Handheld Anemoter

[davidpm]

Amazon.com: La Crosse Technology EA-3010U Handheld Anemometer: Patio, Lawn & Garden
Speedtech Skymate Windmeter at BestNest.com
Speedtech Windmate 200 Windmeter at BestNest.com

I'm leaning toward this one because of being omni-directional.



It appears as if a good Anemometer suitable for a 30' boat runs over 1,000 plus installation so the captain is not likely to splurge since we have the boat for sale.

Anyone have any experience with a handheld?

[TractorJohn]

I never use mine anymore. After the initial excitement I put it away to think about my next boat, not wind speed. Mine is very accurate, has options like avg speed, highest speed. It is somewhat fragile and I expect it to be broken next time I look for it. On the bright side when you sell the boat you can keep it for the next one, and children enjoy holding it out the car window. TJ

[BarryL]

Hello,

I have the first one. I think I paid less than $75 for it from Defender. Anyway, I like mine but don't use it too much since my new boat has a functional wind instrument. I used it more on the last boat (no built in wind instrument) to get a better feeling on when to reef, to make sure I was getting good performance, etc.

Barry

[sailaway21]

I've got one, a Skymate if I recall correctly, and I'd concur with the toy characterization. I've found it relatively useless and inaccurate. Every once in awhile I dig it out to reconfirm my impression. Save your money. You can see and feel the wind about as accurately.

[heinzir]

I bought this on ebay for about $65. It is omnidirectional so does not have to be handheld and pointed into the wind. The battery lasts the whole season. The picture shows it mounted at the split in the backstay.

[Trekka]

Very cool. What is the make and model?

[Idiens]

I found a mast head instrument far more useful, mainly because of the relative wind direction at night. The wind speed indication in the night is useful too, when there are fewer wind speed indications to be seen.

[N0NJY]

Originally Posted by TractorJohn

I never use mine anymore. After the initial excitement I put it away to think about my next boat, not wind speed. Mine is very accurate, has options like avg speed, highest speed. It is somewhat fragile and I expect it to be broken next time I look for it. On the bright side when you sell the boat you can keep it for the next one, and children enjoy holding it out the car window. TJ

Get a Kestrel 1000 if all you want is wind speeds.

They aren't "toys", they are used by serious professionals to get ground speeds on winds.

On a boat... I don't know, they might not be as good an investment but certainly they are as accurate as a fixed base unit. I've used both. I'll use the Kestrel handheld when I'm out doing spotting and it's plenty accurate enough for the National Weather Service.

Completely waterproof and it floats!

[N0NJY]

Originally Posted by davidpm

Amazon.com: La Crosse Technology EA-3010U Handheld Anemometer: Patio, Lawn & Garden
Speedtech Skymate Windmeter at BestNest.com
Speedtech Windmate 200 Windmeter at BestNest.com

I'm leaning toward this one because of being omni-directional.



It appears as if a good Anemometer suitable for a 30' boat runs over 1,000 plus installation so the captain is not likely to splurge since we have the boat for sale.

Anyone have any experience with a handheld?

hehe I see what you like that last one...

The portable anemometer at the top measures the current, average, and maximum wind speeds in a variety of units such as knots, mph, kmph, f/m, m/s and the Beaufort scale.

[heinzir]

Originally Posted by Trekka

Very cool. What is the make and model?

It is called a Windtronic 2. I fabricated the mounting with some #12 copper wire and a pair of carabiners. I had a Kestrel before this but it was way too much trouble to hold it at arms length and point it into the wind to measure gusts while I was fighting to keep the boat upright! A quick glance at the Windtronic tells me what I want to know.

Windtronic 2 Wind Meter KITESURFING SAILBOAT PARAGLIDER - eBay (item 120318493376 end time Nov-13-08 23:00:00 PST)