sailboat wind speed indicator

Wind and Weather Tools

The best sailboat wind direction indicators, wind speed meters & anemometers.

If you’re a sailing enthusiast you probably are no stranger to needing accurate wind speed and direction information. There are a slew of wind meters available today for just about every need: from handheld anemometers (wind speed meters), to sailboat mounted wind direction indicators and more. In this article, we’re going to do a roundup of the best wind meters for sailing, wind vanes for sailboats, the best anemometers for sailing, and more.

The best wind direction meters for sailing

WeatherHawk SM-18 SkyMate Hand-Held Wind Meter, Yellow

This floating anemometer is one of the best wind speed meters for sailing. It can measure wind speeds ranging from 0.5 miles per hour all the way up to 99MPH at user-selectable intervals of every five, ten, or 13 seconds (in addition to calculating the average wind speed and tracking peak speed for you). Plus it can also measure wind temperature and wind chill in both Fahrenheit and Celsius. One other nice feature about this sailboat anemometer is that it comes with a durable build and a bright yellow flip-shield. Naturally, it’s also water-resistant so if it falls into the water you’ll be able to easily spot it floating. Also comes with a loop for a lanyard or wrist strap if desired. A belt sheath is also available for this product.

For more handheld anemometers, see our full article: The Best Portable Anemometers & Portable Weather Meters .

Cape Cod Wind Speed Indicator for Sailboats

Cape Cod Wind & Weather instruments have been a staple of sailors since the company was founded in 1939. With an emphasis on quality American-made wind speed indicators, these gauges are built to last.

This wind speed indicator for sailing can mount on your sailboat either vertically or horizontally and it comes with a spinning cup wheel which can be mounted wherever you like (the supplied cable is 50 feet long and comes with a mounting bracket and screws). For wireless anemometers, see our related article: What is the Best Wireless Anemometer & Wireless Wind Speed Meter?

For decades Cape Cod Wind & Weather has supplied sailors with reliable real-time sailboat wind direction indicators, and this wind speed meter for sailing is no exception.

This unit measures wind speed from zero to 100 miles per hour and comes with a ten-year limited warranty. Pairs well with Cape Cod’s Wind Direction Indicator which matches with a lighted dial interface for wind direction metering.

Davis Instruments WindTrak 15 Suspension Bearing

This weather vane for sailboats mounts on your masthead through bolts or a tap and it provides an easy-to-read wind direction indicator. It’s one of the most popular sailing wind vanes on the market and this particular Davis WindTrak model is intended for medium to larger boats (the vane itself is 15 inches long; a smaller model exists for smaller boats). This model has what Davis calls a bird-proof spike to keep seagulls from trying to land on the instrument while you’re sailing. The vane itself features tabs that reflect in order to remain visible at night or in dark conditions.

Davis Instruments Spar-Fly Wind Indicator for Yachts and Dinghies

This compact sailboat wind direction indicator comes in a bright red color and has both a top and side mounting option. It measures 15 inches long, is highly visible, and weighs an astonishing 1.25oz for a highly responsive level of accuracy even in light wind conditions. The Spar Fly sailing wind vane is intended for sailing dinghies or small yachts and has great reviews.

Raymarine i60 Wind System with Masthead Instrument

The Raymarine i60 Wind System measures wind speed and direction as well as a slew of other readings with an easy-to-read digital-dial hybrid display and a masthead mounted instrument. It comes mounting gear and a 100 foot long (30 meters long) cable to connect the wind meter to the display. This is one of the best anemometers for sailing. Can measure wind speed/direction, maximum wind speed (peak), Beaufort scale, Tack and VMG. Plus it has a red backlight for dark conditions.

Frequently asked questions about windvanes for sailboats & the best anemometers for sailing

What features should I look for when shopping for a wind meter for sailing?

The best wind meters are often mounted anemometers made specifically for boating which have a display you can attach to your console. We have a few such wind speed meters for sailboats listed in this article, above.

Handheld anemometers for sailing usually float, are brightly colored, and are waterproof in case they fall into the water. They may also contain temperature gauges and loops for wrist-straps or lanyards.

No matter the type of anemometer you choose, a large easy to read at a glance display is also especially useful for sailing anemometers.

What is an anemometer?

An anemometer is simply a wind speed meter. Some anemometers have digital displays, others have dial displays. The most sophisticated anemometers can also measure a variety of other metrics like temperature, dew point, humidity, barometric pressure, and so forth. Advanced anemometers can even give a personalized weather forecast for any location (especially useful if you’re using an anemometer in a spot where there isn’t a reliable weather forecast). Anemometers for sailing are useful because they give a clear and accurate reading of wind speed and direction. For more information about what anemometers are, read our related article: What is an Anemometer and What is it Used For?

