auto pilot which one
- Thread starter admirals barge
- Start date
I have a Simrad belowdecks setup on my E38. It is rated for 44,000lbs displacement, IIRC, so its hugely oversized. The ram is a HLD2000 with divorced pump and AP24 head and the upgraded computer. I do not have it tied into the GPS. I wanted to do it, never got around to it, and now I prefer it that way. My thinking is not tied in requires me to double check my course in the process of going somewhere. The more double checking I do, the better.....
So hows it work? Simply fantastic. It will steer in a quartering sea when over-canvased. It will steer in an 8ft confused sea with 30kts on the beam. Its way better than I am in poor conditions AND it doesn't get tired!
I had a bad experience with Simrads instruments a while back so I cannot recommend them for a complete "system" In fact, I would rather pick and choose the gear I want than be stuck with what one manufacturer is selling.
RT
So hows it work? Simply fantastic. It will steer in a quartering sea when over-canvased. It will steer in an 8ft confused sea with 30kts on the beam. Its way better than I am in poor conditions AND it doesn't get tired!
I had a bad experience with Simrads instruments a while back so I cannot recommend them for a complete "system" In fact, I would rather pick and choose the gear I want than be stuck with what one manufacturer is selling.
RT
My $.02 -- The PO of our E-33 installed an Autohelm 4ooo (Ring on wheel - no exposed drive belt). Never had much success with it under sail, but OK under power under reasonable sea conditions. A few years ago, the control head - a detachable box with the compass, electronics, and controls all in one - became flakey. Over our course of over a decade of owership, I had replaced the original Combi instruments with a complete suite of Nexus instruments (numerous displays, speed & log transduced, wind transducer, flux gate compass, GPS reciever, & the server). At the time, a friend of mine was representing Nexus and recommended I add a Nexus control unit and use it to drive the Autohelm wheelpilot. That's what I did and I have been happywith the resulting hybrid system. The Nexus control is way better than the original Autohelm control. As bonus, I'm all set up to add an electro-hydraulic under deck unit when the Autohelm unit fails, or whin I just plain want to ungrade.
Mike O. Ericson 33 JP Foolish
Mike O. Ericson 33 JP Foolish
brianb00
O - 34
Olson 34 External Hydraulic AP Installation
Hello All,
I have attached a picture as a reference:
THought I would share a few thoughts about the ST4000 and my install of same. I have installed an above deck, removable, Type 1 hydraulic system currently driven by an ST4000 control head. The system has my own rudder reference that is part of the removable box, cost of reference was $0.96. Why an above deck install ? When I don't want the drag of the hydraulics I simply lift the tiller up and it disconnects from the ram assembly. The RAM attaches into a brass bearing sleeve epoxied into the tiller. Secondly, the cost of installing below deck was ridiculous, not to mention the cost of components for a complete kit. The power of this compared to the ST4000 linear drive is substantial. Total cost was ~ $ 500 (my labor free).
Experience inshore and offshore single handing:
I can't wait to get the S1G, an NKE, or B&G. Likely will end up with S1G.
Note the ST4000 lying on floor of boat. This pic was taken about 200 miles west of San Fran after a foggy, damp, drippy night, during a single handed race. I was awakened at about 3 am and noticed I was going in circles. The ST4000 is prone to water absorbtion and when that happens the compass goes haywire (not the compass module, the electronics that converts that signal to real compass data. The ST4000 can be relied on in sunny conditions and relatively dry weather.
The drive unit has lots of horsepower and I am very pleased with this arrangement.
Stability under spinnaker is adequate up to 15kts in moderate sea state. If it gets gusty or the sea state gets radical the ST4000 just doesn't react fast enough and goes into a classic control failure due to under sampling of accurate course data. Up wind or tight reaching it handles well up to about 20 kts ( #1 flying, reef maybe, depending on mood).
I wouldn't recomment the ST4000 for any serious work offshore, however I foolishly continue to sail night and day under control of same.
Brian
Hello All,
I have attached a picture as a reference:
THought I would share a few thoughts about the ST4000 and my install of same. I have installed an above deck, removable, Type 1 hydraulic system currently driven by an ST4000 control head. The system has my own rudder reference that is part of the removable box, cost of reference was $0.96. Why an above deck install ? When I don't want the drag of the hydraulics I simply lift the tiller up and it disconnects from the ram assembly. The RAM attaches into a brass bearing sleeve epoxied into the tiller. Secondly, the cost of installing below deck was ridiculous, not to mention the cost of components for a complete kit. The power of this compared to the ST4000 linear drive is substantial. Total cost was ~ $ 500 (my labor free).
Experience inshore and offshore single handing:
I can't wait to get the S1G, an NKE, or B&G. Likely will end up with S1G.
Note the ST4000 lying on floor of boat. This pic was taken about 200 miles west of San Fran after a foggy, damp, drippy night, during a single handed race. I was awakened at about 3 am and noticed I was going in circles. The ST4000 is prone to water absorbtion and when that happens the compass goes haywire (not the compass module, the electronics that converts that signal to real compass data. The ST4000 can be relied on in sunny conditions and relatively dry weather.
The drive unit has lots of horsepower and I am very pleased with this arrangement.
Stability under spinnaker is adequate up to 15kts in moderate sea state. If it gets gusty or the sea state gets radical the ST4000 just doesn't react fast enough and goes into a classic control failure due to under sampling of accurate course data. Up wind or tight reaching it handles well up to about 20 kts ( #1 flying, reef maybe, depending on mood).
I wouldn't recomment the ST4000 for any serious work offshore, however I foolishly continue to sail night and day under control of same.
Brian
Attachments
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AutoPilot_Redsky.jpg
Good info & good pics
Totally Agree that the cost of the below-deck ram is quite high. As to the install, however, having spent some quality time back in the stern doing my own removal and reinstall of the steering cables on the factory (optional) quadrant... IF we had the tiller model like a number of Olson 911s, O-34, and Ericson 33RH owners, there would likely be a lot more room for the arm and ram to go in there. That wheel-shape quadrant takes up a lot of room...
Still would be a kind of a hassle to install. Having done a delivery on an Ericson with a below-decks AP, I really like having it all out of sight and out of harm's way on deck.
(It's just me -- decades ago I de-chromed my first car. Never did like clutter.)
Nice Thread = lots of correct answers for different sorts of applications and needs.
LB
Totally Agree that the cost of the below-deck ram is quite high. As to the install, however, having spent some quality time back in the stern doing my own removal and reinstall of the steering cables on the factory (optional) quadrant... IF we had the tiller model like a number of Olson 911s, O-34, and Ericson 33RH owners, there would likely be a lot more room for the arm and ram to go in there. That wheel-shape quadrant takes up a lot of room...
Still would be a kind of a hassle to install. Having done a delivery on an Ericson with a below-decks AP, I really like having it all out of sight and out of harm's way on deck.
(It's just me -- decades ago I de-chromed my first car. Never did like clutter.)
Nice Thread = lots of correct answers for different sorts of applications and needs.
LB