Windvane on a cruising catamaran?
by Sarah Curry 6 Apr 2018 14:32 UTC
A windvane self steering system is your best crew member: steers tirelessly and quietly with no power consumption and no complaint! But does having two hulls preclude your yacht from using one?
Over the past decade there has been a growing trend for sailors to set off bluewater cruising aboard multihulls. So it promising to know that, yes, the suitability of a Hydrovane windvane on a multihull is subject to all the same criteria as a monohull: What is her displacement? How well balanced is she? What boat speed is she sailing (relative to wind strength)?
Just like high speed racing monohulls, high performance catamarans would be problematic because of the rapid changes in apparent wind when surfing downwind. There's a reason you don't see windvanes on 22m Maxis and foiling catamarans! For any type of serious performance yacht, a windvane is just not viable. However, the reality for cruising catamarans is that most are more about comfort than maximizing speed. Cruising cats tend to be sailed conservatively and speed may average in a range similar to larger modern monohulls (seven to 10 Kts).
The recommended Hydrovane location is at the end of a pontoon/hull, for optimal leverage and separation from any high superstructure. Such a substantial off set on a catamaran is possible for the obvious reason: no heeling. Many catamarans also use an Extended Heading Tube to raise the Vane pivot point, and the Extendable Vane for additional leverage and power.
This article has been provided by the courtesy of Island Cruising NZ.