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"The WINDEX® Wind Direction Indicator is an indispensable tool for sailors of all levels since it allows instant and accurate wind information at all points of sail"

The WINDEX® is a Swedish invention from 1964 that is currently sold in more than 40 countries across five continents. In total more than 1,500,000 WINDEX Wind Direction Indicators have been sold over the last 45 years.

The different WINDEX models are found at the top of masts on every type of sailboat from Americas Cup boats to racing dinghies, and everything in between.

It is one of the most well known and recognised yachting products. The inventive and superior design of the WINDEX Wind Direction Indicator has allowed it to stay virtually unchanged for more than 40 years.

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The wind direction indicator.

The WINDEX is a Swedish invention from 1964 that is currently sold in more than 40 countries across five continents. In total more than 1,500,000 WINDEX Wind Direction Indicators have been sold over the last 45 years.

The different WINDEX models are found at the top of masts on every type of sailboat from Americas Cup boats to racing dinghies, and everything in between.

It is one of the most well known and recognized yachting products. The inventive and superior design of the WINDEX Wind Direction Indicator has allowed it to stay virtually unchanged for more than 40 years.

All manufacturing, design and distribution to our WINDEX agents is done in Sweden.

WINDEX SCOUT

A wind direction indicator with a built in antenna.

Presenting Our Brand New Windex Scout VHF Antenna. This unique product is a combination of the Windex 15 high precision wind indicator with Scout's premium VHF antenna. It is a patent pending solution with the Windex mounted on top of Scout's rigid fiberglass antenna. The result is a space saving design which allows for undisturbed relative wind readings and offers high quality VHF transmission. This product comes in two sizes the Windex Scout VHF 50 and the Windex Scout VHF 90.

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This is Windex

The WINDEX was first designed and brought to market in 1964 by RADAB (Research And Development AB), a small company run by three young engineers who also happened to be close friends, Sven-Olof Ridder, Harald Undén and Lars Bergström.

The original WINDEX design by Sven-Olof Ridder, an aeronautical engineer who is recognized worldwide for his design skills, was made of aluminum. The design was successful and soon became popular with Swedish sailors. However, the international breakthrough came in 1972 when a large investment in plastic tooling was made, which allowed for large quantity production at a lower cost. One of the design criteria at the time was that the WINDEX should be “as sensitive in light air as cigarette smoke”. The solution was a plastic wind vane with low weight and a large fin mounted on a Sapphire jewel bearing like a compass needle.

This design, which incorporates the now famous Sapphire jewel suspension has remained unchanged and extremely popular with sailors through the decades.

RADAB and its founders have also been involved with the development of several other successful engineering projects, among them are the Windex 92 Family Cruiser and the Windex 1200 C.

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Top-notch Wind Indicators

In this torture test, we examine improvements over those silly bits of yarn (which work quite well, incidentally)..

That fragile plastic wind vane at the masthead looks like a child’s toy to a lubber. Its a nautical curiosity perched at the top of a yacht that is also equipped with a comprehensive electronics suite. While we can certainly sail without wind indicators and telltales, judging the strength and direction of the wind by its effect on the sails and the feel on our neck, those little bits of plastic and yarn are darn handy when trimming sail, or balancing the helm.

Information from fixed wind indicators is supplemented by telltales attached to the surface of the sails. These provide vital information about flow around the sails within the boundary layer. In this report, well look solely at the wind vanes.

WHAT WE TESTED

For this comparison, we looked at a variety of masthead and spar-mounted vanes from Blacksmith, Davis and Schaefer, two of the major players in this field. We also included a do-it-yourself (DIY) variation that we used for a decade. A few of these were new to us, but most we’ve used for decades, giving us a pretty good feel for their long-term durability and function.

HOW WE TESTED

First, we mounted all of the vanes on boards, three to four at a time, and observed responsiveness, sensitivity, and accuracy, both level and heeled at 30 degrees. Although there is no absolute reference for wind speed and direction, it was obvious when a single vane was consistently different from the group.

We then mounted vanes on the roof of our car and took them for a drive-first around the neighborhood at moderate speeds, and then for six hours at 50-65 miles per hour, simulating storm conditions.

Finally, we then put them all to work on our test boat. This was a fairly rigorous test that took place over several days (see adjacent article Wind Sensors Face-Off at Sea). Larger vanes were mounted in fishing rod holders along the transom. Although wind turbulence makes the aft vanes useless for windward courses, these worked when reaching, and the location was fine for durability testing and general observation.

