I was out sailing on Sunday in very shifty breeze and was thinking that a wind indicator of some sort might have made me aware of those shifts a little quicker. I am curious to learn whether other Laser sailors are making use of a wind indicator and which type. APS sells two different types for the Laser (mast head or eye level) http://www.apsltd.com/Tree/d3000/e1277.asp
Do you use wind indicator?
- Thread starter JohnK
- Start date
Why but when you can make your own for a fraction of the cost!
I made mine from an old piece of PVC piping that is about the same diameter of my lower section of the mast, I have a piece about 3-4 inches long. Cut a slit along the length, and then another slit about 1/2 inch from the first cut (the idea here is to remove a piece of the pipe that is about the same width as the gooseneck fitting for the boom). With the small section removed, lay the object flat, slit down on the workbench and drill a small hole in the very top side. An old bicycle spoke is perfect for fitting into the hole. Bend the end of the spoke 90 degrees and tie a tuft of wool to the end.
By using piping the same size as the mast, the units clips very snuggly to the mast. I have had mine five years and have never had it come adrift from the mast. If cut correctly, the slit will hold snuggly onto the boom gooseneck fitting and will prevent any rotation of the device around the mast, this way the protruding wire (bicycle spoke) will always be directly opposite the boom. The 90 deg bend in the wire will allow the wool to hang in light breeze, and fly properly in stronger breezes.
I have my indicator on the front of the mast at boom level, and I have also seen one particular gentleman use a very similar setup, but his clips his onto the front of the mast at the very top of the bottom section (i.e. just below the join) This allows him to see the angle of attack of the wind into his sail.
Total cost: $0
Durability: 10/10
Useability: 8/10 (Wet wool in light breezes tends to hang down!)
Maintenance: 0
Hope this helps
wabbit
P.S. Is there some way to post photographs here - a picture says a thousand words!
I made mine from an old piece of PVC piping that is about the same diameter of my lower section of the mast, I have a piece about 3-4 inches long. Cut a slit along the length, and then another slit about 1/2 inch from the first cut (the idea here is to remove a piece of the pipe that is about the same width as the gooseneck fitting for the boom). With the small section removed, lay the object flat, slit down on the workbench and drill a small hole in the very top side. An old bicycle spoke is perfect for fitting into the hole. Bend the end of the spoke 90 degrees and tie a tuft of wool to the end.
By using piping the same size as the mast, the units clips very snuggly to the mast. I have had mine five years and have never had it come adrift from the mast. If cut correctly, the slit will hold snuggly onto the boom gooseneck fitting and will prevent any rotation of the device around the mast, this way the protruding wire (bicycle spoke) will always be directly opposite the boom. The 90 deg bend in the wire will allow the wool to hang in light breeze, and fly properly in stronger breezes.
I have my indicator on the front of the mast at boom level, and I have also seen one particular gentleman use a very similar setup, but his clips his onto the front of the mast at the very top of the bottom section (i.e. just below the join) This allows him to see the angle of attack of the wind into his sail.
Total cost: $0
Durability: 10/10
Useability: 8/10 (Wet wool in light breezes tends to hang down!)
Maintenance: 0
Hope this helps
wabbit
P.S. Is there some way to post photographs here - a picture says a thousand words!
ditch the wool and use a length VHS tape. Does not have a problem when wet.
I use VHS tape attached to sail repair tape as my tell tails as well. It is light, easy to see wide enough, not affected by water and cheap. if you fold the sail carefully then the tapes will never crease.
I use VHS tape attached to sail repair tape as my tell tails as well. It is light, easy to see wide enough, not affected by water and cheap. if you fold the sail carefully then the tapes will never crease.
Braecrest
Member
everybody has their own prefered method, I like anything homemade because it fits my budget and I really don't mind should it break or go over the side. Eye level wind indicators are better when your assessing the tactical situation in front of you, but masthead are better for more accurate sail trim. Take your pick.
JacksonAUS
New Member
Yeah.. the little hawk with the mast clip is perfect.
laser dude
New Member
I have a little Hawk too. Hasn't gone overboard yet! I use mine in extensively in ultra light air. And downwind for moderate to extreme conditions!
Wabbit-
"By using piping the same size as the mast, the units clips very snuggly to the mast. I have had mine five years and have never had it come adrift from the mast. If cut correctly, the slit will hold snuggly onto the boom gooseneck fitting and will prevent any rotation of the device around the mast"
I really like this idea - great mast connection!
sail on
Wabbit-
"By using piping the same size as the mast, the units clips very snuggly to the mast. I have had mine five years and have never had it come adrift from the mast. If cut correctly, the slit will hold snuggly onto the boom gooseneck fitting and will prevent any rotation of the device around the mast"
I really like this idea - great mast connection!
sail on
I find that my Kingfisher Laser type wind indicator is a great help upwind. It's very sensitive so it reacts to the shifts telling me if I should stay for the lift or tack on the header. Playing shifts like this is huge where I sail and you can make huge gains or even bigger losses by simply not knowing where the wind is coming from.
