True Stories

From: Steve Dana
Sent: September-27-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: Pacific Wind

Hi Will,

Left Sceptre Marine/Shelter Island a couple weeks ago. Internal auto helm not working as we left the mouth of the Frasier at Steveston raising sail so set up the Hydrovane per instruction after balancing the boat and then…

Off we went in about 10-15kn just forward of beam.

My jaw just sort of dropped a bit. The Hydrovane just worked like a dream. Perfect in fact. Just like you say – stand back and watch. One of the best 6k I think I ever spent my friend. Sure glad my Raytheon auto helm was not working since it was my crutch that I was just simply reaching for first out of habit – silly after paying for this new wind vane! Played with the vane angle and ratio a bit, then ran down wind for awhile for a test.

To be perfectly honest, all the criticisms I read about Hydrovane frightened me and I was insecure or unsure of my decision until this inaugural event. It is true that these criticisms are all from “sailors” who have never used your vane, or are based on their theories; well, you know, I’m preaching to the choir.

Thank you!

Warm regards,
Steve Dana
Pacific Wind
Scepter 43

From: Howat, Graham (UK – England)
Sent: September 23, 2011
To: John Curry
Subject: RE: Hydrovane fitting – Difference of opinion

Dear John

Thanks for the quick and comprehensive reply. Very clear message also.

We did identify that the E bracket might benefit from a through bolt to make sure it doesn’t move at all. This is what we will fitting out next season. We also thought that next time we will go for an A bracket as the forces on the unit are stronger than we imagined.

There were about 8 yachts in the AZAB carrying Hydrovanes and all were interested in our problem and shared their past experiences with us. Most agreed that a stronger than expected fitting was required to the stern because of the forces. One owner even had to strengthen the GRP of their stern of his yacht because that was flexing. All agreed it was a fabulous piece of kit which worked very well so long as it was properly and robustly fixed to the boat.

Despite our fixing problems, a converted Hydrovane user!

Many Thanks.

Graham Howat

From: Keffords
Sent: September-13-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: Tashi Delek Hydrovane

Dear Will,

The Beneteau 42 is a normal light displacement plastic boat and perhaps rather thin and flexible at the stern.

We strengthened the transom with two layers of 6mm marine ply glued to the fibreglass with Sikaflex glue. Because the hull along the transom is not completely flat we bedded the wood backing plates onto the fibreglass with ISOPON Fibreglass filler to take up the curves as the bolts were tightened. We cut off the excess fibreglass while it was still relatively soft, thus creating a perfect edge around the wooden backing plate. The bolts inside had 4mm steel backing plates (discs or flat oblong) made to better fit the hull shape.

The main problem we had was the position of the locker in the swimming platform and the fact that we could not get any access to the rear transom to hold or tighten bolts. We overcame this by cutting a panel in the locker (photo included) gluing the two layers of marine ply in place before drilling and fitting backing plates. (Unfortunately I did not think to photo the inside before we sealed it up). The panel was made into an inspection hatch by using a piece of FOAMALITE cut oversize and glued onto the original panel of fibre glass we had cut out. Finally we used self taping screws and fitted it on a bed of sealant.

We put the whole thing together using plastic pipe to check that the pads sat correctly and everything was in line and vertical etc. Only then did we find that the outer tube strut that you had sent was not long enough and did not fit our design! As you know we found another piece of tube and the rest is history.

We are VERY satisfied with the way it fits the transom (especially as we did not then have to move the name etc). We have just sailed to Madeira using it with ease and great success all the way. Another satisfied customer!

May I order some spare securing pins?

With kind regards.

Mike

Dear Valerie,

Please forgive me for being so late in letting you know that we arrived in Gibraltar on 29 Aug and collected the Hydrovane on 30 Aug. I rang the freight company at 0900 and after a quick visit to their offices 10 minutes walk away the equipment was on board by 1200. Very efficient. We are now hard at work fitting it all and having great fun in the process.

Luckily there is a guy in the marina who has fitted one to his own yacht and who has been very generous with advice, as well as singing its praises!

Many thanks for all your help.

With best wishes, as ever.

Mike

From: voilier morigan
Sent: September 17, 2011
To: John Curry
Subject: News from morigan

Hi John and the staff !!!!

We left Canet en Roussillon in the beginning of July and now we are in Lanzarote, Canaries.
We are very happy with our hydrovane, it’s running perfectly.

Cheers

Didier, Marie and Roko the parrot !!!!

kisses from Marie to Valerie !!!!!

From: Andy
Sent: August 29, 2011
To: Valerie Williams
Subject: Bearings for Hydrovane

Hello Valerie,

Since we were last in touch from Bermuda last summer we have gone back to the UK and bought a different boat. This vessel, as you have probably guessed, is also fitted with a Hydrovane steering.

We now have a Hallberg Rassy 42 and the Hydrovane steered her beautifully during the 1,300M trip down to Madeira from the UK last week; we managed to try out most points of sailing with the vagaries of North Atlantic weather.

