Fleming Windvane Minimal Overhang from stern
Vessel: Tayana 37 Mark I, Hull #46
Owners: Ted and Karen Cameron – Seattle
Photos by Daniel Karten May 2006

The three most frequently selected windvanes used on Tayana 37s have been 
1)	Monitor
2)	Fleming 
3)	Cap Horn
The two most frequently expressed concerns of people considering installing a windvane 
has been
1.	How far aft the windvane is located. Sometimes referred to as the “oil-rig” 
appearance
2.	Lines across the cockpit
However, owners of each of these units have high praise for their particular model, 
reflecting the high quality and reliable performance of each of them. 
The Monitor is probably the most frequently employed windvane. However, the design 
extends about 2 feet aft of the stern, adding to slip fees and has been the major target of 
comments about an “oil-rig” hanging off the boat. 

For esthetic reasons, the Cap Horn is the most subtle and attractive, with minimal 
overhang from the stern. It protrudes a total of no more than 4”-6”. The design of the 
lines is very clever and avoids any lines across the cockpit by directing the control lines 
into the lazarette to directly drive the steering quadrant. The reservation expressed by 
several people pertained to the need to cut a 3.25” hole in the stern of the boat. The unit, 
once installed, cannot be removed. 

The Fleming, made in Australia, has an excellent reputation for sturdiness and reliability. 
Several installations, as shown in other folders on our FTP site, show the Fleming 
mounted at varying distances from the stern. Having just decided to go with the Fleming, 
I was wondering just how close to the stern it would be possible to mount it and still 
expect proper performance. According to Kevin Fleming, it should work well even if 
mounted flush up against the stern. 
My son Daniel was recently visiting a marina on Lake Union in Seattle, and saw a 
Tayana 37 with a Fleming Windvane mounted flush with the stern, and with dinghy 
davits aft of the windvane. As shown in the photos, it was the most “snug” mounting I 
had yet seen of a Fleming, and the unit was about as far aft as are the Cap Horn 
installations!

As may be seen in the accompanying photos, the Fleming is mounted off-center to port. 
In my conversation with Ted and Karen Cameron, they chose that location in order to 
allow them to continue to use their dinghy davits. This did not interfere with the 
performance of the windvane.
The upper tower of the windvane that supports the horizontal vane stands clear of the 
upper rail of the stern pushpit. The lower support braces attach at asymmetric locations 
on the stern, but that has not led to any problems. Ted and Karen reported that it worked 
extremely well on their sail on the outside of Vancouver Island as well as during their sail 
south to Mexico several years ago. Ted suggested that were he to do the installation 
again, he might move it an inch or two further aft to avoid having the upper pulleys 
occasionally bump against the stern. But this is a very minor concern, and caused no 
significant problem. 

Kevin Fleming expressed a preference for mounting it on the center line of the boat, and 
suggested attaching it to the top of the caprail, if possible. 

I’ll keep you posted as my own installation progresses. 
Regards, 
Harvey Karten 
May 30, 2006