18 June 2024
To: Richard Minielly, Will Curry, Sarah Curry
Subject: Hydrovane and Watt&Sea sea trials

Richard, Will, Sarah,

I sea trialed both the Hydrovane and Watt and Sea systems last week and found both systems to outperform my expectations.

We tested both systems close hauled, beam/broad reaching and downwind. First test was up wind on both port and stbd tacks in 10 to 15 kts true wind doing 6.5 to 7+ kts boat speed. The Hydrovane maintained our course perfectly from heeling angles of 10 to 30+ degrees. Saga 43’s  get into a groove at about 20 degrees of heel and will sail at over 40 degree heel without excessive weather helm or rounding up. As the unit was mounted off center to stbd I was initially concerned that heeling 20 to 30 degrees on a starboard tack would affect how well the Hydrovane would keep us on course, and it did so flawlessly. The same results on port tacks and down wind where we had apparent wind at 6 kts or less. 

We deployed the hydrogenerator and it operated beautifully on all points of sail and at various heel angles, although, because the hydrogenerator is mounted close to centerline heeling didn’t really impact the unit’s operating depth significantly. Monitoring the output on my phone it was obvious that the output met or exceeded the power curves with the 280 mm prop.

I noticed one issue due to my specific installation.  Because the Watt & Sea is mounted to the Hydrovane shaft and the design of the Saga’s transom the generator is quite far outboard aft of the cockpit. Deploying and lifting the unit, even when standing on the swim platform, it was very difficult to lift straight up and not possible to pull on the dropping and lifting lines at an angle. I’m thinking about how to rig a bracket above the W&S with a turning block to allow deploying and lifting the unit from the cockpit as trying to do either of these operations standing on the swim platform would be extremely dangerous in any conditions other than calm water at very low speeds.

One option I think could work uses a bracket similar to the W&S Hydrovane mounting bracket attached just below the Hydrovane control head with a turning block. Another option might be to use my outboard motor lift swung out over the W&S to allow vertical pulling of the lines.

I’m curious if you or other customers have experienced a similar situation in leading the lines and difficulties in lifting and deploying the unit.

All in all I’m thrilled with both the Hydrovane and Watt and Sea units and appreciate all the time you’ve spent helping me with my installation and great your fantastic customer service and technical expertise.

Patrick Fox

From: Richard Minielly
Sent: 18 June 2024
To: Patrick Fox
Subject: RE: Hydrovane and Watt&Sea sea trials

Hi Patrick,

Thank you so much for the invaluable feedback! Do you mind if we post your email to our True Stories page? Potential customers find these sorts of reviews hugely helpful when looking for their own boats.

Regarding the Watt&Sea lifting lines… yes, what you are describing is probably the biggest recurring issue that our customers face. Finding a solid lifting point above the hydrogenerator can be tricky on many boats. The outboard motor lift is a perfect contraption for the job if it can get near to the Watt&Sea. You only need it rotated over when lifting and lowering. Outside that it could be stored again. Your option to look into using the Hydrovane is also a common and powerful solution. A bit of leverage from the A Bracket arm or the upper part of the shaft itself can give you a decent angle to the Watt&Sea. It varies depending on each installation, but usually there is a good solution on swimstep-style transoms like yours.

We’re thrilled that you now have reliable self-steering and speed-powered charging for your next adventure! We look forward to hearing all about where the Hydrovane steers you.

Best regards,

Richard Minielly

From: Tom Hickey
Sent: 12 June 2024
To: Brooklyn Foster
Subject: Re: Hydrovane model VXA2D X(shaft length)/H/A

The installation was done while my boat was in the yard for bottom paint. My Grandson was in the boat when we tightened the bracket bolts, otherwise I did 90% of the installation myself. The Hydrovane works great, it steers a straighter course than me hand steering, the lateral vane movement is minor only a few degrees with up to 15 knots of breeze. I’ll be exploring more conditions as I encounter them. I’m very happy with the Hydrovane performance on my boat.

[Editor’s Note: This installation features our white powder coating option, adding a layer of heavy-duty white paint over the anodised castings]

@ed.beard

“The Bermuda Triangle is infamous for many reasons. For me, I will never forget how a typically routine passage from the BVI descended into a 1,054 mile, 9 day battle against relentless gale force northerly winds.

