True Stories

John,

Thanks for your reply.  Not so much alarm as concern.  I’m now certain after close attention and detail inspection inside and outside that noise is from slight slipping movement of timber pads especially the new lower teak pads placed with the installation of the “A” bracket.  There is no indication of progressive deterioration and actually on some points of sail the noise has diminished.  No leaks or stress indications and the pads are on the strong thick-cored transom section not in the middle where there is no core – just thick fiberglass.  Masons need “A” brackets always- I can detail the construction to you later.

I am pleased with the Hydrovane performance especially since we have a gale working off Pt. Arguellas, California and the autopilot flux gate compass appears to have crashed deactivating the autopilot.  This is why I bought the Hydrovane and it took no time at all to prove my decision correct.  I have done so in the past and would hate to find myself be hand-steering in these conditions again.

The installation does look good and I will be sending some hi-resolution photos later.  You should not recommend xxxxxxxx in Alameda for your installations.  The work looks good but it seems to me they would have used 5200 along with the bolts to secure the pads in place and the “E” bracket was thoughtlessly put on obviously thinner transom material without a second thought.

Best Regards,

Mike Pitts

s/y Silverthorne

From: Jerome Satterthwaite
Sent: Thursday, November 06, 2008 5:43 AM
To: Hydrovane
Subject: Vane

Hi

I was surprised to see that Hydrovane has gone international. Over the years I’ve bought three – all from a man in the Midlands of the UK who seemed to be making them in his garage. Clearly the Vane has moved on since then and I congratulate you.

I am buying a Contessa 32 and I’d like to fit a Hydrovane – I can’t picture myself going to sea without one. So, please can you tell me:

• how much will it cost?
• will it fit the Contessa 32
• do you have a UK agent

To my mind the Hydrovane is brilliant. It has just one defect: fitting the auxilliary rudder is difficult at sea. Has the design moved on since I last bought one to get round this problem?

All best wishes

Jerome Satterthwaite

From: Kyle Case
Sent: November-06-08 10:24 AM
To: John Curry
Subject: Re: Pictures of your Hydrovane installation on Black Coral

John,

I have done several test runs this last summer, every thing is working nicely. I believe any serious cruiser who is looking at world travel by yacht should have a product like yours, as a single handed sailor, it was a must for me.

Kyle Case

From: thomas clarke
Sent: Sunday, October 12, 2008 4:24 PM
To: Linda Suter
Subject: RE: CACHALOT 28′ Steel Sloop – Hydrovane model VXA2D S/H/H

Hi Linda, John et al,

Finally took some pics of your wonderful machine working on the back of my boat. Meant to send some earlier but just didn’t get to it, then there was winter etc etc. I truly love it and it has transformed my singlehanded sailing experience.

I only have one questions and one suggestions. How do I get the control line to operate in a continuous loop? Do people splice the line so it goes over the pulleys and through the eyelets or what, am I missing a fundamental thing?? How do others deal with this? [Editor – a heat weld – found in Instructions]

Anyhoo, just wanted to tell you that I love it and as with anything of exceptional design and function, the cost is quickly forgotten.

BTW, a friend of mine is looking at the purchase of a boat and I have already advised him that having a hydrovane is an absolute must as he intends to do short handed sailing/cruising. How was life possible on boats before the Hydrovane I’d like to know.

Many thanks again, cheers,
Thomas Clarke

From: Rory Edwards
Sent: Monday, September 29, 2008 3:14 AM
To: Hydrovane

Hello,

We bought a Hydrovane unit from you in 2006 and fitted to our OVNI 435 Nella. The unit performs very well and steered 95% of the way from Spain to Trinidad last year. It seems very reliable and a must for short-handed sailing. The only difficult bit was having the bracket made for the OVNI. The unit was expensive but well worth the investment.

Thank you very much. Attached are some pictures of typical Hydrovane sailing.

Rory

From: Carl Barnarp
Sent: July-28-08 1:43 AM
To: Will Curry

Sending you some mounting pictures for our Hydrovane fitted to a Bavaria 42 Cruiser.

Your advertising of a fantastic gear is 100% true. It just works.

Best Regards

Carl Barnarp

From: I&G Strathcarron
Sent: July-04-08 3:11 AM
To: Will Curry
Subject: Re: Hydrovane Photos

Hi Will,

The Hydrovane is a wonderful companion who only has one disadvantage: leads to martial strife about the name…

I want to give it a man’s name as it is solid and reliable and does not talk back or let one down, but my wife wants to give it a woman’s name as it is slim and elegant, long-suffering and just gets on with its work without making a big hoo-ha every five seconds.

We have compromised and now call it/him/her the rather unmacho Francis/Frances or now just Franny.

However I got caught out the other day saying “Think I’ll set up the Fran-man.” Her on deck not amused at my amendment, but Fran-girl sounds too woofy even for her.

