Davis Windex and Options
Windexes (or would that be Windices?) have been on my mind lately. A friend replaced one recently on a Harbor 20, the one on his other boat is invisible at night and the one on my boat is visible but a little bent due to something big and winged land...
Windexes (or would that be Windices?) have been on my mind lately. A friend replaced one recently on a Harbor 20, the one on his other boat is invisible at night and the one on my boat is visible but a little bent due to something big and winged landing on it.
These little apparent wind indicators are essential even if you’re not a racer and Davis Marine has a few nice sizes and options to make them even more useful. Featuring a sapphire jewel suspension bearing, the Windex is accurate in wind speeds as little as one knot and can supposedly register puffs of only .2 knots. They have reflective markers on the underneath vane and tacking tabs so the optional light that can be mounted underneath makes them very visible at night.
The basic models are the Windex 10 which is about 10 inches long and is good for small and sport boats and the Windex 15 which weighs only 95 grams and is appropriate for bigger vessels. These tough little instruments have been tunnel tested to wind speeds up to 80 knots – and I’ll take their word for it because I don’t want to test anything in wind like that.
The Windex 10 has a J-Base mount for side, top or front mounting on most mastheads. Simple to install, the 15" Windex includes a through-bolt or tap mounting socket, as well as stainless steel studs, washers and nuts. A universal masthead mount lets you extend the Windex 15 away from antennas and whatever else might already be occupying the top of your mast.
An innovative bird-proof spike extends above the vane to keep birds from landing – my bird must have been particularly hardy.
The Windex 10 and 15 retail for $39.99and $59.99 respectively. Both models carry a one year warranty. Check out Davis Marine for more information.