OBSERVATIONS

A masthead mounting offers the cleanest air and greatest safety from damage (other than birds). Every sailboat should have one. The larger sizes make sense for larger boats, where visibility from a distance matters, but the smaller sizes seem quite suitable for masts less than 35 feet. Although a masthead indicator often has the cleanest air, it requires staring straight up, can spin crazily in rolly conditions in light air, and can be blocked from view by a Bimini top or sail (if the helm is to one side).

Although a masthead indicator is the norm, a deck-level indicator also offers advantages. Non-sailing crew appreciates them when asked to turn the boat into or away from the wind while hoisting or dousing the sail, for anchoring, or, in reality, any turn at the wheel when a steady course relative to the wind is required. Off the wind, a deck-level indicator is often more steady in rough conditions, less affected by pitching. It also remains in your line-of-sight, as you steer through either lumpy seas at high speed, or crab pots in failing light. The challenge is finding a location where it won’t be destroyed by sheets or sails, or disturbed by airflow.

Single-sail dinghies, such as Lasers or Optimus, can mount them on the mast, just below the sail. Two of the devices that we tested, the Davis Black Max and Schaefer Mini Hawk MK II come with elastic clamps that fit securely around the 1.5-inch aluminum spar.

These devices are quite rugged. During long-term testing, we inadvertently dropped snubber lines and dock lines on all of them, often deflecting them sharply downwards. However, the mounting strap stretched, and they popped right back up, undamaged. One vane was destroyed with a dock line, but that was no fault of the vane.

The bow is also popular on one-sail dinghies; with no headsails or sheets, there is little risk of damage. Beach cats can mount a Telocat just below the bridle. Even with a chute, the sensor is protected by the bowsprit. The straps on the Black Max and Mini Hawk fit -inch stainless railing, if the railing is wrapped with athletic or elastomeric self-bonding tape to reduce slippage (see Atomic Tape, PS December 2005). The occasional trip through a wave didn’t appear to shorten their lives.

A spinnaker complicates things-with sheets flying across the bow with every jibe, there is no sanctuary for a delicate instrument. We had a Davis Windex Sport on the starboard bow rail of our test boat for a while. It was fine with the working jib, the genoa bumped lightly a few times, rotating the mount but doing no harm. A chute, however, destroyed it on the first jibe. After a second vane was destroyed in roughly the same fashion, the solution was the DIY indicator (see adjacent article).

Wind indicators are by definition sensitive instruments, and even the best can be snapped or bent by a large bird. The Davis Windex has a bird spike that dissuades larger birds from sitting on the center support, but smaller birds still roost on the ends of the vane occasionally, spinning slowly. So far (we’ve had one installed for 20 years) they have done no harm, other than bend the indicator arms into a useless sculpture. The plastic indicator arms on the Shaefer wind indicator better resist bending. We presume a big bird could break them, but they survived the summer season test without harm-even after several birds roosted on them. Birds seem to ignore deck-level vanes.

All of the mounting brackets proved sufficiently durable and reasonably easy to fit.

Blacksmith Sport Boat Carbon

In its search for a lighter, more responsive vane, Blacksmith has used carbon fiber and aluminum to build the most responsive vane available. As a masthead fly, it is well balanced and reads the lightest zephyr true, even when heeled.

As a rail-mounted fly it has proven more durable than Windex and Hawk vanes, through we estimate it more fragile than the rugged Black Max/Telo Cat line. So far, it seems too oddly shaped for birds to perch on, and that is the primary mode of failure at the masthead. There is also a very similar Crazy Kids model for dinghies. The Blacksmith comes in both masthead and spar mount versions.

Bottom Line: Best Choice for sport boat masts.

Davis Windex

The most popular masthead wind indicator, these are the gold standard for detecting wind direction finding. Featuring perfect balance and a sapphire bearing, we’ve had these on boats for over 20 years without failure. They wear seemingly forever, the most common-and perhaps only-cause of death being a roosting osprey or eagle, and the bird spike seems to prevent that. The Windex Sport is a smaller version, perfect for smaller boats and some bow installations.

Bottom Line: Sensitivity and proven durability make the Windex our Best Choice for a masthead indicator for cruisers, and the Windex Sport for smaller boats.