For downwind, however, I find that the eye level wind indicators like mine have way to much disturbed air flow to accurately give the wind direction. For downwind, the mast top indicators are best as they have clean air.
Either way, I love mine and find it to be one of the most usefull bits of information I have on the boat.
For downwind, however, I find that the eye level wind indicators like mine have way to much disturbed air flow to accurately give the wind direction. For downwind, the mast top indicators are best as they have clean air.
Either way, I love mine and find it to be one of the most usefull bits of information I have on the boat.
JacksonAUS
New Member
I agree... I'm always watching my wind indicator to watch shifts, you can catch a lot of lifts by watching the indicator. You can also look at the indicator to get a precise idea of when to tack for the mark.
Does anybody elses indicator spin around in circles in light air?
Does anybody elses indicator spin around in circles in light air?
Paullingham
New Member
My little hawk when i am racing in a topper does that, more so if my wind is being taken by a windward boat, and it does 360's.
Mike94
New Member
i would have to say my best and favorite wind indicator is my index finger, since there is always water in my cockpit, i dip my finger in and hold it up, it's always there too and never falls off...
JacksonAUS said:
Sailing by the lee my (erstwhile) Hawk would spin around like a little windmill the whole time. Might have been the turbulent roll of air coming off the mast, which when sailing by the lee is the trailing edge of the sail. Maybe I should have it mounted lower....
Alloy
New Member
well i love the little hawks but i have lost so many of them its not funny, i even lost 1 b4 i paid for it
but yea there still good. also there is another option put the mast head type onto the bow of the boat at the bow eye i find that works well 2.
well thats my 2 cents worth cya
but yea there still good. also there is another option put the mast head type onto the bow of the boat at the bow eye i find that works well 2.well thats my 2 cents worth cya
Paullingham
New Member
a tip for little hawks is thread a couple of corks onto the arm of the hawk, this way if your not racing and it falls off you can go back and pick it up!
Paullingham said:
I would like to make use of one of these but, now I am concerned with how easy they can be lost overboard. I assume that the quick connect attachment for the mast is not very secure? Does it frequently fall off durring racing? Is there any way to make it more secure? Is there room to tie a small skinny line to the base to prevent losing it overboard?
Rob B
Well-Known Member
I have not used a wind indicator on any of my Lasers, J22 or J24 since 1992. Like other folks have posted they are no good upwind or reaching. Downwind I feel for the breeze on the back of my neck/head. You can tell where it is coming from by turning your head until an ear picks it up. However, sometimes it is too light for that so I go by the old, "when in doubt let it out" rule.
Mike94
New Member
For not losing the Wind Indicator, i have seen people take fishing line and tie in around the wind indicator and then tie the other end on the top of the sail or tie it off on the bottom of the mast, it more than likely will fall in but you won't lose it.
Paullingham
New Member
I have used mine for a wjile now in racing and it hasnt fallen off once, but i do always tie a skinny piece of rope around it incase.
Michelle
New Member
I have just started using a Hawk wind indicator this summer; a friend of mine who is very fast in light air said I had to have it. I still mostly use feel/waves/telltales etc the majority of the time but the indicator is one more source of info. It comes into it's own when the wind is so light there are no ripples on the water and the telltales won't fly.
Last winter I was halfway through a race when I noticed a dyed feather snagged in my outhaul....whoops! Turns out I had tagged a friend's mast mounted indicator at the start. Told him I'd replace it but he said he needed a new one anyways.
Last winter I was halfway through a race when I noticed a dyed feather snagged in my outhaul....whoops! Turns out I had tagged a friend's mast mounted indicator at the start. Told him I'd replace it but he said he needed a new one anyways.
GeoffS
Member
I've been sailing with a hawk for about half the summer. In light/shifty air it's a great help in quickly identifying a big shift. I also use it when I'm twisting and turning around at the start and need a quick idea where to put the boom after a dramatic course change. Once I'm anywhere near trimmed I use the telltales on the forward edge of the sail and ignore the hawk.Chris123 said:
I'd never noticed it spinning before, but the last two times I was out (med. wind) it started going around like a windmill when I was near dead-downwind (on either side). Kinda cute. Mine's mounted almost exactly halfway between the deck and gooseneck, with the top of the vane about 4 inches below the bottom of the boom.
Cheers,
Geoff S.
In the water....little hawk......From my desk.......the RUSS (remote underwater sampling station.) It's in the middle of our lake and its' results are updated on the web every 10 minutes. It gives wind speed, direction, water and air temp. It's great to have when deciding whether to go out or not. Now if it could only help me know what I'm doing once I'm out there!
I use a burgee and a little hawk. The hawk is good for a rough guide upwind and reaching. Running I find it gets covered, hence the spinning especially in light winds. The mast head burgee is great, on a broad reach or a run, for picking up wind shifts.
I sail on a shifty inland lake. Quite a few people at my club go for a similar option.
I sail on a shifty inland lake. Quite a few people at my club go for a similar option.