Aries Vane Gear cleaning service

 Over the years, well decades the Aries Vane Gear becomes stained with salt and grime from its many miles steering your yacht.

When an Aries Vane Gear comes in to me for new bearings I can offer a cleaning  service of the various metal parts.

Aries vane gear model three down tube bearings

 Made in the UK originally

in PTFE which is a really slippy plastic, I now make them here in South Africa with a Durban made product named Vesconite High Lube.

The Vesconite will outlast the PTFE and be very Slippy in service also.

Check the web site at www.vesconite.com 

Argie 15 sailing built by Jaap.

 

The Aries mark three vane gear

 What does the Aries mark three vane gear look like?

This picture shows the Mk3 version, there may be others with some slightly changed fittings, the hinge assembly on the water paddle being one, the air vane clamp may be another.

Genuine Aries vane gears ( there are copies) should have the words Aries Cowes I . O .W in the main frame assembly.

This Aries was cleaned and restored by myself, it was then packed into a shipping container and sent by courier to its new owner.

Aries Vane Gear stainless steel cross shaft bearings

 The early Aries Vane Gears were made to Imperial sizes, so the measurements were in inches.

The stainless steel cross shaft that supports the swing arm measures 1" ( one inch ) I have made a set of standard Vesconite  bushes to suit that, this will require the bronze or stainless steel gear machining out also.

Aries Vane Gear re made spare parts

Having the Aries Mk3 in for a service has allowed me to copy ( it is in inches ) exactly the required dimentions that need to be machined to.

An old bearing to the stainless steel down leg is on the left, a new pair of bearings are on the machine.

The Vesconite High Lube material in the lathe will next be cut to make a second set of bearings for another Aries Vane Gear.

Aries Vane Gear bushes in Vesconite High Lube plastic

 Aries Vane Gears will work better and for longer if the bushes ( bearings ) are made from Vesconite High Lube material.

The Aries Vane Gear mark three version I have in for service right now has had a set of bushes made, they are ready to fit soon.

I can accept orders from Worldwide, delivery is by Fedex and payment can be by Pay-Pal or a bank draft?

Aries Vane Gear spare parts

 

 It is thought that over 20,000 Aries Vane Gears of various types were produced?

Who has them and where are they, there were many models and types over the years!

Some we see here in Hout Bay near Cape Town and from time to time I am asked to service them for their owners.

In the past would ask a local engineer to machine bearings from Acetal, that person is no longer available to me, so  to be able to continue to service Aries gears I have bought a Maximat V10-P lathe.

With this lathe I can now machine in house and deliver faster.

A test part for another use was on a sample of Acetal.

I can also machine none Aries parts as well?

An Argie 15 kit build in New Zealand

We shipped an Argie 15 kit down to Ian in Picton, New Zealand.

Ian made a really fine job of  his build and uses the result for both power and sailing ventures.

Bill Petigrew took the image.

 

 The St Ayles Skiff in Hout Bay has created a new class for the HBYC, they now have a rowing section.

The new group has grown to the extent that another St Ayles Skiff is wanted, then they can race against each other !

The skiff is kept on the clubs marina and in sligs, so launching is really easy.

Its a fun thing, the rowing has introduced so many new members to the HBYC.

All part of the fun on the waters in Hout Bay!

Argie 15 kit build by Ian Allan

 This was a CKD plywood kit we shipped town to Ian in New Zealand.

He sure made a nice job of his build!

This was the first sail, note the nice rig, its a real simple one.

Ian and Paula having fun.

Ian, the builder looking really proud of his build effort!

How hard can it be?

Shipmate RS 5900 and RS 5910 user manual

 My Shipmate RS 5910 ran just fine from a Garmin 35/36 GPS, for some reason it no longer even lights up when powered from a 12volt power source.

I have the manual and can copy should anyone need one?

There are 67 pages in all.

Shipmate is a Simrad product.

Tysons of Dryden Street, Liverpool 5, an update

 Peter Tyson was one of the sons of Mr Tyson, he had a brother named Leslie.

Mr Leslie, his training was as a bricklayer.

I had virtually no contact with Leslie but there was some contact with Peter , the last was when I wrote to him from Salvador, Bahia, Brasil and explained that I had just sailed there on a 38ft wooden sail boat from Cape Town, South Africa and was about to leave, this time flying North.

Mr Peter is on the right, his wife is center, the contract was the River Thames flood barrier.

I was asking about employment? he replied, the end of his letter said " My advice to you is to keep on sailing! " we never met again and on my return to the UK I found employment in Shepperton Film Studios and as an interior designer with DK Shop Fitters.

That was just about it, then recently I received a mail from Peters daughter Penny, she had found my blog on Tysons and introduced herself.

We shared mails and one of them from Penny included a picture of a Tysons mug and a coaster.

I asked were there any spare and if so may I have one?

Penny mailed me  and one of each has been posted to me and today!

This is a remarkably kind offer and I will treasure the mug and coaster making a space in my display cabinet here in my office.

I think that Peter himself used this coaster?

This has been a remarkable event for myself.

Roy