Autopilot-Raymarine ST4000

This one is my version of a mod that lots of others have done.

I elected to put the control head in the most prominent position on the pedestal, just under the GPS mounted on its bracket on top. The other stuff that was already there had to be moved.

The first picture shows the whole setup; it appears the other instruments are blocked by the large ring on the wheel, but actually everything except the depth sounder is easily visible when seated at the captain's seat. This is a good shot of the 22" wheel, as well as the new circuit breaker panel which controls all power on the pedestal.

Note in the other pictures how I handled the torque arm on the pedestal and the bracket for the rudder position sensor. Both are made of 1/8" 304SS.

The torque arm provided with the unit was designed for a round post pedestal and wouldn't have worked well on the Mac. The z-shaped torque arm allows the arm to work without blocking any of the prime real estate on the pedestal.

To work best and eliminate lost motion in the linkage (after all, that's why you need it in the first place) I wanted to mount the rudder position sensor arm directly to the rudder bracket. The custom bracket I made allows it to fit perfectly in between the rudder bracket and the ballast valve handle. Note also that the threaded rod connnecting the rudder bracket to the RPS arm appears to be longer than it should be, but this is essential to compensate for the fact that because of the way the rudder linkage is designed, the inside rudder turns much farther than the outside rudder by nearly 15 degrees. With the extra long rod the RPS provides the average reading of the two.

Apologize for the poor condition of the boat. I've been spending so much time on the mods, I haven't had time to do the Spring cleaning yet.

Published by: Chip Hindes

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