Autopilot

[delevi]

Please forgive the repetition. I know there was a previous, very long thread about this a while ago, but I'm wondering if anyone has installed an autopilot which doesnt use the "donut" device which clamps onto the wheel, such as Raymarine's SP. This model is designed for powerboats, but some on this board have installed it, many of whom complain about steering wheel wobble. Does anyone know of another autopilot model, similar to the SP which is designed for sailboats? How about the ones using the SP who don't have wheel wobble? How is the performance under sail?

[Billy]

Don't let the talk about the SP "wobble" worry you. It's only a small fraction of an inch if any. I've used mine for over 3 years--3 trips crossing the Stream, all over the northern Bahamas, the lower Florida keys, and the Outer Banks of NC, not to mention the local lakes here.

2 things I would suggest with the SP if you decide to go that way. Get the Plus model and tighten the heck out of the nuts on the shaft. Don't be afraid to torque them. These 2 areas are where I had problems--can only blame myself.

[Jack O'Brien]

I also am happy with my SportPilot Plus. Billy is right. You need the Plus. The non-Plus can't handle the slow speed/continuous activation. For slow speed, i.e. sailing, it may also work better with the rudder position transducer. What, wheel wobble? What, me worry?

[Richard Lisch]

I am happy with my SP Plus on low speeds but can't get it work right on WOT with the boards up.

[Bobby T.-26X #4767]

i've got the SP (basic model).
installed in fall of '02.
i do feel a little wobble, but it's OK.
it also has a little bit of "play". maybe 2-3 degrees.
but it works fine.
i have used it powering at 20mph. does a fine job.
was the best price value at the time of purchase.

[norbert]

sorry, sp guys, but once again: if you are mainly sailing, get the autohelm/raymarine 4000 model and a larger (21') steering wheel!

[richandlori]

sorry, sp guys, but once again: if you are mainly sailing, get the autohelm/raymarine 4000 model and a larger (21') steering wheel!

But the Raymarine 4000 is Ugly!

There I said it....the honest truth....now put me in the back of the class......but it is UGLY....INHO~

This line of thinking takes me back to a goof friend who is always telling me:

"It doesn't have to run....it just has to look good. Looking good will buy you some forgiveness when it breaks. When something ugly breaks...that causes you more of a problem because it was so ugly, it looked like it should/would break and then someone gets blamed!"

Oh and by the way, the guy telling me his saying was a mechanic on Jet aircraft!

[Chip Hindes]

But the Raymarine 4000 is Ugly!

No argument there. It's also more difficult to install. But Norbert is 100% correct. It is designed for sailboats, unlike the powerboat Sportpilot, and has several features which come as standard which cost extra on the Sportpilot. IMO the autotack feature alone is worth the ugliness and installation difficulty.

If I were concerned about form over function, I wouldn't have a Mac in the first place.

And BTW, size matters. My wheel is 22". ST4000.

[Timmy Z]

Chip,

My wife gave me an st4000 for Christmas. I like what you did with the torque rod, Ill probably make on just like it. I do have a question. What position did you mount the control motor? I was thinking of mounting it into the pedestal where your round instrument is located. Your thoughts.

Tim

[Mark Karagianis]

How much do these cost?

Mark

[Chip Hindes]

Timmy:

The motor and clutch lever (which you can see in the photo) locations are not really optional but dictated by the location of the torque reaction arm. There are are two factory holes for the torque arm in the back of the drive ring, and depending on which one you choose, the motor and clutch lever end up at some given angle. If you want the motor to be at 6 o'clock, the torque reaction arm will have to be at some odd angle.

With my reaction arm as pictured at 6 o'clock, the hole in the drive ring I chose puts the motor and clutch lever at about 10 o'clock. The motor is fairly tight to the pedestal; it keeps the wiring nice and short, is unlikely to get damaged and yet still allows the pedestal cover to be removed.

I don't have the boat handy right now to check the motor location if I had chosen the other hole, but as I recall it would have caused the motor to interfere with the throttle lever on the right side.

In order to get around this "problem," a popular method is to make a tight fitting hole for the motor in the pedestal right where you want to put yours, then just plug the motor into the hole and use the motor itself as the torque reaction arm, skipping the factory arm altogether. I've seen this and it looks fairly neat and gets the motor completely out of the way, but IMO it puts loads on the motor, attachment and drive ring none of them were designed to handle. I think it's a bad idea, but if you want to do it I can refer you to somebody else who has done it that way.

[aya16]

I think for the pure simplistic side the sport pilot plus is a good option.
It performs well under sail and fair under power (at speed) But it does keep the boat on track very well when sailing disconecting the engine is a real plus. If I was to use the auto pilot for days at a time I would probably go with something more robust but for what my boat is used for it works fine. The ability to pull the wheel off when moored is a real bonus as you have more cockpit room. Not sure you can pull the wheel off with the other auto pilot so easy.
We dream of far off places and do all the mods towards the dream but
the boat at least for me is used in 5-10 hour trips. And the sport pilot
is very good for that.

[Frank C]

I understand & appreciate all the very good reasons for choosing the ST4000. But assuming the trimmer's seat is my primary position, I'm reluctant to accept its mandatory clutch design - you MUST release the clutch to override the pilot's course control ... ?

By contrast, I like the Sport Pilot Plus for ability to simply grab the wheel to override the pilot's course. Further, I've understood that the SP wired-remote adds the auto-tacking capability?

Finally, I'm probably still on the autopilot fence, pending more developments in the "wireless remote" accessories.

[Catigale]

This is a serious thread rehash, but just to share my thoughts on this, I would like to put in a Tiller Pilot for steering redundancy in case of failure of the steering gear.

The wireless ones dont give me confidence though - I would rather have a hard connection for steering control.

I think several people posted that the quick disconnect thing is not an issue for them

[Frank C]

Understand ... agree ... especially about using a tiller pilot. But I still don't understand why same caveat isn't even MORE important with them. Unless spending the big-boat-bucks on the ST5000, you need physical access to a TP in order to disable them.

West Marine's bargain store in Oakland always has a few ST5000 open-boxes. If I catch them on a "clear-out weekend" (~$1500), I might just choose that solution!