Autopilot

[derfus]

What auto pilot do you have installed on your boat?
I looked at the Raymarine Wheel pilot for my Oday 28 but I've heard they have had problems with the drive unit. If you were to get a new one what would you buy? looking for your input.

 

[catsailor]

Mine is 13 years old and going strong.

Sizing can matter, but your boat is small enough. Installation (straight) and protection (dodger?) matter. On my boat it is very well protected from weather.

Belts fail every few years, but that is a 5 minute fix that can be performed underway.

 

[sailingseadragon]

Derfus,

I have a Raymarine unit that has worked well. The support organization was very responsive and helpful during the install.. Midway through the second season the "Core Pack" failed... Raymarine was very helpful and responsive trouble shooting the problem... After a few hours on & off the phone it was determined that it would need to be returned to Raymarine for repair, I removed the core on Sunday. over-nighted it to Raymarine on Monday & had it back on the boat working by dark on Friday...

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

Given the chance to do the purchase over again… I would by the same unit….

Garner

 

[Les]

I have a 2009 Hunter 27 with a Raymarine X-5 and not had any problems. It doesn't have a belt but still is a wheel driven autopilot.

 

[Ed Schenck]

My Simrad WP30 is ten years old, has steered my 18000# Hunter in everything imaginable, and never a single problem. I hope that I can find the spare belt if I ever need it. But the only way to get one is used, someone trading up to a below-decks unit. Never understood why Simrad quit mfg. that unit.

 

[RAD]

I have a late model S1 wheel pilot that's installed on my 32 and it works great, I was holding out as long as possible for the new X5 units to hit the store shelves and couldn't wait due to a long sailing trip but the old and new units work very well and installation is a breeze and you cannot beat the price of less then 1200 dollars (avg price)

 

[Steve Dion]

Ed: I agree with you about the Navico/Simrad AP. They were far superior to the Raymarine units. While they may not work quite so well on boats that are much lighter than the H'37C they should still be mfg. them.

If I were you, I would check with Motion Industries for belts. There may be an old post for the exact size of the belts. Simrad may also have the specs so you can order one from Motion Industries.

These units Simarad and Raymarine were really not an option for a sailboat with a steering console vs a pedestal like my Hunter Vision. We decided to go with a below deck unit which was very easy to install. The only issue that I have with ours is when sailing down wind. I am planning on having our unit upgraded with a GYRO this winter and that should solve this issue (I hope).

 

[Zaphro]

Raymarine Autohelm 5000, 20 year old analog system built like a tank. Which is good, except there is no such thing as repair parts.... which brings me to the next point. Anyone have a spare Aux control unit laying around?

Page 4 in the hand book
http://www.raymarine.com/SubmittedFiles/Handbooks/Legacy_Handbooks/Autopilot/AH5000Analog.pdf

 

[Chuckbear]

I have installed hundreds of Raymarine autopilots and never had one NOT fail within the first year unless it was on a boat that was never used, and no, it did not have anything to do with the installation. I will not have one on my boat. My recommendations for the best unit for the buck is Simrad hands down. Good, solid, dependable units and easy to install and set up. I am also a big fan of WH Autopilot. There are other good units out there but they are typically more expensive. The new Garmin GPH 12 is another excellent unit but at $4,000 to $5,000. Chuck

 

[David in Sandusky]

Simrad TP 10

Our Simrad Tiller Pilot worked without fail for 8 summers. This summer, it started failing after 3-4 hours of work in the sun. We have returned it for repair, since its a great, simple unit for our 7,000# h27.

David

 

[Jackdaw]

Raymarine ST-70 with below-decks linear drive. Love it. Getting the drive unit out of the weather is a BIG DEAL. So is not buying a unit too small. If you are anywhere near the cutoff between two sizes, go large.

 

[higgs]

Raymarine 6001 with a below deck electric drive. worked great for 2 years and then gave me a lot of problems for 2 years. Finally shamed Ray (big effort) into replacing the computer and it again is working great even in large quartering seas.

 

[Capn Dave]

Chuck you took my thunder

I have installed at least 150 Raymarine units and like you most of them failed within a year. I will admit a few have not failed, but not many. Most of the ones I installed failed right out of the box.

I will second you suggestion on the Simrad and Garmin units. Good Stuff

Fair WInds

Dave

 

[Steve Dion]

Higgs: Does your 6001 have the gyro feature?

 

[Ed Schenck]

Not what I meant Steve. I actually have a spare belt for the Simrad, bought if off of E-Bay. But it has been so long who knows where it might be. I think it is on the boat but there are so many hidey holes. Ten years ago I was going to do an inventory and log the locations. Yeah, right.

 

[kloudie1]

Raymarine 4000+ wheelpilot. Ten years old.. Not used much for the first 3-4 years but used a lot after that.. It did not work well until I installed a rudder reference transducer so it could tell how far and fast it was turning the wheel. No failures to date.. Boat took a small lightning strike .. unit was off and not harmed.

 

[wufibugs]

My Navico WP100 may be primitive but it worked flawlessly for the former owner and is working very well for me in the relatively short time I've had the boat. I should probably start hunting spares now before I really need them.

 

[Chuckbear]

Any time these discussion come up someone will state how their 10, 15, 20 year old ( take your pick) Raymarine is still going strong today. The problem with that recommendation is that the 10 year old or 15 year old Raymarine unit is in no way the same piece of equipment that rolls out of the factory today. So this is comparing apples to oranges. The concept is good so we can only hope that Flir does a major overhaul on quality control. Chuck

 

[stephen Penny]

Chuckbear,

Should I cancel my 2010 Raymarine X-5 Smart wheel autopilot order to replace my 23 year old Autohelm 3000 wheel autopilot?

 

[RichH]

I have (had) a Raymarine 6001 (below deck) with ~30000 n.miles on it with a lot that steered by the AP.

Only problem Ive ever found with Raymarine products is .... very sensitive to lightning. My experiences with Raymarine support and repair ... most excellent and FAST.
When my old 6001 got 'fried by lightning' I (Boat/US actually) replaced with a 6002.

Im quite satisfied with all the Raymarine products I have and now seem to prefer Raymarine for all new applications, etc. Only time will tell if the new owner of Raymarine, FLIR Corp, will continue or even improve them.