Best Regards
Andy Warman
s/y Spruce
Porto Santo, Madeira

—-

From: Andy
Sent: August-30-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: RE: Bearings for Hydrovane

Hi Will,

I believe the Hydrovane was new in about 2007-2008 before the previous owner sailed in the ARC 2008.

In all honesty I was a bit worried before we sailed the HR42 as to whether the Hydrovane would have enough guts to steer her. Particularly because the extra lever arm between the boat’s pivot point and the Hydrovane rudder was not a lot more than the distance from pivot point to main rudder…but it was all fine and probably also helped by the boat’s design (an older Enderlein) having a high degree of directional stability with quite a long and deep fin keel. Anyway, we are very pleased indeed.

Best Regards
Andy

From: Charlie Stillman
Sent: August 22, 2011
To: Valerie Williams
Subject: Malo 41 Hydrovane installation complete

Hello Valerie,

We are one week from departure on our voyage from Seattle to Mexico. Please share our information with Will, John, and the others.

I have put together a brief set of photos on my website. Be sure to see the detail photos which have captions.

So far, in brief testing, the unit works great. The project for today is to figure out a good way to lock down the wheel securely in a way that can be released quickly when necessary. More on that later.

Regards,

Charlie Stillman

From: Roy
Sent: August-22-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: Re: Hydrovane Performance

Thanks for reply

I can’t comment on performance only to say this unit is 18 months old and is far superior to my older two units,

It holds a better course down wind.

They have always been excellent.

Also saving cost in bigger autopilots for my wheel steering.

The smallest tiller type autopilots work excellent due to very little pressure on the tiller arm.

Use to date – cruising many years and 6 transatlantic crossings.

If i find old pins i will post you it.

From: Bill & Tracy Hudson
Sent: August-17-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: Our thanks

As graduates of the class of 2011’s Pacific Puddle Jump, we just want to say thanks for making such a great product. Our Hydrovane (James) steered us across the Pacific logging in close to 5000 miles since we left La Cruz, Mexico back in April of this year. We don’t know what we would have done without him.

When we arrived in Nuka Hiva, we were told that many of the boats that had arrived already had experienced trouble with their auto pilots (the old fashioned electric types).

Ours had behaved like a champ in all kinds of weather and under numerous sail configurations. As much of the way was downwind sailing, our spinnaker was used quite a bit and James was more than up to the task.

Just two days ago, we were sailing from Bora Bora to Suwarrow Atoll in 10-12 foot following seas with only a double reefed main up. We hit speeds of over 12 knots as we went up and down in the swells. One minute we were on the top and then sliding down the face at breakneck speeds. All the time, James kept us right on course. We might veer a bit, but he would put us right back on the course we needed to get here.

I know you have heard this from other sailors, but we just wanted to say thank you for making a great piece of engineering.

Bill & Tracy Hudson
SV Zephyr
Suwarrow Atoll

From: Bob Ciupa
Sent: July 22, 2011
To: Valerie Williams
Subject: Re: Locking Pins

Hi Valerie, Canada Post will be fine.

Heddie McVeen was a childhood friend of my wife Martha’s grandmother. I’m not quite sure of the story but as she aged, whenever Martha’s grandma spoke of Heddie there was always some oblique reference to guns and the stealing boyfriends back in the early 1900’s. As I gather there was never enough said to be sordid, but enough to be intriguing and vaguely steamy to a child of 8 or 10.

When we got the boat and I mentioned to Martha that since many people give the self-steering a name because they consider the equipment as extra crew, so she might wish to name the Hydrovane she blurted out, “Heddie McVeen.” Might have something to do with the phonics, I’m not sure. Certainly doesn’t have to do with guns!

Best regards.

Bob

From: Duncan and Caroline
Sent: July-05-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: Fwd: Hydrovane

Hi Will

We broke the extension handle unfortunately one of our friends (a light weight girl) lent on the handle and it broke as you can see from the photos it broke in the weakest spot. Could you advise how to fix this.

I have also attacked photos of the Hydrovane attached to our Whitby 42. It works really well in all sort of conditions although we do tie it off for motoring to support the locking pin.

Regards
Duncan and Caroline
Australia

From: Paolo Bordo
Sent: July-07-11
To: Will Curry
Subject: RE: Hydrovane Bottom Collar

Hi Will

Me and my wife Rahel aren’t expert navigator since we start our cruise last year. We bought the boat “Starfire” a Bowman Starlight 35 in England and we put the Hydrovane first for a backup rudder than second as a windpilot.

As we move from Cornwall southerly to Brest we start take confidence with the new sailboat and system by system we start to familiarize with them .

When was the turn of the Hydrovane we were a bit intimidated by the system, we took the instructions, read twice , and magically the boat start going alone without any input by me or by Rahel…

We crossed Biscay next without using the electric autopilot and from that moment, to Sardegna where we live, we try to use your system as much as we can… with the electricity saved from the electric pilot we used the fridge and we have always cold beer onboard !!!!!!