Yours off the rocks

Ian S.

Lord Strathcarron
s/v Vasco da Gama
Cascais, Portugal

From: Chris Burns
Sent: April-26-08 10:27 AM
To: Will Curry
Subject: Hydrovane Sails Pacific

Will, John and the Hydrovane Crew:

I wanted to let you know that the Hydrovane installed on Wind Dancer, a Catalina 36, has steered us every sailing mile from Alaska to where we are today — about halfway between the Marquesas Islands and the Tuamotus Archipelago in the South Pacific. That’s about 7,000 sea miles without a hitch. We love our Hydrovane and wouldn’t trade it for any other piece of gear on the boat. It is so easy to use that the entire crew, including our 12-year-old son who does his own watches, can command the boat with confidence. With ‘Hydie’ at the helm, we never have to worry.

Along the voyage we’ve met myriad other cruisers with the old fashioned Monitors and other servo windvanes, all of them griping about chafed lines, broken blocks, wobbly courses and exactly which points of sail are worth using them on.

I just have to silently laugh knowing that I have none of those worries. ‘Hydie” has driven us through 45-knot gales never losing her way. On the other end of the spectrum, in the Doldrums recently, floating under bare poles in about 2 knots of wind, the Hydrovane actually held a course through the night. A boat traveling with us (using a Monitor or similar windvane) had drifted 5 miles in the wrong direction by morning.

Fair winds,

Chris Burns s/v Wind Dancer

From: Chris Burns
Sent: August-06-07 9:31 AM
To: ‘Will Curry’
Subject: RE: Hydrovane

Will:

I’m the guy from Juneau, Alaska, who purchased a Hydrovane from you in June. I thought you might like to know how the unit has been performing during our first thousand miles. We’re currently in Newport, Oregon, with plans to continue on down to San Diego and across the Hawaii before year’s end. Believe me, the Hydrovane will be in use for most of the time. Below is a piece I wrote about the unit for our website and online blog.

Thanks, again, for your guidance and assistance.

Captain Chris Burns
s/v Wind Dancer

From our blog:

“A couple of equipment notes about the voyage so far. First and foremost, the best investment we made (albeit a late decision in the fitting-out process) was the Hydrovane wind vane self-steering system. This unit has performed flawlessly from the beginning, steering us hundreds of miles under sail.

For the first time in our sailing lives we’ve been able to concentrate on navigation and other aspects of running the boat without being locked to the helm. After a four-hour watch, we’re not completely beat as we would be steering by hand. Plus, the Hydrovane — or “Hydie” as she’s been dubbed is much better at keeping a downwind course that we are.

Even in rough seas and 30 knots of breeze, Hydie kept the sails full and drawing all the time, something we couldn’t have done ourselves. We are both amazed and delighted.”

~

From: Chris Burns
Sent: August-09-07 11:30 AM
To: ‘Will Curry’
Subject: RE: Hydrovane

Will:

You certainly may add our comments to your website. We are so jazzed about the Hydrovane we hope others will make the same decision we did. Almost every day other cruisers come by to look at it and ask questions.

Fair winds,

Chris

http://www.sailblogs.com/member/winddancer

 From: Wendell Nicholson
Sent: April-28-08 11:29 AM
To: John Curry
Subject: a missing piece

Hello John

It has been a few years since I have talked with you so you probably don’t remember me. I have a Peterson 44 which came with an old Hydrovane when I bought it 10 years ago. You helped me update it to the current model (VXA2D I believe).

I sailed to Hawaii and back three years ago and can’t say enough good things about your windvane. I had 2 crew members on board, who had sailed with the monitor before and liked the Hydrovane much more.

One big advantage, is that in the middle of the night on the ocean, when a large container ship appears out of nowhere, it is very easy to quickly take over control of the wheel and then just as easy to set up the Hydrovane again.

I actually use it quite a bit when I’m sailing by myself in the summertime (I live in Port Townsend, WA) around here.

Thanks, Wendell

~

Hey John

I have no problem with you putting my email on your website. And use me for a reference; although I might talk someone’s ear off about the Hydrovane.

All the best, Wendell

From: bud carney
Sent: Saturday, December 10, 2005 10:17 AM
To: Hydrovane
Subject: RE: Merlin

Dear John:

We have an Amazon 37 foot steel sailboat built 18 years ago in Vancouver in that time we have sailed the west coast of US and made the circuit of the Caribbean and central America, several trips to Bermuda, crossed to Europe thru to Turkey and now back in the Caribbean and presently on our way to Panama – all with our Hydrovane and only very, vey rarely using an electric autopilot.

We simply couldn’t imagine setting off without “Merlin”.

