Well my ancient autopilot (Not RayMarine, Not Raytheon, original Autohelm) seems to have given up the ghost. I would really like to go with a below decks pilot, as the wheel mount is a bit undersized for my vessel. RayMarine says ST4000 MK-II is rated at 18,700 pounds which is the dry weight of Hunter 37C. 20% allowance for me, my gear and my supplies pushes me to the type 1 below-decks drive units. Does anyone have experience with the chain-drive version of drive unit. It appears that an Old-old drive unit was chain drive, because there is a seperate quadrant and gear set-up on the rudder-post ready to go. I have been looking at Raymarine mostly because all of my instruments are Raymarine, but I would look at other options as well. (And if you want another reason not to buy from Worst Marine, they show the ratings for the type 1 drive units to be 20,000 pounds while Raymarine - and every other retailer - shows the rating to be 22,000 pounds. Using Raymarine figures I would need to buy a type 2 drive unit which is considerably more expensive!)
below deck autopilot (Raymarine or other?)
- Thread starter Debra B
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I'm using a combination...
Debra, et.al., I've used a variety of autopilots over the years and I have to agree with West Marine in that the biggest problem for most people buying a autopilot is that they do not buy large enough. West Marine has taken back enough autopilots to understand the problems. I have a Hunter 380 and use the Raymarine 5000+ computer (I believe it is now the 6000+) but I have put below a Winlock motor to drive the chain. It is a geared down system that can stand the force of the rudder and boat in a heavy seaway. I've never had a problem with this system. You can get added information from the folks who sell Winlock in the states from PYI who also sell Max props. They have a number of engineers who calculate the pressure on the motor selected. No charge from them on this issue. Good people. By the way, even though I have a heavy duty motor I believe it uses less batteries than some of the lighter weight motors I've used in the past. Just an observation and I have no data to support this claim. But when the motor wants to turn the rudder, it does and it doesn't take it long to do so. Where as in the past, I coulld hear the motor working to turn the boat. Again, just an observation. Les
Debra, et.al., I've used a variety of autopilots over the years and I have to agree with West Marine in that the biggest problem for most people buying a autopilot is that they do not buy large enough. West Marine has taken back enough autopilots to understand the problems. I have a Hunter 380 and use the Raymarine 5000+ computer (I believe it is now the 6000+) but I have put below a Winlock motor to drive the chain. It is a geared down system that can stand the force of the rudder and boat in a heavy seaway. I've never had a problem with this system. You can get added information from the folks who sell Winlock in the states from PYI who also sell Max props. They have a number of engineers who calculate the pressure on the motor selected. No charge from them on this issue. Good people. By the way, even though I have a heavy duty motor I believe it uses less batteries than some of the lighter weight motors I've used in the past. Just an observation and I have no data to support this claim. But when the motor wants to turn the rudder, it does and it doesn't take it long to do so. Where as in the past, I coulld hear the motor working to turn the boat. Again, just an observation. Les
Over rated
I would concur with Les on the over rating of the pilots. The ratings seem to be fine on a perfectly tuned boat. But when is a sailboat perfectly tuned when you need the auto pilot, especially in a blow. The motor driven units are faster then the drive rod or hydraulic, unless you want to pay the extreame price of a ComNav. fair winds~~~~~
I would concur with Les on the over rating of the pilots. The ratings seem to be fine on a perfectly tuned boat. But when is a sailboat perfectly tuned when you need the auto pilot, especially in a blow. The motor driven units are faster then the drive rod or hydraulic, unless you want to pay the extreame price of a ComNav. fair winds~~~~~
Chain Drive Autopilot
FWIW, I would carefully investigate using the existing quadrant and install the chain drive actuator. Decide what you need or will work, then go up one size. Jon McClain
FWIW, I would carefully investigate using the existing quadrant and install the chain drive actuator. Decide what you need or will work, then go up one size. Jon McClain
What units do the whitlock motors work with?
All my instruments are Raytheon (but the look is the same for RayMarine) - or do I need to use a different control head/computer? (Not a problem - they seem to have the widest selection of motor drives - even if the big ones are 24 volts. ++++ Never mind, a careful reading of the posts answered my question. Thanks for the info!
All my instruments are Raytheon (but the look is the same for RayMarine) - or do I need to use a different control head/computer? (Not a problem - they seem to have the widest selection of motor drives - even if the big ones are 24 volts. ++++ Never mind, a careful reading of the posts answered my question. Thanks for the info!
Autopilots!
Debra, Autohelm was purchased some years ago by Raytheon, then Raytheon spun off the marine instrument products group and is now called Raymarine. For the most part they have maintained compatibility. The Autohelm ST4000 is compatible with Seatalk instruments, but newer control heads have more functionality. Jon McClain
Debra, Autohelm was purchased some years ago by Raytheon, then Raytheon spun off the marine instrument products group and is now called Raymarine. For the most part they have maintained compatibility. The Autohelm ST4000 is compatible with Seatalk instruments, but newer control heads have more functionality. Jon McClain
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