Autopilot questions

[jcollins]

It's time to replace my current autopilot (Sharon model 1)
I was looking at Simrad and Raymarine. The guy that's installing recommends the Raymarine and that is good enough for me unless someone with practical experience has any different thoughts.

I was thinking of installing the compass in the step that leads into the cabin. My battery switch is there. I'm wondering if that will cause interference?

Second location would be under the quarter birth.

Any thoughts?

[Richard]

John, I have been happy with the Raymarine units. I have had one with a dial control (Albin) and one with a push button control (tug). The dial control is a little more expensive but it has a "power steering" mode which comes in handy for making gradual turns (it sets and holds a given rudder angle based on how far you turn the dial). The push button control allows you to select a 1 or 10 degree course change whereas with the dial it is proportional to the dial setting. I have been happy with both approaches but do miss the power steering option in the push button unit.

I would also recommend the gyro option in the controller as it does a better job correcting in rough seas

The compass transducer could also go in the closet.

[Russell]

I have the gyro controlled Raymarine Autohelm and am very happy with it. It is linked to the Furuno GPS so it will pilot to a waymark. The compass is in the cabinet below the sink in the head. Make sure to stay away from any wires as they give off a magnetic field when carrying current. I made that mistake many years ago in a sailboat and when my wife turned on the water spigot in the galley the boat turned 90 degrees. It took a while before I figured out what was happening.

[RobS]

John,

Ric, and I both have all-Furuno electronics including the NavPilot 511. Jack K has the 511 too. We are all thrilled with this unit. Next week you can check it out for yourself on both TOY-RIFIC and Time After Time.

If you like, we can head out on the river so you can run the boat yourself. It's simply wonderful, that little plastic dial certainly get's more use than the steering wheel.

I also have several routes in my chartplotter and have used the AP to follow the routes automatically turning from point to point. Ofr just hold a heading or navigate to a single waypoint.

My electronic compass is in the medicine cabinet, steerng pump under the starboard helm and processor unit in the starboard v-bunk next to the hanging closet.

The cabin-step with the battery switch is a no no. Too much electro-magnetic there. Geographically it's perfect, nearly center bow to stern and p to s and it's low and dry but no good. The medicine cabinet location has been great. I still have it set in there with only blue tape holding it in place as I did not want to drill and mount it until I knew it was true in all conditions. I've got a couple hundred miles on her this season which include many trips offshore in different sea conditions and she's been dead on with accuracy and has not wandered or been confused once.

Matt has the Raymarine with the +/-1, +/-10 deg steering buttons. I know he's happy with the Raymarine equipment. His Raymarine equipment is a simpler setup, does not have a stand-alone processing unit, the display head is the processor. You can see the Raymarine setup on Matt's boat next week too.

BTW, I got top dollar for my used equipment on eBay, How much would you let your "old" auto-pilot go for

[loubennett]

John,

I installed the Raymarine Smartpilot X10 this spring and it works fine. The processor is installed under the sink in the head. The pump is in the stern near the steering ram. The flux gate compass is installed on the forward bulkhead of the hanging locker in the space covered by the dinette backrest. I agree that the cabin step is a bad place for the compass. You want to keep it away from any DC electrical wiring. Mine works fine. I don't yet have it interfaced to the GPS because I plan to upgrade the GPS/chartplotter soon. I have the ST-60 Autopilot Control Head. It's a pretty neat control/display with multiple color display options. It also adds the capability to run patterns which could be useful for fishing or searching. See the Raymarine website for the details. I agree with Richard that the controller with the rotary knob has some advantages. One disadvantage, however is that it takes more space on the panel.

If you would like to see how it operates I'd be happy to let you try it. You could either make a trip to Annapolis or we could meet somewhere else when we happen to be cruising.

[jcollins]

Thanks for all your replies and insights. The power steering dial unit is one I've been looking at but I may have to go with the other one because of space on the dash. I'll be measuring this weekend.

Rob - I'm going to hang on to the old unit for awhile.

Looking forward to seeing everyone's setup.

[jcollins]

Thought I should update. After looking at everyone's APs I decided to go with the Ray Marine ST 6002 with the SG1 processor. Seems to fit my needs and budget. Andy is installing today. Compass and processor under the sink. He is suggesting the pump in the medicine cabinet to keep it accessible and in a dry place.

[JackK]

John -

I have the Furuno 511 Autopilot and my installer recommended the same as yours. The pump is a little tight in the medicine cabinet but it fit and works great. His reasoning for the medicine cabinet was - it's high and dry. He stated that he sees a lot of pumps having to be replaced because of corrosion issues (water exposure). My processor is mounted under the sink as well.

Jack

[jcollins]

His reasoning for the medicine cabinet was - it's high and dry. He stated that he sees a lot of pumps having to be replaced because of corrosion issues (water exposure)

Hi Jack,
Perhaps my installer knows your installer. Exact same words.

[RobS]

[quote="jcollins"]...... Compass and processor under the sink.....quote]

John, sounds too close together for these components?

[jcollins]

...... Compass and processor under the sink.....quote]

John, sounds too close together for these components?

Rob,
Thanks for mentioning that. I'll check it out this afternoon and take a few pictures. If I make it to the boat I'm supposed to go through the setup.
I'll report back.

[RobS]

The eqpt should have the compass safe distance marked on it and check the installation manual too.

[JackK]

I think Rob is right regarding putting the compass and controller next to each other. My compass is located behind the dinette cushion on the wall formed by the hanging closet. The installer fabricated a cute bracket to mount it. I tried to find a place more toward the centerline but the installer assured me that this would be fine. It's been in for a couple of years now with no problems. Like Rob I steer the boat with the little knob a lot more than the wheel . Once you are used to it, you will not know how you got by without the autopilot.

[RobS]

Knew I'd be leaving Essex in heavy fog on Wed morning to run to Mystic. Before leaving Essex I made a 6 point route on the Chartplotter from the mouth of the CT River to the 1st set of red & green inside Mystic. Ran with the AP following the route so I just sat back and watched the radar overlay. I set the "Trail" on the radar to "On" so I clearly knew who was moving and who was not. The CT Casino High Speed Ferry makes for a very big very fast moving mark! The fog thickened to about 0.25 nm but I was able to cruise comfortably and arrive ahead of schedule. Not having to navigate and being able to simply watch the radar and the lobster pots just makes the fog that much simpler to deal with.

John, moral of the story - connect (NMEA) the AP to your chartplotter. It's nice to have the AP to both steer with and to hold a heading but to track it to a waypoint or follow a route is even sweeter.

[jcollins]

First part of the sea trial setup went perfect. Conditions were 2-3' chop, wind around 15, against outgoing tide. "Otto" handles the following sea much better than I can.
The admiral wasn't into running the last part of setup (zig-zag course) because of conditions.
Since the pump is right behind the dash I can bearly hear it with the engine running at idle speed.

You guys were right, as usual.