The GULLSWEEP
is made of materials that are resistant to the effects of salt water
and sunlight. The arms are bright anodized aluminum. They may be
cleaned with a damp cloth. An abrasive cleaner should not be used. All
other metal parts are stainless steel. The bearing pin should be kept
clean, as an accumulation of salt is very abrasive. Wiping it with an
oily cloth will accomplish this, and will provide a little
lubrication. Wash out the bearing hole occasionally with fresh water.
Tests have been made at wind velocities in excess of 60 miles an hour
with no adverse effects. However, we recommend that the GULLSWEEP
should be removed and stored away when winds are in excess of 30 mph
as birds will not be roosting in such a wind, and the high rotation
rate will not improve the life of the GULLSWEEP.
ASSEMBLY: All necessary parts are in the GULLSWEEP
package for a proper mounting on your boat. The wind vanes are ready
to mount on the aluminum extension rods. They should be mounted on top
of the extension rod (fold the rods out to determine the top) using
the nylon nut to tighten the vane in place (Fig. 7). These nuts should
be snugged tight so they will not come loose. The vanes should be
mounted so each one is on the opposite side of the rods and as per
Fig. 6, so GULLSWEEP
rotates clockwise.
MOUNTING: The GULLSWEEP
can be mounted on the canopy forward deck or stern deck, as shown in
Fig. 1 or Fig. 2. The bearing pin should be vertical. If tilted it may
not work as well in a light breeze. Where there are searchlights,
etc., on the forward part of the canopy, or on a very large canopy, it
is preferable to mount the GULLSWEEP
toward the stern, as in Fig. 3. Since a gull generally lands into the
wind, this position is most effective. If additional clearance is
needed, the arms may be bent as in Fig. 4. When mounting the base on a
fiberglass canopy, holes should be drilled first, using a 1/8 or
#30 drill.
When Mounting on a Canvas Top the following mounting
procedure should be used. Tighten up the straps so the top is drawn
tight. Unclip one half of the forward edge along the windshield. This
makes it possible to work from within the cockpit. Screw the bearing
pin into the base. With the base centered over the middle bow, with
the holes fore and aft, outline the base on the top with a pencil.
Remove the adhesive cloth reinforcing tape from the bottom of the base
and place it in the marked position. With a sharp instrument (ice
pick) make two holes in the marked positions on the tape, just large
enough to insert the u-bolt. On a top having a canvas strip enclosing
the bow, Fig. 5, insert the u-bolt from above. It may be necessary to
loosen the straps to do this. With the straps tightened again, fasten
the base in place, tightening the plastic lock nuts only sufficiently
to lock the base securely, otherwise you may strip them. On tops
having no strip enclosing the bow, the u-bolt may be inserted from
below. The stainless steel u-bolt has been made long enough to
accommodate bows of diameters up to 7/8. Therefore, it the ends
protrude through the plastic nuts more than 1/8 they may be broken
off flush with the top of the nuts by rocking them back and forth a
few times with pliers. It may or may not be necessary to remove the
pin to fold the top down, depending on the particular boat.
On larger boats, you may choose to place additional GULLSWEEPS
at different locations on the boat. |
Center pin (shown) is not included with GS-RM because it utilizes the
standard pin