Posted by msheehan1 (msheehan1@…>)
Hi,
I am looking to put an autopilot into my F32. I would appreciate any
suggestions.
Thanks,
Mike
Posted by Sward (swardfullsail@…>)
I have a Raymarine ST4000-works good-that one isn’t made anymore I would like one that has a remote to be able to steer from the companionway or bow in case of rain or nice weather-i singlehand I also like the model with the drive below deck-not sure if it’s hydrolic-A friend had one-really nice-probably a lot more expensive. IF the price was within reach i would get that one.-not Raymarine-name escapes me now msheehan1 <msheehan1@…> wrote: Hi,I
am looking to put an autopilot into my F32. I would appreciate anysuggestions.Thanks,Mike “Life is a Reach, then you Jibe” SWARD
Posted by Al Lorman (ajl@…>)
Sward:
You
can buy a wireless remote for your Raymarine ST4000. You can sometimes find the
old wired version on eBay.
Al
Lorman
F30
Ab Initio
From:
FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On
Behalf Of Sward
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 11:07 AM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Autopilot suggestion
\
I have a Raymarine ST4000-works good-that one isn’t made
anymore
\
I would like one that has a remote to be able to steer from
the companionway or bow in case of rain or nice weather-i singlehand
\
I also like the model with the drive below deck-not sure if
it’s hydrolic-A friend had one-really nice-probably a lot more expensive.
IF the price was within reach i would get that one.-not Raymarine-name escapes
me now
msheehan1 <msheehan1@…> wrote:
Hi,
I am looking to put an autopilot into my F32. I would appreciate any
suggestions.
Thanks,
Mike
“Life is a Reach, then you
Jibe”
\
SWARD
\
Posted by katorpus (jrb@…>)
check out Tecnautic’s unit at tecnautic.com (note that there is NO “h”
in the name)…this is NOT the same outfit that makes refrigeration
equipment.
They have the fly-by-wire unit, and control heads that can be
integrated into previously existing hydraulic actuators, or you can buy
the whole thing from them.
I bought one to replace the (dead) control head for my vintage (Pre-
Raytheon) Autohelm hydraulic unit, but I haven’t completed the
installation as of yet…but they are wonderful people to deal with.
— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “msheehan1” <msheehan1@…>
wrote:
Hi,
I am looking to put an autopilot into my F32. I would appreciate any
suggestions.Thanks,
Mike
Posted by rick_simonds (rick_simonds@…>)
— In FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com, “msheehan1”
<msheehan1@…> wrote:
Hi,
I am looking to put an autopilot into my F32. I would appreciate any
suggestions.Thanks,
Mike
I’ll offer one strongly-felt observation: “It’s hard to be happy down
on the farm once you’ve seen Paris.”
I have an old belt drive system on my Hoyt 32 that I dig out and hook
up to the wheel when I want to use it. It was inexpensive and very
easy to install. It works fine, except for maybe really heavy
conditions. It works well.
I have since spent much more time around other boats with the below
decks, built in systems. There was nothing cheap about these units
and the installation process might be days long instead of hours
long. Still, if there’s ANY WAY you can afford it, that’s the
unquestionably way to go. Having a system that’s always there, ready
to go at the push of a button instead of a system that has to be set
up in advance is a huge difference.
I thought of my autopilot as a way of avoiding the drudgery of being
at the helm for hours on end. Of course it does that, mine has sailed
thousands of miles (actually probably more often “motored”), but I
found that an autopilot really has a just-as-important function: An
autopilot is to steer for just a few seconds while I “_________”
(fill in the blank with: grab a sandwich, study the chart, get a
sweater, untangle a line, use the head, find the binoculars, close
the hatches, investigate what just went “klunk”,…)
A built-in autopilot, waiting, always ready to go, is 4 times the
cost. Is it 4 times as useful?
Yes. It is.
Rick
Tallahassee
Posted by lance_ryley (lance_ryley@…>)
Well put, Rick. Bright Star’s unit had failed before I bought her,
and if I had kept her another year I probably would have put one of
the Tecnautics systems in, mostly based on price and the few dealings
I had with Otto through email.
On Glory, I have an older ST7000 system, and it works very well, most
of the time. I have to replace the head unit, since every once in a
while (usually the first time you really need it) it just beeeps at
me until I cycle the power. I plan to put a new head and a remote on
it.
As far as which one to go with, my suggestion is to go one vessel
size larger than you think you’re going to need. It’s a little more
money for less stress on the boat and system in the long run.
The hardest part of the mounting seems to be the bracket to rudder
(or quadrant) mount, which seems to be something that requires a fair
amount of custom fabrication depending on the layout. Since it’s so
critical to the success of the system, don’t skimp. Obviously this
doesn’t apply to hydraulic systems.
Lance
Posted by Bob Weeks (rweeks6508@…>)
I have the original Navico Wheelpilot
WP100 and the only thing I done so far is replace a belt. In the open ocean in
a close haul with 25+ knots of wind and five foot seas this system was solid
and did not skip a beat. It’s a self contained system and they just don’t
make them like they use to anymore! The more bells and whistles the more
things to break. I’ve seen newer systems with many problems and
naturally costing a lot more. I was bidding for a complete system on eBay but
someone else felt the same way I did and paid a bundle to get.
Bob
From: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com [mailto:FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of lance_ryley
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008
4:53 PM
To: FreedomOwnersGroup@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [FreedomOwnersGroup] Re:
Autopilot suggestion
Well put, Rick. Bright Star’s unit had failed before I
bought her,
and if I had kept her another year I probably would have put one of
the Tecnautics systems in, mostly based on price and the few dealings
I had with Otto through email.
On Glory, I have an older ST7000 system, and it works very well, most
of the time. I have to replace the head unit, since every once in a
while (usually the first time you really need it) it just beeeps at
me until I cycle the power. I plan to put a new head and a remote on
it.
As far as which one to go with, my suggestion is to go one vessel
size larger than you think you’re going to need. It’s a little more
money for less stress on the boat and system in the long run.
The hardest part of the mounting seems to be the bracket to rudder
(or quadrant) mount, which seems to be something that requires a fair
amount of custom fabrication depending on the layout. Since it’s so
critical to the success of the system, don’t skimp. Obviously this
doesn’t apply to hydraulic systems.
Lance
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