replacement autopilot?

[bugbitten]

My 9.2A came with a nicely-functioning Autohelm ST4000. About halfway into my 14 months of ownership, the control unit's display started acting up, but the unit worked fine. I used it successfully on a three-hour sail a couple of weeks ago, but yesterday it would not send signals to the wheel drive's motor. I thought it was because I had added my Garmin plotter to the same circuit (the Raymarine manual said it should be on a dedicated circuit). I put it back to that, but still get the same results. I'm seeing 4 or 5 volts going from the control unit to the control motor, when, I think, it's supposed to be plus or minus 12V, depending on which direction it's turning the wheel. If I apply 12V directly to the motor, it turns fine.

It seems these units can no longer be repaired, and finding decent used ones is getting difficult. If I'm stuck buying a whole new autopilot, what would you get? I'd sure like to keep the total price to under $2K. Is that possible? I'd love a NMEA 2000 unit that'd tie into my garmin plotter and masthead anemometer, but the Garmins are pretty pricey. To make matters worse, what seem to be complete system prices often lack some major component that swiftly adds another grand or so.

This is mostly just for cruising around the Chesapeake.

Thanks.

John

 

[woodster]

you may want to look at the new raymarine wheel pilot there are some deals on them now...and they have an interface to hook up a chart plotter...

regards

woody

 

[BobM]

Found this online, but the post was from 2008.

"call Oliver at Trident Marine Electronics 757 216 3333. He is located in Little Creek (Norfolk.) He has rebuilt my ancient 4000 and may still have parts under his bench."

They still have a site up http://www.tridentmarineelectronics.com/

 

[BobM]

Don't forget ebay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Raymarine-A...ear&hash=item1c2899807b&vxp=mtr#ht_500wt_1287

 

[bugbitten]

I'll try the Trident folks, particularly as they're nearby. This deal from Raymarine looks pretty good, although, if you buy the extended warranty, it's about the same price as a non-refurbed one.

http://rm.factoryoutletstore.com/details/20255-47355/raymarine-t70015.html

It even is NMEA 2000 compatible, although I don't know how well it'd interface with my Garmin gear. Probably well enough.

That ebay item, although it is an ST4000 unit, won't function as a control head, I think. There is another listing of a whole ST4000 system going for cheap as parts, but no details on whether the control unit is operational.

Woody, are there rebates on Raymarines? I like the looks of that P70 control unit, and the whole shebang for $1500 or less is very appealing. I'd need to scuff it up a bit or I'd hear the dreaded "Is that new?" question from the admiral!

John

 

[Stu Jackson]

www.cptautopilot.com

$1700

Doesn'tconnect to ANYTHING

Just steers your boat.

Which is more than the toys do.

___________

No affiliation with the company.

 

[woodster]

Woody, are there rebates on Raymarines? I like the looks of that P70 control unit, and the whole shebang for $1500 or less is very appealing. I'd need to scuff it up a bit or I'd hear the dreaded "Is that new?" question from the admiral!

John

i don't think so John but at that price its not a bad deal seems like to me ...i just installed one for my boat buddy in Mobil bay and its a really nice unit....the p70 head has a really nice display graphics....

regards

woody

 

[BobM]

$1299!

That is a good price and it says new, not refurbished and it comes with a 2 year warranty already. I have wasted plenty of money on extended warranties. I try not to buy them now figuring that eventually I will save enough that if something breaks I will have the money to fix it. I only buy them for things with gas engines.

 

[BobM]

Will you miss it?

For the most part I day sail and am far more likely to lock the wheel for a few moments than to let the autopilot steer.

 

[bugbitten]

I'm cumbersome and ignorant enough that the autopilot is a real plus for me, even on shorter trips.

The good news, though, is that I heard from Trident today and they will look at my unit for $20! They say, from my troubleshooting thus far, it doesn't sound like a major issue. They also said they have spare parts and they're not expensive. I put the control unit in the mail to them this afternoon, since the $5 postage was cheaper than driving it over there.

I'll let you know how it works out.

John

 

[bugbitten]

I did look at that CPT autopilot and it is definitely appealing in its simplicity and apparent robustness. I have a friend who needs a unit for his Dickerson 36 and I suggested he take a look at this. Thanks, Stu, for bringing it to our attention. I'd never seen it. Of course, I always want to complicate things just a little and wish they had a wireless remote!

John

 

[BobM]

Good news!

I'm cumbersome and ignorant enough that the autopilot is a real plus for me, even on shorter trips.

The good news, though, is that I heard from Trident today and they will look at my unit for $20! They say, from my troubleshooting thus far, it doesn't sound like a major issue. They also said they have spare parts and they're not expensive. I put the control unit in the mail to them this afternoon, since the $5 postage was cheaper than driving it over there.

I'll let you know how it works out.

John

I hope it works out for you.

 

[njwtech]

Bugbitten, check this out. It may save your day...

http://www.ebay.com/itm/26105754556...AX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1438.l2649#ht_500wt_1203

 

[bugbitten]

Thanks, Norm. I hadn't seen that listing and will keep an eye on it, Might be worth having as a spare, even if my current unit gets repaired.

Hoping to actually get out on the water this morning, with or without an autopilot!

John

 

[bugbitten]

Folks,

I sent the control unit off to Trident Marine Electronics (http://www.tridentmarineelectronics.com/) in nearby Norfolk. They charge $20 to troubleshoot and seem to have a lot of experience with these units. A week later it was back in my hands with a brand new, perfectly functioning display. The total cost $100, including the inspection fee and shipping. Since a used control unit on ebay recently sold for over $400, this struck me as quite a deal. I had some initial panic, as it still didn't turn the wheel, but Oliver at Trident assured me it must be a cabling issue, which turned out to be the case. A bit of soldering on my part (I'd nicked the wire from the control unit to the wheel drive when putting in my NMEA 2000 cable - I should change my handle to "hoistedbymyownpetard"), and it now works great. Kinda fun to see how closely the boat's compass and the Autohelm agree.

I highly recommend the Trident folks.

John

PS If you're in the need of some nice, easy melting and flowing solder, I really like this stuff:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002KRAB0/ref=wms_ohs_product

 

[BobM]

Great news. I am glad my renowned skills in scrounging and finding links on the internet paid off for you!

I have my own headache at the moment. My Wife's recently acquired 90 Jag XJS nearly died in classic Marelli ignition failure. The rotor failed leaving half the 12 cylinder engine without spark wasting a catalytic converter and backfiring through the emissions system blowing a hose to smithereens. Two days worth of scrounging and $600 worth of parts later and I should be able to eliminate the current problem and head off any future issues with its potential flammability.