Installing a Monitor Wind Vane on Kittiwake

Because the purchase price of a Flicka is usually so reasonable it allows a larger budget for upgrades and maintenance over time. Of course, this investment really mounts up and before you realize it you may have spent more on improvements and stuff, than your original investment!

An excellent upgrade is a Monitor Wind Vane. New they sell for around $3,500. If you are lucky, like me, you might find one for much less. I regularly scanned ebay and local adds but only found one that was 10 years old and the seller was asking $1,500.

One lucky day a buddy of mine, who works for West Marine, called me to say a fellow was in the store and had one for sale. It so happened that he was from my marina and it was installed on a big steel hulled motor sailor. It was only a few years old and like new. $1,800 later I was the proud owner of this marvelous machine.

I needed to order a set of new mounting tubes from Scanmar and get to work. Because Kittiwake is outboard powered I had to make some modifications to allow for clearance. Actually, it didn't seem to compromise my install that much. Now, I found out just how hard 316 stainless is!!. Be sure and buy brand new cobalt drill bits and the best hack saw blades you can find, Otherwise you will never make it.

Scanmar, the makers of the Monitor are very helpful and can supply everything you need for a good install. Each monitor has a serial number and unless you can prove you are the owner they won't sell you parts!

I found it to to be easier to install with the boat in the water. With a dingy you can get around pretty good and makes for a better alignment.

Here are some pictures of my installation. Click on image for larger view!