Need Advice on Autopilot Drive Unit

[Doug in Lakeview]

Hello from cold Chicago,

We are upgrading marine electronics this winter and have narrowed our selection. We are new at this and are looking for suggestions and advice.

We are leaning towards B&G. B&G for masthead unit, combined speed/depth/temperature sensor, & a ZEUS2 multifunction display/chartplotter at the helm. For the autopilot computer we are considering B&G’s Triton Pilot Package (AC42 Pilot Computer, RC42N Rate Compass, & RF300 Rudder Feedback unit).

We are not sure which type/brand of drive unit to install. We have heard that the linear drives (which use hydraulic fluid to move the piston) are more durable and require less maintenance. Also, that it is easier to disable a linear drive from the rudder if the autopilot fails.

In addition, we have read that the Lecomble & Schmitt uses far less power. Beneteau currently uses Lecomble & Schmitt linear drives with B&G autopilot on their Oceanis 38.

Whichever drive we choose will be installed below deck and attached to the quadrant. We are considering the following drives. Any comments?

B&G RAM Drive Type T2
SIMRAD Linear Drive HLD2000MK2L
LECOMBLE & SCHMITT Linear Drive 40ST16

Our sail boat is a 1984 Beneteau First 38:

LOA: 12.25 meters (40.2 ft)
Length at Waterline: 10.32 meters (33.9 ft)
Beam: 3.9 meters (12.8 ft)
Draft: 2.1 meters (6.9 ft)
Displacement: 7100 kg (7.1 metric ton); (15,653 lbs) <- displacement

 

[Bill Roosa]

You need to consider the boat size. If you buy an underpowered one it will not be much fun to use. There should be a "max displacement" or "max boat length" recommendation to help guide your selection.
As for power consumption, that is almost a non issue for most units. for a given sea state the power difference between them is tweaking the second decimal place so go for features.