Windvane self-steering · Hydrovane
Hydrovane Windvane Self-Steering
The auxiliary-rudder windvane: no power, an emergency rudder, and a boat that steers itself across an ocean.
- Indicative price
- $9,000–$12,500 unit
- Fitted
- $11,000–$16,000
- Rated for
- Vessels to 25 t
- Editor score
- 60 / 100
A Hydrovane is not an autopilot in the electronic sense. It is a wind-powered self-steering gear with its own independent rudder hung off the transom. A vane senses the angle and turns that rudder; the main rudder is locked amidships or offset slightly to balance the boat. It draws no power, has no electronics, and its rudder doubles as an emergency rudder if the main one fails, which is why it is the most common windvane on cruising yachts leaving Australia for the Pacific, Indonesia and the Indian Ocean.
The trade-offs are real. It steers to the wind, not the compass, so heading changes as the wind shifts, and it is poor at motoring. It needs wind, so in the light patches of a Coral Sea passage the electronic pilot goes back on. It is expensive, it needs a serious installation on the transom, and on a modern boat with a wide sugar-scoop stern the geometry can be awkward. For the right boat and the right voyage it is the best money a cruiser spends.
Verdict
Hydrovane Windvane Self-Steering drive sizing
Models cover yachts from about 8 m to over 15 m. Hydrovane sizes by length, displacement and rudder configuration; centre-cockpit and aft-cockpit boats use different vane and shaft options.
Specifications
Autopilot components, voltage and steering modes
- Sensor
- Wind vane with adjustable sensitivity, remote course setting via a line to the cockpit
- Drive
- Independent auxiliary rudder on a transom-mounted shaft
- Emergency use
- Auxiliary rudder steers the boat if the main rudder is lost
- Voltage
- None
- Network
- None (mechanical)
- Power draw
- None
- Steering systems
- Mechanical wheel (cable, chain or rod); Tiller
Modes
- Steers to apparent wind angle only
Features
- No power consumption
- Independent emergency rudder
- No lines to the wheel or tiller
- Silent and mechanically simple
For and against
Autopilot strengths and limitations
- Ocean-proven on thousands of boats
- Emergency rudder built in
- Zero electrical load on a solar-powered cruiser
- Expensive
- Useless when motoring or in very light wind
- Transom installation can be complex on modern hulls
- Heading wanders with the wind
Who fits it
Boats and places where this system is recommended
Australian waters
- Victoria → For yachts leaving Victoria for the Southern Ocean and beyond.
- Tasmania → For yachts leaving Hobart for the Southern Ocean or New Zealand.
- Darwin and the Top End → Sensible on a boat leaving for Indonesia or the Kimberley. It steers without power, it does not care about a failed charging system, and its auxiliary rudder doubles as emergency steering a very long way from any help.
Questions
Hydrovane Windvane Self-Steering: frequently asked
Does a Hydrovane replace my electronic autopilot?
No. Most owners keep both: the windvane for sailing offshore and the electronic pilot for motoring, light winds and short coastal hops. The two complement each other.
Will it fit a boat with a swim platform or davits?
Usually, with a custom bracket. Hydrovane's offset mounting and extended shaft options handle many modern sterns, but the installation needs planning and often a fabricator.
Alternatives to consider
The systems most often weighed against this one.
Head to head
Comparisons featuring this system
Autopilot commissioning and operator training
A $16,000 installation with no handover is a gamble. Half a day on the water with the installer or an instructor covers the modes, the override, the alarms and a failure drill. It is the cheapest safety equipment aboard.