ST1000 + Oday 25..... teach me

Joe11688 · Nov 3, 2011

RECESS said:
I am planning on buying a Raymarine ST1000 for our Oday 25. Do I need to get the offset bar? What tips can you give me on installation. I understand this is a rather popular autopilot and I have seen some Oday owners discussing there ST1000 here.

Learn me!!

Dave,
You need to decide where to place it. I have a straight tiller and I was able to install the metal pin on top of the tiller. If you have a curved tiller, you may need to buy the offset bar. When I first bought my original Autohelm AH-800, I had every intension of building my own stand off bracket to mount it on. A friend of mine built his also.
I wanted to place this bracket in a spot that I rarely need to access so I mounted it on the fuel compartment cover on the Starboard side. I'm forever needing to get into my lazarett on the Port side and it was for this reason that I chose the other side to mount this bracket on. Also, I enjoy sprawling out on the Port side while I'm sailing.
I mounted the receptacle on the inside transom. Back then, the Autohelm pilots had a flat plug push in type plug and there was no chance that it could get broken on the transom.
The ST 1000+ has a long screw on type plug and it needs to be placed where someone won't hit it and break it off. The inside transom on my boat is still the best spot for my receptacle and I stayed with that same spot when I bought my ST 1000+.
I really didn't know what I was going to need when I bought my first autopilot. I bought, read the directions, and just took it from there. The extras were expensive back then so I decided to build my own and try to get away cheap, but I took my time a thought everything through before I started the installation. Once you get an autopilot and start using it, you'll never want to sail without one.

Joe11688 · Nov 4, 2011

RECESS said:
Thanks Joe, I am hopeful to avoid any of the, darn I wish I would have known that first. Sometimes it is stright forward, and sometimes people have found a much better way of doing it. I was thinking of the inside transom and you helped me get past the nerves of adding yet another hole in my boat.

Dave,
Wayne has that other brand autopilot which the name escapes me at the moment, and that one has a different electric connector on the cord than the Autohelm. I think it's a plug in type connector. Wayne didn't have to drill any holes for it. He keeps the cord in the lazarett when it's not in use and takes it out to plug the pilot into it. He has his pilot set up on the Port side though.
A few times I have installed hardware in places on my boat that I wound up hating after a while like the cleat for my roller furler drum control line. I removed that cleat and put a different type of cleat in another area of my boat that gives me less trouble and is very accessible in the cockpit. I just bore new holes and fill in the old holes. The deck on my boat looks like it was attacked by a wood pecker but I don't care. It's better than swearing at it. I'm more concerned with making my boat more user friendly than having it look like new. It's never going to look new again as much as I'd like it to. I just want to enjoy my boat. I'm sure you'll find a nice spot for it. I did.
Joe

OdayDave · Nov 5, 2011

Dave -

I have my ST1000+ that I had used on my 222 and will be installing it on the 25. For the 222, I built a hinged piece of wood that easily attached to the pushpit railing (see my photo gallery for pictures). That won't work on the 25 so I'll mount it directly to the starboard coaming. I prefer the starboard side so it doesn't interfere with the boarding ladder. The tiller pin looks like it will mount on the top side of the tiller on mine since I have a straight tiller. If yours has a rise in it, you might need the bracket below the tiller. It would actually be nice to not have the pin on the top of the tiller (that's where it was on the 222) but that's what works best given my tiller. When I install the mounting socket next spring, I'll need to glass in a small wooden block on the underside of the cockpit coaming to back up the metal mounting socket. If you haven't bought the extension yet, you'll need that as well. Based on my measurements, I bought the 6 inch extension. Do your measurements before ordering the extension and before drilling anything. Finally, I'll probably mount the socket on the transom to keep it out of the way.

When you get yours done, post some pictures. I wish I had gotten around to it last spring but I had to do a major repair on the deck as a result of water intrusion. This spring's launch will be a lot easier.

Dave
s/v Lagniappe

kpgraci · Nov 8, 2011

Here's mine. I did what Joe did, got it and brought it out to the boat and sized it up. As you can see I needed the cantilever bracket and the offset bracket - pretty pricey but I got the unit on ebay (new) at a good price so I did not mind. You can make your own just understand that the forces can be high so it has to be stout. Also the 18" from the tiller pivot is a critical dimension and cannot be adjusted.

Joe11688 · Nov 9, 2011

That looks pretty neat Ken. I really love these autopilots. After using them for many years, I just wouldn't sail without one.

geehaw · Nov 25, 2011

I mounted online direct to seat and made a bracket for the tiller. But I have to say I would not buy a ray marine st 1000. Mine worked for 5 trips and I had to have it repaired. Sent it in and said it was water damaged. $250. Got it back could not access. Calibrate modes. Used 3 times and started doing same thing it was doing that made me send it in the first time have. Not returned it yet. I will not give them more money. Why would a marine product be able to suffer water damage.

Joe11688 · Nov 26, 2011

geehaw said:
I mounted online direct to seat and made a bracket for the tiller. But I have to say I would not buy a ray marine st 1000. Mine worked for 5 trips and I had to have it repaired. Sent it in and said it was water damaged. $250. Got it back could not access. Calibrate modes. Used 3 times and started doing same thing it was doing that made me send it in the first time have. Not returned it yet. I will not give them more money. Why would a marine product be able to suffer water damage.

That's a good question. Those electronic devices are supposed to be sealed. I've always had my doubts about it though. What I do if it starts to rain while I'm using the autopilot is take a plastic transparent bag and put a small hole in the bottom of it for the activator rod and slip it over the pilot with a rubber band to hold the bag on. I can understand your disappointment with Raymarine though. They get enough money for those gadgets. The least they can do is stand behind their product.

sPk · Dec 4, 2011

On my O'Day 25 I mounted the ST-1000+ on the horizontal surface just forward of the nav light on the starboard side. I have a curved tiller arm and just needed the black 3" (or so) round mounting pedestal. I am quite happy with the location as it isn't in the way when it isn't being used. I chose the starboard side as my outboard is on the port side & I wanted to ensure I could still have access to it when the autopilot is attached. It has been working great for years. I did notice that when I put my Dewalt drill down next to it while working on a project, it threw off the internal compass leading to interesting sailing.

sPk

Joe11688 · Dec 4, 2011

sPk said:
On my O'Day 25 I mounted the ST-1000+ on the horizontal surface just forward of the nav light on the starboard side. I have a curved tiller arm and just needed the black 3" (or so) round mounting pedestal. I am quite happy with the location as it isn't in the way when it isn't being used. I chose the starboard side as my outboard is on the port side & I wanted to ensure I could still have access to it when the autopilot is attached. It has been working great for years. I did notice that when I put my Dewalt drill down next to it while working on a project, it threw off the internal compass leading to interesting sailing.

sPk

Large masses of metal will also throw the autopilot off too. I was going under a new drawbridge that was still under construction on the river one day with my autopilot steering. all of a sudden the boat started to head for the bridge abutment which had corrugated metal around it. I'm glad I noticed it in time. Almost anything magnetic can throw it off like a radio placed next to it.

appleman · Dec 12, 2011

I sounds like my install is the same as sPk's. This is in a 26.

We spent the extra bucks for a ST2000 for the much faster "hard over" time, especially since the Ida Sailor rudder tends to stall out quicker than the original equipment. It will recover from a round up very nicely.

sPk · Dec 12, 2011

Appleman, I used the same mount but I mounted it higher up, on the gunwale between the stanchion and light. I also mounted the arm on the top of the tiller arm but that is just what worked out best for me.
sPk

ST1000 + Oday 25..... teach me

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