As has been stated many times, these MacGregors are the perfect platform for modifications and improvements.
As a consumate tinkerer I have probably spent almost as much time fettling my boat as sailing her. In preparation of building a DIY wheel pilot (perhaps the Holy Grail of mods) I disassembled my helm to see if a pulley could be added. I found it could be done with a fair bit of effort.
I will keep the forum updated if successful but for now I'll just post some photos of the model T71FC helm for reference.
The last photo is a closeup of a half inch diameter extension to the shaft that will project from the rear of the helm. The previous photo is a DIY ball bearing support for that extension.
I have no experience with commercially produced wheel pilots other than what info has been posted on this forum.
The speed at which an auto system can correct your heading after a wind gust, large wave or current will be critical I suspect.
Could those that have them installed give me some idea of how quickly the wheel is rotated by the auto system in, say, degrees of rotation per second?
A very rough estimate will suffice. This would give me an idea of gear ratio that will work best between motor and wheel. Too slow may cause excessive weaving (What do ya do with a drunken sailor?) Too fast will require a more powerful motor.
Thanks guys.
You might want to check out Victor Maynard's entries on this site. He also perfected a home-made autopilot and may have good advice, things to avoid, general snags, weak spots, problematics, liabilities, and so forth and so on
Thanks March.
There hasn't been any discussion on that thread since April 2017.
My efforts are barely past the dream stage so I'll save pestering him for when I really need to. Do you know anything about that project, did it just die a quite death?
Tsunami wrote: ↑Mon Jan 29, 2024 9:38 am
I have no experience with commercially produced wheel pilots other than what info has been posted on this forum.
The speed at which an auto system can correct your heading after a wind gust, large wave or current will be critical I suspect.
Could those that have them installed give me some idea of how quickly the wheel is rotated by the auto system in, say, degrees of rotation per second?
A very rough estimate will suffice. This would give me an idea of gear ratio that will work best between motor and wheel. Too slow may cause excessive weaving (What do ya do with a drunken sailor?) Too fast will require a more powerful motor.
Thanks guys.
I found this video...isn't great but may give you an idea. The autopilot does have a faster "gear" when things get really bad, but most of the time it's like this.
That video is a good indication of what I should shoot for, thank you for that.
I'll have to modify my motor drive setup to operate much quicker than it is currently.
If anyone else has video of their auto pilot in action please post it up.