We cruise 1800 miles last summer with Hydrovane and we suggest every boat have one, it is the most simple, easy and safe steering system we know .

Paolo and Rahel Bordonaro

From: Daniel
Sent:  June 27, 2011
To: Valerie Williams
Cc: John Curry; Will Curry
Subject: Hydrovane Article on my Website

Hello Hydrovane Crew,

Just wanted you to know that I wrote an article about the installation of my new Hydrovane on my website, and you’re invited to check it out!

Thanks, and I look forward to your comments on the article!

Daniel Collins
Skipper of s/v Aletheia, a 1978 Allied Princess 36′ Ketch #115

—–

Excerpts from:

WHICHEVER WAY THE WIND BLOWS (ON WIND VANES AND SELF STEERING)

“…………. And some cruisers go “low tech”, using clever arrangements of lines, gears, vanes, and paddles to steer the boat using a whirlygig-like apparatus called a self-steering system, or wind vane autopilot. These range from the extremely low tech, homebuilt units costing relatively little but often required a significant amount of fine-tuning and time investment to make them work well, all the way up to the legendary wind vanes with names such as “Monitor”, “Cape Horn”, “Aries”, and “Hydrovane”.

……….. While each of the major vanes have their pros and cons, and each of them have a fanatical group of hardcore supporters, one setup in particular stood out to me as superior for a few key reasons, which I will discuss in a moment. However, this solution does NOT come inexpensively. But when I weighed the pros and cons of the options, my skill and construction resources, and the time I have available, the value of the system became very clear. So I placed a call to Hydrovane International, and boy let me tell you: these people know how to please their customers.

From the beginning I felt like this was the kind of company I was glad to be supporting with my hard earned money. They didn’t immediately try to sell me the product, but instead I got a sense of comfortable confidence in their own gear – they knew that I had all the data I already needed to make the decision, and they were there to make the process as straightforward as possible. Getting engineering plans and validation, customized assistance with each part, and even individual consideration on whether or not my solar panel arch would be an issue was something they did quickly, happily, and most importantly, accurately. They aren’t sales people who pretend to be engineers, they are engineers who also enjoy ethical sales. So a big shout to John, Will, and Valerie, who each gave valuable and thoughtful consideration to my situation in a cheerful and accurate manner. This is how a company should be run.

Then there was the issue of the product itself. After making it nearly dead simple to order the right parts, I had a lead time commitment – which they honored – and the parts came in excellent packing. All in all, hauling the 5 boxes out to my boat was a simple task. But if I had been pleased with their company to this point, I was still positively surprised when I opened the box and hefted the first components. This is a solid product where no corners were cut, and the quality is evident immediately.

The installation instructions are not only thorough, but they supply a host of anecdotal tips and warnings acquired from a few decades of past installs to help you avoid common pitfalls and ensure a smooth install. And as for the installation – it’s dead simple, once you figure out where you are going to put the thing.

…In brief, the main reasons I chose the Hydrovane were:

1. It doesn’t require lines in the cockpit running back to the wheel or tiller.
2. It’s a completely standalone system that does not depend on the main rudder functioning.
3. It’s a spare rudder as well. This was a big factor for me.
4. It has a stellar reputation and I’ve heard of many users of other vanes moving to the Hydrovane and wondering why they didn’t do it sooner. I haven’t heard a single story of someone that went the other way.
5. It has the most straightforward install for my boat as well, and involved the least amount of holes in the boat.

Generally speaking I’ve heard great wailing, swearing, and gnashing of teeth over most of the other brands, and have heard nothing but praise for the Hydrovane. And having installed mine and seen how it’s constructed, I have to say I can see why. Though nothing short of a test sail and then some nice long passages will put the proof to the question.

Overall, I absolutely recommend both this piece of gear and the company themselves, and will let you know how well the new ‘vane sails the boat before too long!”

From: Anne Gatenby
Sent: Monday, June 13, 2011
To: linda@hydrovane.com
Subject: circumnavigation

Can we express our heartfelt thanks to Hydrovane, for its outstanding product, which steered us magnificently and without complaint for virtually all of the 47,792 nautical miles of the global circumnavigation which we have just completed, in our Najad 371.

The crew was just the two of us, and it would not have been possible without all that help from Mr Hydrovane. It is sufficiently vital to our sailing that we carry a spare.

Your product is completely outstanding, and we would never hesitate to recommend it.

Yours,

Anne & Ian Gatenby
Yacht Fidelio of London
Siracusa, Sicily.

From: Lin and Paul Hiley
Sent: May 11, 2011
To: John Curry
Subject: Spares

Dear John,

We purchased our Hydrovane steering in 2004 – have crossed the Atlantic twice & wouldn’t be without it.

We need a new vane cover – would you please let me know how to pay for it and where to order from.

Thank you

Paul Hiley