Bud and Kathy Carney – Invictus IV

~

From:  Bud Carney
Sent: Thursday, June 12, 2008 6:05 PM
To: Cynthia
Subject: hydrovane cover

We are on a circumnavigation, having sailed from the U.S. to and thru the Med,  then back to the Caribbean, across the Pacific and now we are in Thailand.

Our hydrovane, occasionally with the aid of a tillerpilot has exclusively steered our 37’ steel Amazon sailboat.  In 15 years we have had no repairs or maintenance other than occasional washing and spraying wd40 or anti-corrosion fluid. We now need a new cover. How do we order one?

Leo Carney

From: Simon Wainman
Sent: June-14-08 6:04 AM
To: John Curry
Cc: Adrian Jones
Subject: Hydrovane on Rustler 36

John.

Just a note to say we are absolutely delighted with the Hydrovane that Rustler fitted recently.

As you say in the instructions you simply set it up and go.

We did just that, and although the winds were quite light, the unit worked to perfection and the wake was as straight as a die.

It will be a marvelous addition to our cruising plans.  And I’m so glad you persuaded us to have the remote course setting model.

My only concern is that when motoring at slow speeds it makes the wheel very heavy, but that is something we can live with, and we may well detach the rudder blade when not in use.

So thank you from the Wainmans.

Best wishes Simon

From: SV Delphinius
Sent: April-24-08 7:40 PM
To: will@hydrovane.com
Subject: two photos

Will

While I always thought the Hydrovane was for relief in bigger weather, there was this one day about 5 miles off Point Loma when we were bedevilled by 3-7 knot winds, light and variable in direction.  As is wont to happen on those days, wind direction changes of 60-70 degrees. Our heavy boat is hard to get going, and once going, slows quickly if you get off your trim.

After a few hours of frustratingly slow progress, we said “let’s play with the Hydrovane”.

To our disgust, “Heidi” helms in fluky light winds like a champ, following every shift with unerring accuracy.  So, we let her.  I vacationed back in the dinghy enjoying the beautiful weather while my boat partner Kimi wondered if I wanted lemon in my tea or not…

“The pessimist complains about the wind; the optimist expects it to change; the realist adjusts the sails.” (and pulls out the Hydrovane) – William Arthur Ward

Kimi and Terri

From: Jonathan Harrison
Sent: April-21-08 7:00 AM
To: Will Curry
Subject: Replacement shaft

Will,

We’ve had 10 days away on the boat and can report the Hydrovane is absolutely superb!

I attach a picture of it on the boat when afloat and some pictures of it in use.

The first day out we had light winds and were close hauled – we set the boat up, pulled the retaining pins out, and it just worked – absolutely magic!!

That day it sailed us for 8 hours without a hand on it. It performed equally well with a 30 knots of wind on the beam and 10 knots of wind from astern. In fact we couldn’t believe how well it worked – brilliant!

The boat (which has always been a handful in reverse) is actually a little more stable – we leave the Hydrovane locked fore-aft and this seems to help her track a little better and we did the impossible aft we launched – reversed 200 yards in a perfectly straight line out of the marina – never done that before!

I do have a couple of little points to raise:

1) The gold coloured metal on the tiller arm has started to get little rust spots on it already – should this happen? It happened when the boat was out of the water after we had fitted the unit – so it wasn’t even salt water that caused it (it subsequently got a little worse when launched and used). Is this normal or should we do something to prevent it?

[Editor’s Comment – This is a bit of residue iron from the ‘shot blasting’ process. It will oxidize away soon enough.]

2) When motoring we remove the vane, but the head of the unit still vibrates – obviously due to the prop wash on the rudder. I have checked the alignment of the drive unit and it has skewed off to one side very slightly since fitting (I will re-align and tighten the bolts up as much as possible next time we go down to the boat). Provided I re-align the rudder and lock it fore-aft when motoring, will this slight vibration damage the unit? (Obviously I will remove the rudder if doing lots of motoring.)

[Editor’s note: On some boats vibration from the engine transmits through the hull and can cause either or both the rudder and drive unit to chatter. Best to minimize it by securing with strong bungee chords]

Thanks

Jonny

From: SV Coromandel
Sent: June-27-08 8:02 AM
To: Will Curry
Subject: RE: Replacement Brackets for Hydrovane

Hi Will

The reason I thought of “enjoy” rather than “survive” is that a Hydrovane makes any passage – even a short coastal one – more enjoyable. Survival doesn’t really come into it for everyday sailing, and the Hydrovane is about everyday sailing, not just those times when you don´t want to go out on deck because it’s blowing a hoolie.

Cheers

Linda

http://www.linandy.co.uk/

[Editor’s note: We agree! In 2014 we changed our tag line for ‘SURVIVE YOUR DREAM’ to ‘STEERING THE DREAM’ which we feel is very fitting]