wind vane question from a newb

I'm new to sailing a '81 h18 and having trouble reading the wind direction on the lake while sailing.

I have a vane adapter at the furler that was already on the boat and was considering the Hobie or Telocat wind vane.

Which one of these is the most popular or useful? The Telocat has tacking indicators, would this help a newb like me?

The Hobie version costs less but would spend more for the Telocat if it would be better for me.

Try the cheapest route first. I use 2 lengths of knitting yarn each tied to each side of the bridle. The upwind one gives the best indication of the wind direction. Some people use pieces of casette tape which is very light and responsive to the wind but I found that it breaks off when I am trailering the boat while the yarn lasts a long time.

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Howard

Magnetic tape of the perfect width comes in its own handy dispensing unit:



That's one album I haven't replaced on my iPod . . . yet.

I've had a light plastic ribbon on the bridals so far. And I have some cassette tape to use for a sail on Monday if all goes well. Maybe that's all I need but I'm just wondering if anyone has an opinion on the hobie vane v. telocat vane.

thanks.

I have a telocat vane it works great i recomend it, as for the cassette tape i use that on the bridles mainly for light wind. I say keep you ELP recordings, great band, now days people listen to pre fab, pop crap, Emerson,Lake & Palmer can play their instruments.

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Bodhisatfa

I just ordered the telocat if that counts for anything.

I have the Telocat as well and I also love it. It is very easy to remove when trailering.

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'88 Nationals Blue
Hobie Alter Signature Model
Sail #11

Hobie Mirage Classic

Whats that thing?

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

What - the 8 track tape cartridge or the Tarkus?

both

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

Stereo 8, aka 8 Track Tapes

Emerson, Lake and Palmer's Tarkus



8 Track tape is the perfect width for tell-tales on the bridle. Cassette tape is too narrow.
Also, because of the cartridge and the "endless loop" of tape, the tape dispenses quite nicely once the loop is broken. No tape flying everywhere.
It does need replacing after a few miles on the highway.

Try the knitting yarn. It indicates wind direction well and lasts a long time.

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Howard

Back to the original question:

If you're referring to the Hobie bridle vane:

as compared to the telo-cat; I would suggest that the telo-cat would greatly assist the novice sailor by letting the helmsman know, by virtue of the tacking arms, what angle they are sailing in relation to the apparent wind (after first determining which position the tacking arms should be for optimum upwind sailing). Once the sailor has developed a feel for a relatively optimum upwind position as indicated by the telo, they will better understand the feedback from the boat; i.e. jib and main tells, feel of the helm, etc.

Telocat vane is an excellent choice. I use one on my H17Sport. It works well both in low and high wind (the red plastic Hobie vane vibrates in higher wind). In some of the places I sail the wind direction can change dramatically (e.g., I've turned 180 degrees sailing the same point of wind). For real low wind I use mini cassette tape. Yarn can have static cling issues. Good sailing.

Thanks for the feedback everyone. I had a great day sailing in light winds today. Using cassette tape this time and it worked pretty good, but I think I can see where 8 track would be generally better.

Today the wind was changing direction often as the prevailing wind couldn't dominate at all times. Still a great time, but often just as a decision was made as to what tack to take next, the wind would change and spoil the choice. Really kept us thinking and made for a challenge. We had the lake almost all to ourselves today, on a Monday with overcast.

My friend took the helm today for the first time (first time at the tiller of a sailboat ever) and he did a good job, better than me really. He's been reading and dreaming about sailing for years. And I got to take orders and relax some. I enjoyed getting to know the jib handling and was able to tell when it complimented the main's position. I think I mentioned earlier having set up too "tight" for light winds on our first few outings, and today we set the boat up much better for light winds and was able to get much better performance. We had a great time today, even in light winds. I'm looking forward to a day with stronger winds and feel less intimidated about it when it comes.

I'm going to order a telocat vane. Today I was visualizing how the tacking indicators would be positioned compared to the tape position and even that helped. So I think it's a good choice for a couple of enthusiastic beginners.

We're having a blast on a minimal investment with this older boat and I can't believe I haven't done this sooner. It really is a tank of a boat, very solid, and plenty of potential to grow into for beginners. Thanks to the info online and this forum we are progressing faster than possible than in the past in my opinion.

Thanks again.