Next-Generation SailTimer Wind Instrument™
Mounting Options
To highlight some of the innovative features of the new wireless, solar-powered SailTimer Wind Instrument™, more preliminary information and photos of some of the new features are provided here, leading up to the product launch in the coming weeks.
The Wind Instrument has a lot of mounting options. It comes with a vertical Mounting Rod which can be attached to the top of your masthead. The Mounting Rod is 9 inches (22.8 cm) long and marine-grade stainless steel. You can see the foot of the Mounting Rod with four machine screws in the photo below. Remarkably, the foot is only 21 mm square; very sturdy, yet smaller than a postage stamp. The Wind Instrument also has a standard tripod mount, so can you can set it on a beach for windsurfing one day, or for example put it on/off a sailing dinghy using the versatile line of GoPro camera mounts.
Rather than attaching the Mounting Rod to the top of your masthead, what if you want to attach it to a vertical surface like a boathouse wall, the side of your mast, or a stanchion? Use the marine-grade stainless steel L-Bracket accessory shown in the photo below (larger view). The L-bracket also comes with the innovative wing-nut hose clamps in the photo, for quick release or attaching with no tools.
The Wind Instrument can be easily removed from the Mounting Rod, which is handy when things need to happen quickly while your mast is being craned in the spring or fall. Without the Mounting Rod, the Wind Instrument itself is less than 8 inches tall, and very portable. Because it has a 1/4-inch tripod thread in the bottom, it will also attach to the versatile GorillaPod as shown on a dock here. Those bendable mini-tripods can grab on to pretty much anything as in the photo below, where you can see the black base of the Wind Instrument set on a stern rail with a GorillaPod.
Full pictures and product specifications are coming soon, when the SailTimer Wind Instrument is officially launched and pre-ordering starts. Two new systems will also be shown then for raising the Wind Instrument to the masthead without needing to climb or lower the mast (patent pending). That has never been possible before. There was little need for this in the past, since the SailTimer Wind Instrument is the first wireless anemometer that can transmit directly from the masthead to smartphones and tablets. Traditionally, you had to go up to install the wiring down through the mast. But we have no wires to run down the mast. These new raising systems are highly useful if your boat is already in the water with the mast up.
The exact timing depends on our supply chain, but we are hoping to begin pre-orders by the second week of December. Our previous anemometer has been completely redesigned with this new version, resulting in new innovations and a much lower cost. The new SailTimer Wind Instrument will be available to pre-order online for US $350, and will later retail for US $449.99.