Drilling holes in transom for windvane

I am in talks with Hydrovane about installing one of their windvanes on my F32.
I will need to drill several holes into the transom, just off centre (right? left? yet to decide) due to the ladder.
I have been avoiding doing anything like this due to the fact that the boat has a balsa-cored hull.
Seeing that other people have put Hydrovane systems on their F32 or other Freedom yachts, does anyone have any general tips around the process of overdrilling/epoxy filling, parts of the transom to avoid or whether I should be looking at another self steering system? For now I have not secured anything with Hydrovane as I want to make sure that I can pull off the installation myself as I am very far away from a boat yard with experience in this.

Let me know what you all think

Jaime

Its easy to overdrill the outer skin with a hole cutter 1 /2 in bigger than required ,only remove outer fibreglass and balsa ,make up a mixture of epoxy fumed silica and glass beads to make a sticky putty, brush the edge of the hole to ensre balsa fully wetted ,then fill the hole and allow to set overnight ,once hard rub down to make neat then drill correct size hole
Use sealer to seal bolts

…and stout backing plates

You could always hang a Stainless Steal bracket on the transom to get the vane away from the Mizzen? This is what came with my Freedom and am about to view a second hand Hydrovane. The previous owner gave the original Hydrovane to his kids for their sail to BVI.

I may have some good news for you: I don’t think there is any balsa in your transom. I can’t say for sure because I don’t have the same boat and I don’t know which F32 you have (Hoyt or Mull). However, from my experience drilling holes in my F36, the transom is solid glass, about 5/8" thick. As far as I know, there is only balsa in the cabin top, decks, benches, and the sides of the hull. It ends about 6" from the turn of the keel.

Speaking of balsa, if it’s a Hoyt F32, you should know about the port light in the aft cabin. Instead of digging out the balsa core and filling it with thickened epoxy to seal it, they decided not to do that. They just cut the hole and slapped the port light in there with some silicone caulk. Assuming it’s not already been fixed, you’ll want to see how bad the water ingress is and address it.

Hi Jaime, Hydrovane is probably the best option as you can install it off center on the port side. Accessing the middle of the transom from the lazarette locker on the F32 is not easy but possible. I could not afford a new Hydrovane, so I built a Hebridean which can be detached when entering marinas. The Hebridean requires to be mounted in the center, so I moved the ladder to the port side.
On my F32 UK (F33) the balsa core is 1cm thick in the transom. Over-drilling and filling with epoxy is required and not so difficult. If you mount the hydrovane on the port side, you should be able to overdrill only the inner shell:
drill a hole from outside first
then drill from the inside with a small hole saw removing only the inner shell and the balsa.
Fill with epoxy and cover with tape so the goop does not droop.
When set, drill again from the outside.



I have an 86 F30.

My transom is also solid glass and around 5/8 thick. It is very robust.

Hello
Last year I fitted a Monitor, made by Scanmar, to my Freedom 35.

Fisrstly I must declare I am not associated with them, simply a very satisfied customer.

I chose Monitor following my reading about circumnavigators who relied on it in both good and often very bad weather where they claimed it performed perfectly.

For myself, fitting was made straightforward, by the help and comprehensive support and advice from Scanmar, all the do’s and dont’s clearly explained.

My transom is ideal for fitting, not all are, but Scanmar have a solution regardless.

My only tip is, as you are drilling through your transom to buy a long drill of the size required. I found mine in a plumbers supplier. Also make yourself a plumbob to ensure vertical fitting.

Good luck
Michael

First question: Where are you located?
I have installed two of these but it was over a decade ago but from what I remember:
*Before you drill check the inside of the hull to make sure you have enough room for backing plates etc.
*You will need a plate between the mounting brackets and the hull and possibly another inside of the hull. I prefer to use UV resistant plastic lumber such as Starboard rather than wood. Wood contracts and expands due to humidty etc.
*You may need to shape one side to a curve to match the curvature of the hull on the outside plate.
*THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT! There are a couple of different mounting brackets (depending on the kit) that look identical but the bolt holes have a little different spacing. Measure and mark these before you drill anything.
*While the Hydrovane is quite good the instructions are poorly worded and confusing.
*There are a couple of different wind foils to choose from. If you have solar panels or other obstructions on the back of the boat you may need a low profile foil.
*Once the water vane is installed it will very significantly alter how well the boat backs up which can be a problem when docking in a marina. That is to say the turning radius, when the blade is locked in place, is greatly increased in forward and reverse.
*When you over-size the holes are cut back the balsa core you will need to back fill with thickened epoxy. DO NOT use West system Six10 for this. While it is easy to use it is not rigid enough to withstand the compressive load of the tightened bolts and forces from the windvane.