Hi fellow M'ers I've done the whole routine. I built a wind vane steering system for my T-L 29, and it worked very well. Sheet to tiller steering also works well, though not quite in the same ranges as the wind vane system. However, both quit working when there is no wind..................... and that's the rub! That's when the electronic - tiller autopilot - earns it's keep. When you have a three hour trip from A to B, under power, on a flat calm ocean the electronic auotpilot is the only one that functions. It took awhile to come to that realization, but that's when I bought and installed one. Now, if you have the electronic autopilot do you really need a wind vane? ........and unless you plan to sail around the world, or just want to play with the concept, the answer is no. So my ultimate solution was sheet to tiller steering, when I had wind; and the electronic autopilot for the flat calms. Power consumption of the autopilot was of no concern: my engine was running anyway. Connie