A fight for every single mile. Telemachus was slammed for 2 days by winds in excess of 36kts. Boat and I are safe and well in Bermuda. A good shakedown sail ahead of the Atlantic Crossing.

This passage aged me 20 years!”

@ed.beard “Charles” Vane was an indispensable lifesaver (perhaps literally)!”

View this post on Instagram

From: Craig McMaster
Sent: Monday, May 27, 2024
To: sarah@hydrovane.com
Cc: Krystle McMaster
Subject: Tiller Pilot Saves the Day

Hi Sarah!
Trust you and the rest of the gang are well and enjoying life in the Med! It is a joy to click through the sailing.kaia Instagram feed.

We love our Hydrovane. We gave it a name. We remain mesmerized watching it work. We tell all our cruising friends about how great it is. But not until our main autopilot decided to die on night one of a three day passage did we learn just how critical it can be to have a Hydrovane installed on a cruising boat.

Heeding the advice that you and Will probably gave us in person we purchased a tiller autopilot way back in 2016 to serve as a backup to our main unit. It was a few hundred bucks at the time and felt like an easy insurance policy. I ran the wire, installed the exterior mounted power supply plug on Small World’s stern, and then we wrapped the tiller pilot in some plastic bags and buried it under hoards of gear. Eight years later and that tiller pilot was exhumed from its tomb in an aft cabin locker and quickly heralded as a king of the sea!

I had spent a lot of time thinking about how we would mount the tiller pilot if and when the day came that it was needed, but I never felt I had come up with an elegant solution. Confirming the notion that necessity is the mother of invention my makeshift mount turned out to be more than adequate for the minimal loads necessary to trim the Hydrovane rudder.

I’m not sure I can express the relief Krystle and I felt when, after swapping turns hand steering for 10 hours, we kicked on the little tiller pilot and in disbelief watched it hold course like a champ. The Hydrovane/tiller autopilot combo get a solid vote for MVP from the crew of Small World!

Your Steadfast Hydrovane Evangelists,
Craig & Krystle

From: Josh Kegan
Sent: May 30, 2024
To: Will Curry
Subject: Thanks!

Good Morning Will,

We’ve just started using our hydrovane and so far it’s been fantastic. Last week we had a steering failure and used our emergency tiller and the hydrovane to sail about 15 miles into the nearest port. It was our first time using it and we were able to get it rigged up and working very easily. We have repaired the steering system and, as I write this email, have been sailing for the last 6 hours on the hydrovane in 25 knots of wind gusting to 30 in about 4’ seas and It‘s working great! We’re still getting used to it and figuring out exactly how to optimize and adjust it, but just wanted to say thanks; you guys make a great piece of equipment!

All the best,

Josh Kegan

Here’s a picture from earlier today before the wind and seas built, and from last week of our set up with the emergency tiller:

From: Brendan Mills
Sent: 15 May 2024
To: Richard Minielly | Hydrovane

Hey Guys

Just to say I am absolutely delighted with the new Hydrovane, thank you.

Was out sailing yesterday in a F6-7 . . . set the boat up, Hydrovane in play and she just tracked line a train.  Absolutely wonderful.   Wouldn’t be without it.

Cheers

Brendan ⛵

From: Carsten Spräner
Sent: February 21, 2024
To: John Curry
Subject: Carsten Spräner | ELAN Impression 45

Want to share our Hydrovane installation which is quite kind of rare. Maybe it helps other boat owners with large platforms at the stern to keep the platform useable AND having the HV not to much off center.

[EDITOR’S NOTE: For several reasons, we do not typically recommend through-hull installations. Most drop-down transoms are better accommodated with an offset installation. However, for some very limited boats it is the best option and can work well – as in this case]

We sailed with this through hull installation over the Atlantic east to west and it worked perfect. It saved us because the electric autopilot refused to work 3 days before arrival in Martinique. Thanks to HV we were able to keep moving with a crew of 2.

THANK YOU! The HV is a great tool!

From: Helen Shrewsbury
Sent: January 14, 2024
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Hydrovane crack

Happy new year!

We are now back in NZ after a fabulous sailing journey from UK with the help of our trusted Hydrovane.

I’ve just noticed a couple of cracks in one of the brackets.  Picture attached.  What should we do to remedy this please?

Thank you.

Helen

From: Richard Minielly
Sent: January 17, 2024
To: Helen Shrewsbury
Subject: Hydrovane crack

Hi Helen,

Nice to hear from you. Congratulations on the long passage back to NZ! Were you able to use the Hydrovane most of the way?

