[casey1999]

I currently have a Monitor wind vane. It works well but is starting to need some major maintenance due to high miles.

I was thinking of replacing it with an Aeries vane. My understanding is the new Aries are made in Denmark. Are these just like the Aeries #3 that was made in England. Are the parts interchangable?

If you know the Aeries, what is your opinion of their quality and function as compared to others on the market.

What about buying a used Aeries- is that a good option? I understand replacement parts are still available from England.
Regards

 

[Shinook]

I've not used either, I want to mount one on our current boat, but we haven't gotten around to it yet.

I will note (my only useful contribution to the subject) that we looked at putting one on our last boat and I was able to find an Aries pretty cheap ($650) and in good shape, but the thing was absurdly heavy, like 75lbs IIRC. The Monitor was next in weight at ~50lbs, Norvane was 37lbs, South Atlantic 37lbs, and Windpilot 44lbs.

At the time, we had a 27ft boat and were concerned what hanging 75lbs off the back would do. We more or less resolved to get a Norvane before we sold the boat and will probably go that route with our new boat. Even with a slightly larger boat, I'm concerned about that much weight off the stern.

 

[christian.hess]

bomb proof Ive had one and cruised on another one with the tiltup version

we actually got hit in the stern with a big aluminum boat that anchored to close to us at dusk...in galapagos and 2 days into the crossing to hiva oa we notice the drum was broken!

the one with the teeth

however my captain had power tools and rivets and all sorts of parts and we managed to tie it back together and it worked

during that crossing beleive it or not we were in constant contact with a lady from aries(in england) I beleive via sailmail) that got them the new part somewehere in the south pacific...after I left

its a very very good windvane

does need a bit of help every now and then in rolly seas but overall a great performer

we did however maintain it a lot by that I mean preventatite maintenance we OILED the hell out of the pendulum and gears, and always greased and protected all rviets and stainless parts that touched

the aluminum itself is hardened and very long lasting but as usual with dissimilar metals you will always get some corrosion if you dont peridiodically oil and grease and maintain

my last boat had the standard version mid 80s design...fixed mount

Im not familiar with the new models but dont think they have changed all that much

cheers

 

[MikeOReilly]

I have an Aries (not sure which one, has the flip up rudder). It came with our boat and I had to do some repairs to get it operational, but it's been great. Steers better than me most of the time. Lights airs and rolling seas are a challenge for all servo-pendulum vanes, but our will maintain a course down to 5 knots if seas are not a problem.

What Christian says about oiling and greasing, but is one solid pieces equipment.

I don't think the Denmark parts are interchangeable with the original ones made in England. The daughter of the original maker still maintains a parts service for the old ones. I was able to get a package of parts from her a year or two ago. She's great, but you do have to be patient sometimes.


Why go fast, when you can go slow

 

[casey1999]

What kind of oil and grease do you use on your aries?
Thanks for the inputs.

 

[christian.hess]

I have an Aries (not sure which one, has the flip up rudder). It came with our boat and I had to do some repairs to get it operational, but it's been great. Steers better than me most of the time. Lights airs and rolling seas are a challenge for all servo-pendulum vanes, but our will maintain a course down to 5 knots if seas are not a problem.

What Christian says about oiling and greasing, but is one solid pieces equipment.

I don't think the Denmark parts are interchangeable with the original ones made in England. The daughter of the original maker still maintains a parts service for the old ones. I was able to get a package of parts from her a year or two ago. She's great, but you do have to be patient sometimes.

Why go fast, when you can go slow

thats who we were in touch with!

 

[christian.hess]

What kind of oil and grease do you use on your aries?
Thanks for the inputs.

we used 2 stroke oil, castor oil, motor oil whatever oil...doesnt really matter

the grease was some sort of lithium grease

tef gel or something like you use on mast tracks and stainless hardware is another obvious option

forget the names sorry

 

[christian.hess]

2 stroke oil btw has many uses on a boat and engines in general

its great to lube the top ends(minimal amount) on older gas engines like the atomic 4, it leaves a residue and has lubricants that standard oils dont

aircooled engines for example

since it leaves residue it lasts longer I have noticed and I forget what it helps with in diesel but helps fight something

sorry cant remember

back to aries!

 

[MikeOReilly]

We use the engine oil, b/c that's what's on hand. I think the grease is a lithium type. It's an industrial type of grease. We were given a big tube a few years ago, and it's still going strong. I'll have to go look at it the next time I'm on the boat (still winter up here).


Why go fast, when you can go slow

 

[christian.hess]

you have learned all the tips mike! cool!

I love the aries windvane

 

[christian.hess]

ioh btw aries once dabbled in stainless and bronze in the early 80s I beleive and it was a very short run pendulm vane that was all stainless tubing with all bronze connectors and fittings

it was really expensive and didnt catch on...

I came across one on craigslist way back when I had my folkboat however it was too awkward to mount it and I started dabbling and designing my MOTISSIER inspired trim tab vane since it was a perfect match for my rudder

 

[outbound]

Just curious. Have had Fleming ( bulletproof), monitor and have used Hydrovane. Liked the Fleming the best. My impressions are:
servo pendulums are great and responsive but you get a bunch of lines in cockpit and it takes some fiddling around to get things just right. you have a s+s so tripping over lines may be a hassle.
Servos are great but unless you blow big bucks on the monitor add ons you don't get a emergency rudder function.
Have fairly fast boat with sugar scoop and midline swim steps. So for me any of the servos are not a great choice. So been looking at the hydrovane. Think for less money in the end get a lot more versatility.
?Do you have an AP. If so have you thought about just getting a spare ram and rudder indicator which in the end may be cheaper and also give you steering in light air, motoring and DDW. I am thinking of going that way and making a home made emergency tiller.

