At last! a self steering system that is robust, adjustable,easy to install, sea tested and proven. The vane has weathered hurricane Georges in Bayou Portage, Hurricane Isadore in Ocean Springs, and Katrina at Slidell, La.,without damage..
Three hurricanes..on three different boats without even taking in the vane..
Fits most boats from twenty five feet to fifty five feet, and it is affordable, and simple to construct...

The Parker Pathfinder system is the result of more than thirty years of designing wind vane systems, sailing self steering systems, and dreaming of wind vane systems Every attempt has been made to solve the various problems found in some other designs..
1. The system must be simple to build, and repairable, from local materials, anywhere in the world. Pathfinder has only six moving parts.
2. There should be NO metal in the water.
3. No mechanical stops to limit servo oar travel, yet the system must not "run away".
4. Tiller lines are above the deck line so no one has to go over the stern to replace them.
5. the system should require no significant alterations to the boat in order to install it.No holes in the transom.
6. The system should not protrude far from the stern, making it vulnerable while at anchor.
7. The system must be very robust, and powerful enough to handle even very heavy tillers or wheels.. Most importantly the system must be stable under all sea and wind conditions, and must be adjustable even at sea to match different vessel
characteristics and sail combinations. The Pathfinder Pendulum system utilizes a unique design feature which provides exceptional stability and adjustability..
8. Since this is a servo-pendulum system..the servo oar must be able to "kick up" if caught by a line or debris without damage.
9. the system can be readily removed in less than twenty minutes.. servo and windvane....

PATHFINDER SELF STEERING

Pathfinder is a simple servo pendulum system, It consists of two components, a servo pendulum assembly, built of common stainless steel or aluminum, if need be, which can be easily built by a good welding shop, or fabricated at home, and taken to a welder.. The second component, the wind vane, is separate, and thus the system can be easily adapted to a variety of stern shapes.
Transom sterns are best.. This wind vane unit, utilising a horizontally pivoted vane, is made of pieces of aluminum tubing or pipe. Again, you can cut the pieces at home with simple tools and let a welder put them together..There are no complicated machined parts..The vane itself and the servo oar are of simple, cheap, wooden construction.. It can be used with wheel or tiller steering.. It weighs thirty pounds...I designed this unit for the young couple or the single hander who MUST have reliable equipment, but who often cannot pay the rather high prices current for commercial gears..It makes world cruising possible in smaller, more sensible, boats.


I designed this system in 1975 and used it successfully on trips to Guadeloupe Is, Down the Mexican coast, and a lot of channel sailng on my 42 foot cutter, DAWN TREADER II. Since then it has been used on various boats from 27 to 42 feet with good success.. I used it on my Columbia 8.7, PSYCHE, to sail the Intracoastal ond offshore waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The unit is so robust that it weathered three hurricanes (in hurricane holes) without my even taking off the vane! It did batter a lot of planks out of the docks when the water was receding..You can literally lift the stern of a 28 footer out of the water by the servo oar..I did it...

Commercial windvanes start at around $3,000.00, US..You can build a Pathfinder for less than a third of that cost,
( sometimes even less, if you're a natural scrounger) and it will fit your boat, and most importantly it can be tailored to fit your own boats characteristics, and can be adjusted easily at any time..The power is adjustable as well.

Having a wind vane makes day sailing more enjoyable..You don't need that extra hand while you go forward to tighten a halyard.
You don't need to be tied to the tiller on passage, or even while day sailing..
You don't need big batteries...
You don't need solar panels...
You don't need to carry the supplies to feed extra crew...
You can go on a smaller, more sensible boat...
Wouldn't you rather stay below and let the windvane handle THIS baby?

The Pathfinder self steering system is my legacy to the world of Ocean Sailing.. You can get a complete set of design discussions, building sketches and instructions, and installation and sailing instructions, along with the right to consult any time you like....Things are always changing, ask about design ideas any time..Tell me your ideas...
26 sketches, 16 pages of text.......Cheap at  $29.95( shipping included)Call me if you like, (870)258 3081
 Or, Just send a check to: David Parker
P.O. Box 184,
Oxford,
Arkansas, 72565 , And you're in the wonderfrul world of self steering!( ask for the Pathfinder)