Wind vane self steering for sailboats
Sailomat

This Self-Steering system was designed using the latest SAILOMAT patented innovations and unique design concepts, together with advanced manufacturing techniques. The result is a world leading state-of-the-art Self-Steering device.
SAILOMAT 700

The SAILOMAT 700 systems are built and custom designed for sailboats in the range 24 - 50 feet LOA. It is designed to be used on all types of cruising or racing sailboats.

The SAILOMAT 700 is designed and built on the so called 'servo-pendulum principle', which is the most powerful and most sensitive self-steering principle. A light airvane is used as a 'signal' to detect the amount of sailing-course deviation (course error), a pendulum-type servo-blade positioned in the water stream behind the yacht to mechanically amplify the signal, and a line circuit with blocks connecting the SAILOMAT pendulum body to the yacht's main rudder (tiller or wheel connection). The function of the SAILOMAT is to sense a weak course error (signal), mechanically amplify this signal and to generate a strong mechanical force and motion of the line to the tiller or wheel, proportional to the course error. The yacht's main rudder performs the steering correction, under the SAILOMAT control.

Typically the weak aerodynamic 'signal' side force on the airvane may be of the order 0.040 kilogram ( 0.4 Newton, 1.4 oz.), the servo-blade side blade of the order 3 kilogram (30 Newton), and the line force to the wheel or tiller of the order 15 kilogram ( 150 Newton, 33 lbs). In this example the vane-to-line force amplification is then of the order 375:1. The energy required to move the wheel or tiller is thus extracted from the waterflow by the servo blade.