 

[christian.hess]

along similar lines I beleive I have a very desired and respected SAYES RIG vane that connects to the rudder

no lines,or pulleys and dead simple system

a version if you will of the trim tab rigs

its somewhere in the junk of stuff that was on my boat

cant wait to actually see if indeed its a sayes rig

 

[MikeOReilly]

Just curious. Have had Fleming ( bulletproof), monitor and have used Hydrovane. Liked the Fleming the best. My impressions are:

servo pendulums are great and responsive but you get a bunch of lines in cockpit and it takes some fiddling around to get things just right. you have a s+s so tripping over lines may be a hassle.

Servos are great but unless you blow big bucks on the monitor add ons you don't get a emergency rudder function.

Have fairly fast boat with sugar scoop and midline swim steps. So for me any of the servos are not a great choice. So been looking at the hydrovane. Think for less money in the end get a lot more versatility.

?Do you have an AP. If so have you thought about just getting a spare ram and rudder indicator which in the end may be cheaper and also give you steering in light air, motoring and DDW. I am thinking of going that way and making a home made emergency tiller.

All good points. If I were installing a vane from scratch (my Aries was already on the boat) I would look long and hard at the auxiliary rudder style vanes. I've never used one, but the idea of having a backup rudder is attractive. Because they do all the work my understanding is their installation is more challenging. The benefit of the servos are they use the boat's rudder to steer, so they don't have to be as hefty.

Btw, my boat uses a tiller, not a wheel. The lines are therefore far aft and out of the way. I've sailed with a wheel using a Monitor vane. Worked fine, but the lines were more of a pita than with my boat.

Why go fast, when you can go slow

 

[killarney_sailor]

I currently have a Monitor wind vane. It works well but is starting to need some major maintenance due to high miles.

I was thinking of replacing it with an Aeries vane. My understanding is the new Aries are made in Denmark. Are these just like the Aeries #3 that was made in England. Are the parts interchangable?

If you know the Aeries, what is your opinion of their quality and function as compared to others on the market.

What about buying a used Aeries- is that a good option? I understand replacement parts are still available from England.
Regards

You might consider fixing your Monitor. I have a Monitor and it worked great for us. The only routine maintenance was to lubricate but with fresh water. I kept a little pump spray and did this maybe once a week on a passage. We are going to be doing a major maintenance job on ours since it has been used for more than 30,000 miles. The kit they sell ($135?) has all the bushings and bearings you need. Along the way we replaced one (or two?) turning blocks and had the mounting for the pivot pin beefed up (had washers welded on each side and a big pin made, but that was after 25.000 miles. Also replaced the sacrificial part of the rudder post. I don't think we hit anything rather it seemed like fatigue with cracks starting. It is all stainless which is a nice feature.

The Monitor people in California are very helpful although the spare parts seem a bit pricey. We saw substantially more Monitors than any other vane but that does not necessarily mean they are best - they also have sold more than any other brand. Had two very experienced people independently say that one of the Sailomat models is clearly the best vane but the company stopped making it a number of years ago because it just got too expensive. Don't know the model number.

We thought about a Hydrovane but we are close to the maximum displacement for the unit. The guy who sells them said it should work which did not seem like much of a recommendation. There were three other Bristol 45.5s with Monitors so that seemed a good recommendation. Also, with Hydrovane you may have to reinforce (as in add f/g) the inside of the transom since the loads are very high since you are steering the boat and not just the wheel or tiller. I think our transom was probably strong enough but we had about four sets of hoses going out the transom and it would have been a big install. We installed the Monitor at anchor in Long Island Sound after my wife was laid off and we had to leave the marina in NYC or pay a lot of money for the summer season.

 

[christian.hess]

there are many MANY windvanes out there...but there are still standards out there that have become cult classics almost like the aries and monitor

the last time I was looking at new vanes and being latin I was very interested in a argentinian made vane similiar to the bouvaan windvane kits, sailomat, etc

they were priced well and are used in the argentinian waters that are quite the proving grounds if you will

here is the link:

South Atlantic Windvane Self Steering

in any case you have a bunch to chose from...

cheers

oh before that I was really looking at the norvane windvanes but they really hiked their prices a lot since they started

 

[mitiempo]

oh before that I was really looking at the norvane windvanes but they really hiked their prices a lot since they started

I don't think Norvane prices have changed much since I started looking at them a few years ago. I have yet to see a better priced windvane and my plan is to get one in the near future.

Here is their current price list:

 

[jameswilson29]

BTW, there is a used Aries in Key West, FL, currently up for auction on eBay in the sailing hardware subsection.

 

[christian.hess]

I don't think Norvane prices have changed much since I started looking at them a few years ago. I have yet to see a better priced windvane and my plan is to get one in the near future.

Here is their current price list:

I cant remember but I was in love with the norvane system after they just started which was in the early to mid 2000s I want to say they started in 2006 since that was when I had my folkboat and was checking them...I beleive the smallest vane was just over 1000 or 1500 bucks...cant remember which was perfect for me

I beleive it was an introductory price since they were new on the market

when they went up I was so dissapointed since I was on even more of a budget back then

those prices you posted are the same since I checked somehing like 6 years ago

man time flies!

I agree though their vane has RAVE reviews