Tiller pilot on a wheel steering boat converted from a tiller

[Hermit Scott]

Well, I am discouraged! The reviews for the simrad tp22 are mixed. It's the only one cheap enough for me to buy with out financial planning. The raymarine unit big enough to handle my boat with out working it too hard cost near as much as a wheel pilot. BAH
I did read that the voltage through the cables is critical as you mentioned.

 

[Cayennita]

Wheel autopilot

Wheel steering was added to this boat after production. The head of the rudder post is visible in the picture just below the cooler where Jeannette is sitting. Since tiller pilots are so much cheaper, I was wondering if I could make a tiller that came off of that head directly to port, 90 degrees from where a normal tiller would be positioned. Then have the tiller pilot mounted there parallel to the centerline of the boat.
(1) Is it possible to mount tiller pilots this way? I read a manual and it didn't say it was or wasn't possible. I have never played with a tiller pilot, I don't know exactly how they work.
(2) Will there be too much friction because of the cables and mechanism of the wheel?

If you have a friend with a Port Supply wholesale account, you can get the Raymarine X-5 wheel pilot package for under $850. The S-1 package has been discontinued and there might be some around that need to be dumped. I bought an S-1 unit for my J-36 last year for $750 and it steered my boat from Virginia to the Virgin Islands. 11 days with no problems including 4 days of winds up to 40 knots and seas up to 20'. I rather go with a wheel pilot for your boat. The x-5 did away with the rudder indicator and makes it easier to install. The power cables should be the shortest possible from batteries to Core pack unit. The unit is fussed but a breaker is a nice added protection. Spend the extra money. Go to sailorman.com in Ft. Lauderdale and you will probably find a good used furler for your boat.

 

[Joe]

Hermit, tiller pilots must be easily accessible because the only way you can disengage them is to lift the arm off the connector pin on the tiller. There is no clutch. You cannot steer manually while the AP is engaged.

The device you are talking about regarding wind vanes is called a servo. It's like power steering, using water pressure to assist conversion of the subtle wind vane movement to a strong enough force to control the rudder.