Customer Reviews

Self-Steering Under Sail: Autopilot and Wind Steering Systems

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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.

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!