Wind Vanes

Improve sailing performance with a wind indicator for your sailboat.

A sailboat’s wind vane, also called a spar or masthead fly, shows in real-time the direction of the apparent wind, which you can use to trim your sails and sail most efficiently. Available in a variety of sizes, wind direction tools are a must for sailboats and sailing dinghies.

Low friction bearings enable wind vanes to register subtle shifts in wind direction.

The quality of the bearings used by wind vanes for boats impacts how easily slight wind shifts move the vane. Davis uses very low friction jewel suspension bearings in many of their wind vanes. Schaefer wind vanes feature a “V” Jewel bearing surface. Both provide a nearly instant response to wind shifts and gusts with minimal inertia.

Materials

When purchasing a weathervane, get one that will standup to the marine environment. Look for vanes made of marine-grade stainless steel or aluminum with a sturdy polycarbonate, fiberglass or plastic base.

Your wind vane should be easy to see.

What good is a wind vane if you can’t see where it is pointing? Get a model that includes reference arms with bright, easy to see reference tabs. For easy viewing at night, Davis offers a light that can be installed on their Sport Wind, WindTrac 10 and WindTrac 15 indicators.

Mounting

While most wind vanes are mounted at the top of a mast, others like the Davis Instruments Telo-Cat, can be installed on the head stay bridle of a catamaran. Consider the mounting style that will be the most appropriate for you and your boat. Davis instruments offers their “J-Mount” which can be used to mount a wind vane on a vertical or horizontal surface.

Spare Parts

Damaged wind vanes can sometimes be repaired. West Marine offers a variety of replacement parts to keep you on track. From bases and bolts to replacement vanes and tabs, repairing a vane saves money and is easy to do.