Hey Hippo. Much of the negative comments on Wesmar posted to TF over the last 2-years is from me. I had a terrible customer service experience with them, and continue to get mostly crickets from them for tech support. I was given the name of a tech with whom I can email, but it's a back channel that probably isn't authorized. But since my refit project is still underway and the boat is on the hard, I can't speak to how well the new system actually works. I will say that because stabilizers are rarely fit on a vessel as small as my Willard 36, I didn't have a lot of choice in the system - Wesmar makes a smaller size than others. Otherwise, I would have gone with ABT Trac no questions asked. They call only a slight premium and they are a robust system with fantastic customer support. In my mind, the purchase premium is quickly diluted by all the other costs involved of installation so it becomes an asterisk-level rounding error. They just didn't make a small enough system for me.
I had an old Vosper Thornycroft set of hydraulic stabilizers that were OEM install in 1970. They became impossible to source parts for, so I replaced them.
First, for anything resembling open ocean work in a power boat, I personally do not believe stabilizers are optional. There are some who may disagree, few I suppose who have spent any appreciable time in open water. So it comes down to what's best.
Like so many things, it depends. For me, I didn't even think about a different option to hydraulic stabilizers to replace my old Vospers. I should have, but it just never occurred to me. I probably would have chosen to replace with fins, but I should have more closely considered paravanes which I've run on several boats. I have zero experience with gyros so have no comment except to say they are not a good fit for me because I would never run my generator 24/7 - I'm just not that type of cruiser. Many are, but not me.
I do not worry about a hull penetration - that seems to be a caution from people who don't have stabilizers and strikes me as partially a sour-grapes response. I'm not saying it's zero risk, but I am saying it's close enough to zero that it's a none-issue for me, at least that's my opinion. For me, the biggest down-side to fins is complexity and space - the hydraulic tank is big, especially for a 36-footer. On a larger yacht, not a problem, so that's unique to my situation. But still, there are pumps and hoses and coolers and actuators and all sorts of stuff. The bearings on the stabilizers should be serviced each haul-out, and adds a couple grand to the yard charges. You also need to find a yard that is knowledgeable in pulling stabilizers, though it's not a tremendously complex system. But you will need bushings and bearings.
Paravanes. My experience has always been with a new-to-me-system, and things like launching have unique attributes to every boat. Because I never did it more than a few times, I didn't get good at any one boat. They are a bit cumbersome to manage, especially retrieval. Not difficult, but not something your wife will be doing vs flipping a switch on fins. Many higher end boats such as Nordhavn have several electric winches to run the fish. Maybe there are better brands than Rule and Warn out there, but the winches I've used over the years for boom-lifts rust-out pretty quickly. Would be an Achilles Heel of an otherwise simple system.
About 20-years ago when Willard was still making production trawlers, Zimmerman Marine (Chesapeake Bay, a Willard dealer at the time) took a W30 from Maryland to Bermuda. It was equipped with paravanes. Steve D, yard manager at the time, wrote a couple articles in PMM about the trip. He referenced the system was undersized, which would be fairly easy to remedy, though not underway of course. Maybe under extreme conditions there's a risk of launching a fish into the PH window as shown through George Clooney's eyes in the movie Perfect Storm, but risk is pretty low.
Long intro to say that in my opinion, paravanes are better for longer runs if only because they are simple. There are air-draft issues if you plan to do the Loop, but I am compelled by the simple system and I wish I had considered them more closely, Not sure I would have ultimately selected them, but I didn't even consider them,
Fins are great, but are a fairly complex system though have a long history of reliable service. They do require periodic maintenance to replace bushings, seals, and bearings. In my research, I felt ABT Trac was the best system out there and would be my go-to given the choice. Wesmar would be at the bottom of my list, but I'm sure there are others who have had fine experience with them.
One final point that I rarely see mentioned. Many people note that stabilizers carry a speed penalty due to drag, especially for fish. Weebles, a Willard 36, is incredibly low and carries 25% of its displacement in ballast, an extremely high percentage. On my last run from San Francisco to Ensenada - 500 nms over 75 hours, the stabilizers were run about 25% of the time, though in all fairness, I chose a known seasonal weather window and waited for calm conditions. So I have a choice to run stabilized or unstabilized. Truth is, we sort of like the gentle rocking motion of Weebles so often only run stabilizers during meal prep. Nordhavns and [especially] Defevers do not have a choice - they pretty well need stability 100% of the time. I strongly believe that when stabilizers are needed, a stabilized boat is faster than an unstabilized boat that often cork-screws or twists, even in head-seas.
Hope this helps. I know our cruising aspirations are similar and I had recent experience in the decision, so added the lengthy description.
Peter