We used one of these very regularly for eight years on a trailered beach catamaran, where it served very reliably, without receiving gentle treatment. Useful for estimating both windward and reaching angles. The bridle location is perfect for the high-speed antics of a beach catamaran, where the helmsmans eyes should not spend too much time peering aloft, distracted from the action and the waves. The Telo Cat is specifically designed to mount to the forestay turnbuckle of beach cats, hanging down below the bridle-the Black Max will be easier to fit to most boats.

Bottom Line: Best Choice for beach catamarans.

Sharing the same sturdy vane as the Telo Cat, the Black Max is stable, sturdy, and reliable. Secured by an adjustable elastic strap, the plastic mounting saddle can wrap around spars and poles from -inch to two inches in diameter,

Bottom line: Recommended for single-sail dinghies, gull strikers, and rail mounts.

Compared to other indicators in the group, the Spar Fly seemed to wander more in bouncy conditions and variable winds, taking longer to respond accurately to the true wind. Some will find the traditional design appealing.

Bottom line: This is a functional choice for the nostalgic sailor, but there are better vanes.

This device is little more than toy. Yarn is more durable and responsive, and less susceptible to damage from sheets and sails. The test samples all bent the first day. Additionally, the position near the dodger or cabin resulted in disturbed airflow and erratic readings.

Bottom line: Helpful on some small boats, Wind-Tels won’t be of much use to the cruising sailor.

Schaefer Hawk

Schaefers Hawk is very similar to the Windex, but with plastic indicator arms. The arms can be accurately positioned using a spacer kit and they are not bent when a bird lands on them. They seem nearly unbreakable under normal use, although we did not test for this. Using polyethylene bearings, it is both responsive and sensitive.

Bottom line: Recommended.

Mini-Hawk MKI

Sharing the same vane as the MKII, this is the smallest masthead vane of the group. It is light and very responsive, and is an excellent choice for the masthead of a sailing dinghy. We also tested it on the bow rail, simply attaching the wand with cable ties, and it did very well. If you break the vane, a replacement is $10.

The large tail made the Mini Hawk very responsive, even when wet or in light winds, reacting accurately and instantly to every shift. Although this resulted in a nervous flickering at times, it was always accurate, and its is bright and clearly visibility. The square vane was slightly more vulnerable to hooking a line, although all of the vanes (other than the DIY wand) can be destroyed by heavy contact with a sheet.

Bottom line: Great for dinghy masts and a nice fit for railings.

Mini-Hawk MKII

The spar mounting bracket for the Mini-Hawk II includes adjustability for horizontal or angled mounting on rails, which can be quite useful for bow mounting locations. The elastic mounting band is not adjustable, but it is secure on rails and spars from 1 to 2.5 inches.

Bottom line: This is the Best Choice for a railing or spar-mounted vane.

CONCLUSIONS

This was a strong group of products, and properly located, all provide excellent performance. We like the Windex 15 with the bird spike; it seems to help keep birds away from the masthead in general. The responsiveness of the Mini Hawk was impressive, and the durability of the Telo Cat and Black Max recommend them for use where some contact is possible. Our DIY wand remains a favorite where abuse is the rule.

• A Do-it-Yourself Wind Sensor

Our on-the-water testing revealed some advantages and vulnerabilities that were not apparent during controlled testing. The benefits of high-visibility colors became readily apparent.

The smaller vanes were mounted across the bow rail on our catamaran test boat for a summer, rotating location from time to time. We smashed through waves and occasionally battered them with sheets and docklines, although we avoided serious abuse for all but the unbreakable do-it-yourself vane.

• The DavisWind-Tels bent during a spinnaker gybe, but it was easy enough to straighten out so that it was still useful.
• The racey Davis Black Max faces off against the comparatively humble bit of yarn during testing.
• Dimensions varied greatly, from left: Schaefer Hawk, Mini-Hawk, and Blacksmith.
• The Blacksmith’s high visibility indicator was easy to read against a confused background.

RELATED ARTICLES MORE FROM AUTHOR

The last three windex vanes I have used have decayed in the sun in less than a few weeks. any slight action like removing them to step the mast on the trailer sailer results in damage . brittle bits just flake off. I am averaging $50 a year AU in wind indicators. have ordered a stainless steel one. a bit big but may be UV stable.

How is your stainless wind indicator? I am working on designing a lightweight anodised aluminium wind indicator. I am a professional yachtsman and have seen lots of stories like yours in Oz particularly with cockatoos!

The indicator I am designing will be similar profile to the windex brand but a lot lighter than the available stainless ones also with jewel bearings for light air accuracy. Would you be interested in a solution like this? Any advice is appreciated.

Happy sailing

Hi Oliver, did you ever develop this?

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