Scott, there is also the OGT MkI model. It is a little bigger than Mk II, and Belcher reckoned it is twice as strong as the Mk II.

It is not easy to sit on one's armchair and say "this will work" or "this will not work", in particular with windvanes. 

It depends on the tiller forces on your boat. My 1.4ton Malena had an unbalanced rudder so tiller forces were noticeable.  If your tiller forces are high, then I would suggest the MkI vane directly on the tiller.

In case the boat is directionally unstable, I suggest you fit a rudder-like thing on the transom and lock it in mid-position. That will act as a skeg, and can also work as a spare rudder if needed. You may well make this before you build a wind-vane.

Arne

Scott wrote:

Thank you for the response. An electronic tiller pilot is tempting. They are, compared to most boat electronics, fairly inexpensive and appear to be easy to install.

I have never used one in person but, from watching videos online, they seem to make a terrible noise. For motoring this would probably be OK since my engine is already so loud. For sailing I really want an almost silent boat so I can just listen to the water on the hull. 

I would really like to have a hydrovane but they sell for significantly more than what I paid for my boat. I am pretty sure I will attempt to build some sort of vane gear. If I am ultimately unsuccessful then an electronic tiller pilot is plan 'B'.

I am going through this exercise at present with my little catamaran. An electronic tiller pilot is quick and easy, and not hugely expensive. They just need sufficient battery power to keep them running for any length of time, and work best where tiller loads are light. I have used them and never found them to be noisy. For my previous yacht I bought a new Simrad tiller pilot and it was mostly hard to hear it operating. It was not silent, but then it did not make any kind of unacceptable operating sounds.

If you are interested in a wind vane self steering just a simple horizontal axis vane direct to the tiller would probably work for a boat the size of your. In his book 'Wind-Vane Self Steering' Bill Belcher presents plans for a simple horizontal axis wind vane built fairly easily from plywood. If you are interested in building one of these I have the book and am happy to scan the plans and building instructions and email them through to you. It does require quite a large vane to generate enough power, but these simple vanes have been used successfully on many small yachts.

Stuart wrote:

I don't know if this is of any use, but looks like the sort of thing you are after.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeZtOJ0Cy_s

Yes, that looks like what I would like to have. The metal work looks intimidating. I don't think I have the skills to build anything that involves welding. I suspect hiring a professional welder to make parts for my windvine would make the Hydrovane pricing look very reasonable.

Maybe some of the items shown in that video can be made from wood and epoxy.

Hans-Erik wrote:

Wind Vane vs Tiller Pilot (the dilemma of sailors everywhere).

BOTH will require adjustments while under sail.

A wind vane will require tweaking of its vane setting (many have 'control ropes' so this can be done more remotely than at the vane gear proper) as wind direction changes.

An electronic tiller pilot will require retrimming of the sails if expected to maintain a compass course despite a wind direction change.

That said I would not want to be without at least one (preferably both) when out single handed.

Makes for less frantic in and out trips to the cabin for brewing a cuppa or taking a gander at a chart/plotter.

Offshore and outside of busy shipping lanes, backed up by an AIS transponder with a very loud alarm, and one can actually get some decent kip.

There is a reason most of these contraptions are given names.
They are perhaps the most valuable crew member.

Thank you for the response. An electronic tiller pilot is tempting. They are, compared to most boat electronics, fairly inexpensive and appear to be easy to install.

I have never used one in person but, from watching videos online, they seem to make a terrible noise. For motoring this would probably be OK since my engine is already so loud. For sailing I really want an almost silent boat so I can just listen to the water on the hull. 

I would really like to have a hydrovane but they sell for significantly more than what I paid for my boat. I am pretty sure I will attempt to build some sort of vane gear. If I am ultimately unsuccessful then an electronic tiller pilot is plan 'B'.

Scott,

perhaps a simple horizontal axis (non servo) vane be enough for your use?  
Pete Hill used such on his catamarans.