Raymarine S1 Wheel Pilot

[Bad Obsession]

I bought a Raymarine S1 Wheel Pilot. It is SUPPOSED to be EASY to INSTALL....it isn't!!!!! The directions aren't too hot, and the rudder sensor is really fun to try to mount. It would be easier if you had a boat that had a huge rudder box (I don't think that there are many like this out there).  I ended up taking my boat to a mechanic to have it installed. I attempted to talk to someone from Raymarine (they are impossible to contact). I am not happy with the customer service from them. Heck...I just bought a $1200 unit and their help line is a joke! You end up leaving a message on an answering machine to have someone call you days later! Anyway, the rudder sensor it the really fun thing to install. The diagram and instructions show that you install the sensor to the tiller post....Hold up.....a tiller post on a wheel steered boat? Mine doesn't have a configuration like that. I ended up mounting the bracket onto the wheel where my cable from the pedistal attaches to. It is an interesting way to fix the problem, but I think that the mechanic and I finally got it. We ended up cutting a 5 inch by 1/2 inch place in the rudder box to get enough room to run the piece from the sensor to the bracket on the cable wheel. I am not sure how the unit works as it is still being installed. I am sure that it will work great when it is done. I guess I will leave you with this....If you want an autohelm get a different unit unless you are extremely mechanically inclined or you know someone who is really good at installing really hard componets. Other than that....if you get the S1 and you need it installed, I can tell you that Dahlgren Marine Works now has some experience with this devil (if you have a Catalina 30 they will know what to do). If anyone wants to try to do it by themselves, feel free to ask me about the setup on the rudder sensor and be prepaired to cut some fiberglass!

 

[Scott]

Tiller Post

Our Starwind 27 has a tiller post that is flush with the floor aft of the wheel pedistal, just under the helms seat. I thought this was common for boats so that a tiller could be used as a back-up to the wheel. Does yours not have this?I was wondering about installation of these things as well ... if it attaches to the tiller post, is access to the top of it sufficient?

 

[Bad Obsession]

Attachment needs to be parrallel

Not sure if it would work...it might. It depends on how tight things are in the rudder box or the area accessing the tiller post. It seems that you actually need a signifigant amount of room to mount this piece.

 

[Jeff]

Customer Service

I recently went to West Marine to look at the new Raymarine S1 Wheel Pilot. I also asked about the Simrad 32w. The manager of the store said he could get either unit for me. I also obtained the service phone number for Raymarine. I had read on other posts how poorly they treat their customers. I found out first hand. I called them and left numerous messages. I also sent numerous e-mails. It took me about 3days to get a reply and that was only because when I finally got a hold of a live operator, I told her I wanted to speak to a supervisor in reference to their lack of customer service. I also placed a call to Simrad. They were excellent. They immediately put me in contact with a service person who answered all my questions very promptly. No surprise I am going with Simrad. It is a shame because I really like the looks of the Raymarine s1.

 

[Jeff]

Customer Service

I recently went to West Marine to look at the new Raymarine S1 Wheel Pilot. I also asked about the Simrad 32w. The manager of the store said he could get either unit for me. I also obtained the service phone number for Raymarine. I had read on other posts how poorly they treat their customers. I found out first hand. I called them and left numerous messages. I also sent numerous e-mails. It took me about 3days to get a reply and that was only because when I finally got a hold of a live operator, I told her I wanted to speak to a supervisor in reference to their lack of customer service. I also placed a call to Simrad. They were excellent. They immediately put me in contact with a service person who answered all my questions very promptly. No surprise I am going with Simrad. It is a shame because I really like the looks of the Raymarine s1.

 

[John Nantz]

Inserting Wires

Don't know if you need this info or not, but a guy in our club just bought a new S1 and couldn't figure out how to insert the wires in the main box.After talking to several people he got an answer - just press the tabs back and the wire clamp opens up enough to insert the wire and then let go - that's it.Guess the instructions didn't say how to insert the wires or he didn't bother to read them. You know, that male gene stuff.

 

[AXEL]

rudder sensor installation

I installed an ST4000 rudder sensor on my 1977 C30 last year. I've attached a link that shows the rudder sensor coming thru the rear bulk head next to the quardrant. The rudder sensor in mounted on a "shelf" like piece of wood. I mounted the "ball" on the quadrant using an existing hole and attached the linkage. I have many more pics if anyone is interested (just ask). BTY, I had a question about interfacing my GPS with the Autopilot yesterday. I called Raymarine. Yes it took about 18 minutes on hold for them to answer but when they did they were very polite and informative. I didn't buy the Simrad because in the past I've problems with my previous autopilot and the placement of the flux compass. Placement of the compass is not an option with the Simrad and if you find your self going around in circles (on the water)because of elect. interference your options will be very limited and you won't be happy campers!

 

[Rick Sylvester]

Semantics

Raymarine service notwithstanding, I think some of your problems come from misunderstandings about names for the various components.Their reference to a tiller post is more commonly known as a rudder post and nearly ALL sailboats have them, regardless of whether they're steered by tiller or wheel.The cable wheel you refer to is actually called the quadrant.A clearer understanding of your boat's components as well as those of the autopilot would probably have yielded fewer rude surprises about the challenges of installation. Certainly more readily available assistance from Raymarine would've been good.Most autopilots aren't simple "bolt-on" affairs, especially when they have underdeck components like rudder sensors or linear rams. I found that even when I installed my underdeck ST5000 that although it wasn't rocket science, it did require a lot of measuring, fabrication and time.