To start with, I would give the Hydrovane a good clean to figure out exactly what is a serious crack and what is just some surface disturbance. Start with mild soap and water, then let that dry and spray the entire unit down with WD40. Use WD40 and a mild abrasive pad (for instance a white ‘light duty’ Scotch-Brite pad instead of the green ‘scouring’ pad) to then remove any white spots left on the unit.

After cleaning, it’s a good practice to use a corrosion inhibitor such as T9, CorrosionX, or wax-based products on the castings to help protect them.

To deal with the cracks, it depends a bit on the severity. At the moment, it looks like the damage is fairly mild. If you clean out all the white build up, you should be able to put some epoxy in to stop the crack spreading. Fill the crack with epoxy and put a spray of grey metal pain on top for protection, and the casting should be good for another few thousand miles. [Editor’s note: Lanocote or TefGel can also be used where the anodized coating has been worn away over a small area]

If the cracks are deeper than they appear or start spreading, we’ll need to replace that specific casting. Unfortunately, there is no reliable method to repair the cast aluminium. Some customers have had good success with brazing, a popular fix in machine shops in Southeast Asia, but we wouldn’t be able to guarantee the part.

Happy to chat further.

Best Regards,

Richard

From: Helen Shrewsbury
Sent: January 17, 2024
To: Richard Minielly
Subject: Re: Hydrovane crack

Legend.   Thank you Richard.   We’ll give your suggestions a go.

The Hydrovane steered us all the way back to NZ.   What an amazing kit!   Love her!   

From: Trevor & Rebecca Martin
Sent: January 17, 2024
To: Sarah Curry
Subject: Re: hydrovane

Hi

I have the Moody33 Mk1 which you had in your gallery for a while.

Anyway I have to say, the Hydrovane was the best bit of kit I purchased for the boat.

It took a bit of getting used to, especially in marinas and harbours, but out on the sea, oceans it performed like a none sleeping crew member with the accuracy of a pocket computer, 24/7 it steered, for hours on end, with just the odd tweek now and then.

We crossed the Atlantic in 2023, 2100nm, the Hydrovane steered in heavy and light trade winds with minimal adjustments.

My advice to anyone crossing the pond or Pacific or any other big expanse of deep water, have a Hydrovane fitted.

Regards

Trevor Martin

Dignity too of Edinburgh

Hull number 14

Moody 33 Mk1

From: Sarah Curry
Sent: January 17, 2024
To: Trevor & Rebecca Martin
Subject: Re: hydrovane

Hi Trevor,

Thank you for reaching out. It is so wonderful to receive such emails and hear what you’ve been up to. We still have the photos of Dignity Too of Edinburgh on our website; it’s a great installation.

We’re thrilled that Hydrovane steered you across the Atlantic.  The Hydrovane sure loves those trade winds and you’re right about it being the sleepless crew member!

I hope you’re enjoying sailing somewhere wonderful.

Would you mind if we post your comments on our website?

Warm regards from a snowy Vancouver,
Sarah

From: Trevor & Rebecca Martin
Sent: January 17, 2024
To: Sarah Curry
Subject: Re: hydrovane

Hi Sarah

Sorry forgot to say, we are in Cartagena Colombia.

The Hydrovane took us from UK to Spain, Portugal,  Canaries,  Mindelo,  Martinique,  Caribbean islands, ABC’s, to Colombia.

She didn’t fail us or let us down once.

True and steady, minimally tweaking.

Cheers

Trev

From: Lee Adams
Sent: December 17, 2023
To: Will Curry
Subject: Re: Used hydrovane possibility here in Grenada

Afternoon,

Just to let you know I installed the Hydrovane on our 2001 Moody 47 following the detailed YOUTUBE videos you produced and the excellent installation manual.  Please see some installation pics attached for your reference.

We have also used the Hydrovane for 2 x 100Nm legs already here in the Caribbean and so far am very impressed and wish I had purchased one a long time ago. See video attached of it being used in 20 to 25kt winds.

Finally, met a fellow Hydrovane user here that gave me a top tip:  Before you engage the Hydrovane, balance the sails and then set the electronic autopilot as that can give a good indication of where to lock the wheel off.  Then lock the wheel and engage the Hydrovane.

Regards

Lee Adams