Autopilot Mount for H34

Stu Jackson · Oct 30, 2013

Most folks mount them behind the wheel, making them "slaves behind the wheel." I put ours on the coaming, like this:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5445.msg33671.html#msg33671

Allan12210 · Oct 30, 2013

YVR

I added a swing arm for my autopilot display as I had no where else to mount it at the helm. It was a bit pricey (even from Amazon) at over $200, but it works well for us. We swing it around after taking that wooden GPS/Cup holder off and then can still use our existing wheel cover. Come to think of it, if we would have had to make a new wheel cover, then it wasn't so expensive.

Both of us can reach and see the AP controls easily.

Allan

kloudie1 · Oct 30, 2013

I made an error by installing mine right below the helmsman's seat in the forward lazarette bulkhead. My thought was that I could then see the display when sitting on the side seats or from in the cabin. If I were to mount one today, I would put it in the little cubby in the cockpit combing just to port of the wheel. I am going to install oil pressure and water temp gauges there next week. My Garmin chartplotter is where Allan's autopilot head is.

Dan Johnson · Oct 30, 2013

I replaced an ST-4000 with an X-5 and mounted the control head where the old ST-4000 was located: on the starboard side of the cockpit footwell below the cubby pocket. It can be seen standing or sitting at the helm. There is an LED cockpit footwell light now in the hole below the control head.

See pix...

rufus1138 · Oct 30, 2013

kloudie1 said:
I made an error by installing mine right below the helmsman's seat in the forward lazarette bulkhead. My thought was that I could then see the display when sitting on the side seats or from in the cabin. If I were to mount one today, I would put it in the little cubby in the cockpit combing just to port of the wheel. I am going to install oil pressure and water temp gauges there next week. My Garmin chartplotter is where Allan's autopilot head is.

same story on ballerina, not a fan, im currently debating staying with the st-4000 or going with a cpt auto pilot since the belt in the 4000 shredded on the trip home, i know i can fix the st4000 for 600 bucks but the cpt is so much stronger that im extremely tempted.

regardless the current mount location is not going to be used when i get something going again.

kloudie1 · Oct 30, 2013

Rufus, sounded like belt might have been done in by steering chain jumping?? anyway, here is what I have on a replacement belt; didn't know if you had found one already:
Source for ST 4000 drive belt

St 4000 drive belt
425 syncroflex AT 5/750
Poly Tech Design
26 West First St
Clifton N.J. 07011
800 859 7659
B10AT5/750 FPS
http://www.polytechdesign.com/

rufus1138 · Oct 30, 2013

we suspect it was backwards, the belt shredded before we lost the steering and was gobbing up the steering making it hard to turn the wheel, thanks for the info on the belt, i was only finding replacement drive units as a whole, which are 600 bucks.

Richard Bryer · Oct 30, 2013

I mounted mine in the cubby just above where Dan put his. It just fits and this keeps it out of the weather. Little bit awkward to see but not a real problem. I needed to put mine near where the power plug was for the old 3000 to save re-wiring.

lnikl · Oct 31, 2013

I have an older Autohelm autopilot and it doesn't have a display. The power outlet for it and the mounting bracket for the fluxgate compass and controller are located on the aft side of the starboard lazarette's vertical surface (installed by the p/o). It is a belt drive type of unit (sorry, no photo) that is removed or put on as needed.
This does cause a cable to run across my path from helm main part of cockpit. While I have always considered this to be a less than elegant solution, I don't find it getting in the way and I haven't tripped over it (yet). The controlled does not get in my way. The solutions provided by others above are better (as are their autopilots) but if you don't have the space on your pedestal, this is a workable set up. Of your drive unit is permanently mounted then the cable issue can all be hidden.

heart of gold · Oct 31, 2013

Dan Johnson said:
I replaced an ST-4000 with an X-5 and mounted the control head where the old ST-4000 was located: on the starboard side of the cockpit footwell below the cubby pocket. It can be seen standing or sitting at the helm. There is an LED cockpit footwell light now in the hole below the control head.

See pix...

That could have been a picture of mine. The only issue is when I walk by and bump it with my knee and turn it on or off. I have a fix in mind for that though.

Stu Jackson · Oct 31, 2013

Mine's like lnikl's description, in the picture in the link I earlier provided. Sure, the wire goes from the side to the motor, but I tuck the wire under seat cushion and it never gets in the way, i hop up on the seats on either side to get behind the wheel anyway, since there's so little space to get between the wheel and the edge of the cockpit seats.

If it has a belt, it most likely is an ST3000 or the earlier ST300.

Jacques C · Oct 31, 2013

Kloudie - I have decided to mount engine instruments and autopilot in the same combing compartment. I have the board cut and ready to epoxy before I apply a black laminate. Please post some pictures of yours if you have time. Thanks.
Jacques

sailingseadragon · Oct 31, 2013

Like others I mounted the control head on Navpod side mount.

http://www.sailingseadragon.com/AutoPilot.htm

Garner

splax · Oct 31, 2013

Mine is a portable that mounts where Dan has his and plugs in to 12V power there. A control cord goes to the motor for the belt drive. Less than elegant but other upgrades are more pressing.

Guillaume C. · Nov 1, 2013

Dan, how is the X-5 compared to the ST-4000 ? I have not been very impressed by the ST-4000 so far...

Dan Johnson · Nov 5, 2013

Guillaume, I would not have replaced the 4000 except for the drive ring destroying itself. The 4000 was less sensitive than the X-5, but due to its location was affected by any large metal placement nearby, such as the folding seat cushion postioned at the stern seat edge.

The X-5 needs a lot of set-up time and attention to detail as you go through each of the programming steps.

For straight line steering the X-5 works fine. It does not like a following or quartering sea (which I attribute to the flux gate compass, despite its low center bilge placement). Getting it to steer a straight line under power took repeated fiddling with the rudder sensitivity and range of wheel motion adjustment. It seems to be sensitive to prop walk at higher throttle settings.

Under sail it acts more stable and will hold course well. It's my deck hand when I need to make sail adjustments, main take-downs, or anchoring/docking prep.

Couldn't single hand without either one!

Claude L.-Auger · Nov 6, 2013

My installation is like Dan's and my findings are pretty much the same except I did not seem to have any problem with adjustments and I don't even have the rudder sensitivity instrument. I do adjust the sensitivity of the pilot itself on the control head (Raymarine defaults it at 5 and it annoyingly returns to that setting everytime the AP is shut down). I installed the computer box under the coaming (hours of pleasure in the lazarette) and it has prooved a good location as it is out of the way and protected from the elements at all times, keeping wire lengths at a minimum.

Dan Johnson · Nov 9, 2013

Autopilot computer location...

My computer is in the same locker as Claude A's, but against the aft cabin bulkhead. See pix...

I failed to correct myself earlier--This is an "S-1" model, not the X-5. It's the one that has the both the rudder sensor and fluxgate compass units to mountl. The difference is probably a chip on the motherboard.

Autopilot Mount for H34

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