I have decided to order a SailTimer Wind. I realize earlier product models did not live up to expectations. However, the latest iteration has address many of the technical issues of prior models. I have emailed them periodically over the past 2 years with questions and discussions as to how prior issues were being addressed. STW has always responded promptly. I am going on the assumption if you are willing to put a product in the market for lease you are prepared to make bank on dependability. The STW is 1/4 the cost of the next available system (Raymarine TackTick with mast compass).
Following is the email I receive today in response to the prior email I sent.
It will most likely be 60 days before I get the boat in the water. Once installed I will post the results. My current plan is to integrate with a Samsung Galaxy Tablet running Android, then follow with a Garmin etc. chartplotter which supports NMEA 0183 devices via bluetooth. The only caveat is the data thru put of NMEA 0183 is significantly slower than NMEA 2000. But then I have a slow sailboat so perhaps the data path is adequate for the instrument.
Hi, Thanks for reaching out. Specific responses inserted below…
On Feb 25, 2020, at 6:06 PM, Dave Deem <
[email protected]> wrote:
Good afternoon,
Is there any difference between the direct purchase or lease with regards to upgrades or warranty?
'No, exactly the same except for the pricing.'
Is the lease program a lease purchase or lease (return and end of lease period).
'It is monthly installment payments. After 24 months, you own the Wind Instrument.'
'With the upfront payment, the price is $549.99, which is an excellent price for a masthead anemometer. With the $26.99 monthly payments over 24 months, if you do the math, that costs more, but has a low monthly fee.'
Is the lease program paid via automatic credit deduction?
'Yes, from Paypal.'
I am looking to upgrade to a Garmin 73sv which supports NEMEA 2000. Do I need any additional hardware besides the AirLink to connect?
'NMEA 2000 has high licensing fees for manufacturers, with really no other benefit for us. So we use NMEA 0183, which is an open industry standard, and works perfectly well. The manual for your Garmin 73sv appears to be at
https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?partN ... ab=manuals. The screenshot below is from there, and indicates that your Garmin can also connect to NMEA 0183 without needing any extra adapter.'
FYI I will also take advantage of your Android / Bluetooth wireless Ap.
'Yes, that will give you the best of both worlds: the Air Link can get the data to your Garmin MFD, and smartphone apps have lots of innovative new features. Plus, the Air Link can also send data the other way, from your NMEA network on wifi to your smarthphone apps. So the Air Link can also be a bridge from legacy marine electronics to mobile apps.'
Congratulations on the new product release. It looks to solve many of the issues of earlier designs. Well done!
'Thanks for your comments. Yes, this is a mature product now. It has innovative features, and has gone through a number of iterations since 2012. The Wind Instrument RB™ has been out since last August, and has been getting a great reception from sailors with its new features.'
Regards,
Customer Service Team
SailTimer Inc.
www.SailTimerWind.com