All voyaging sailboats require some form of automatic steering to relieve shorthanded crew from having to steer every minute underway. Electric autopilots are the usual choice for weekending and coastal cruising; voyagers prefer the greater reliability and lower power draw of windvane systems and there are hybrids that offer the best of both worlds. This book explains it all, filling a large gap in the marine how-to literature.
Book Description
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The most complex book regarding self-steering since 20 years,
By A Customer
This review is from: Self-Steering Under Sail: Autopilot and Wind Steering Systems (Hardcover)
I got this book in September 1998 and read it in one night from cover to cover. Amazingly there was nothing on the market like this for 20 years. Unfortunately the section concerning autopilots came a little bit short but other than that I can just say: Excellent! Congratulations Mr. Forthmann! If one of you guys know him personally, please tell him he has got a new fan. I never understood really how important yaw damping at a windvane is. Now I know. I sailed a lot with one of the older desings, as explained in the book and now I know why my windvane did not steer my boat so well like one of the newer designs. The author does not say that the older ones are bad, but the given facts show the reader why some features of todays windvanes are providing a better performance. The author gave me an in-depth understanding about the important things like: bevel gear for yaw damping, adjustable power arm for different numbers of turns at the wheel, better performance with fewer turning blocks, the importance to have the gear in the centerline of the boat. With this little book it was easy for me to understand what kind of windvane is the right one for my boat. I have now the knowledge and understanding to make my own decisions and don't have to rely on advertisings and sales promotions anymore.
2.0 out of 5 stars
A book-length advertisement,
By
Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Self-Steering Under Sail: Autopilot and Wind Steering Systems (Hardcover)
I got this book to help me decide which type of windvane to install. While the section on mechanical/electrical autopilots is excellent as I read the sections on windvanes I was struck by the number of times "Pacific" "Pacific Light" and "Windpilot Pacific" appeared in the text and photos. It was not until I got to the section describing all the various makes currently on the market that I discovered that the author is in fact the owner of the Windpilot company. While there is some good information in here just be aware that all product comparisons are somewhat biased. Reader beware!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
|
|
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Tags Customers Associate with This Product(What's this?)Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
|
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
