Where to fix a Raymarine st 2000 tiller pilot?

Vega1447 · Mar 26, 2012

I think the advice here was unanimously to install tp's aft of cockpit locker cover.
Both to preserve access to lockers and to allow larger angle of rudder turn.

I followed the advice with my Simrad TP10 and it worked well.
John V1447 Breakaway

John Kinsella
Mathematics and Statistics Dept
University of Limerick

Phone 0035361202148
Web jkcray.maths.ul.ie

stevebirch2002 · Mar 26, 2012

Hi John

Fit just aft of teh locker lid with clearance so you can open the locker lid! Also an idea to fit two holes (or even three) for different sea/weather states.

Cheers

Steve B

pjacobs55 · Mar 26, 2012

John,
I have an ST2000, and ditto what the last 2 posts say: it works just fine aft of the lid.
If you need a plug, either male or female, they are made by Bulgin in the UK, and very reasonably priced compared to buying from Raymarine.

http://www.bulgin.co.uk/Products/Buccaneer/BuccaneerStandard.html

I bought mine online from http://www.alliedelec.com/

Peter
www.sintacha.com

SVFlyAway · Mar 26, 2012

Just a question as I am going to be fitting the Simrad I bought at a boat
show. My concern is: mounting the tiller pilot aft of the locker lid
reduces the leverage provided by the longer tiller. Does this lead to the
little autopilot working overly hard? There have been several reports of
these little things burning out in a short time and I don't want to shorten
its life.

Another question, I have also seen tillerpilots attached to the windvane
steering. This would seem to greatly reduce the load on the device since
the majority of the load is then on the vane. Have any of you tried this? I
never have, but have always wondered how well it works.

rolyatad · Mar 26, 2012

That was my concern and why I just mounted it on the lid with 2 holes. I
usually just keep my folding bike and a few non-essentials in that locker
anyway.

Vega1447 · Mar 26, 2012

For what it is worth my TP10 is mounted maybe 2 inches aft of locker.
It draws very little power and has a 10A inline fuse so why would motor burn out?

John

John Kinsella
Mathematics and Statistics Dept
University of Limerick

Phone 0035361202148
Web jkcray.maths.ul.ie

vega1860 · Mar 26, 2012

We set our just aft of the cockpit locker lid. It works fine.

Chuck Rose
SV Lealea, V1860
Honolulu

rolyatad · Mar 26, 2012

I wasn't really worried about the motor as much as the parts of the
actuator. The 2000 is probably overbuilt for the Vega and mounting it as
everyone else advises is obviously working well. I am very conservative you
know.

SVFlyAway · Mar 26, 2012

I don't know why, but there have been a few reports of these things going
out in a few hundred hours. Since they only draw no more than a couple amps
max, under load, maybe "burnout" wasn't the correct term. OK, maybe they
die from some other reason. I'm just asking the question! Maybe these
reports were just a couple isolated instances.

dougpol1 · Mar 26, 2012

Most of the auto pilot problems I have seen, not on Vegas but on other
boats has to do with the skipper not balancing the rig properly. If the
tiller works you it's pretty hard to expect that tiny little motor can
do it. I have heard others say that boats like vega with longer keels
and narrower hulls can more easily be handled by a tiller pilot or a
wind vane. Seems reasonable to me. If she's all ballanced up you should
not have a problem with maost any kind of auto pilot. Doug
J. Craig Glover wrote:

pjacobs55 · Mar 26, 2012

On mine ST2000 the spring clip on the motor drive shaft gave way allowing
the shaft to slip, causing the gear which drives the belt to come out of
alignment. $300! I opened the unit up and was disappointed to see the
arrangement - the shaft should be held in place with a proper bearing at
each end, and not depend on a cheesy little spring clip for alignment.

Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
120 Exchange Street
P.O. Box 7206
Portland ME 04112
207/772-2191
Fax 207/774-3940

This email is from a law firm and may contain material that is confidential
or privileged. If you suspect you were not the intended recipient, please
delete the email and give us a call.

johnadenney · Mar 26, 2012

I rang the nice man at Raymarine and he was quite insistent that the
fitting instructions should be adhered to. (thought he might!) The
logic is that the 18" distance from the tiller pivot point is the
"correct" lever arm for the torque of the motor... maybe, if the TP
is only used occasionally it will be fine with a shorter lever arm but
it is less "effecient". I can see the sense in that logic but many
other factors will come into play - balancing the boat and waves
etc.... I need to decide if I need to get in the stb locker whilst
using the TP! I am leaning towards buying an extension (3") for the
TP and fitting it in the "solid" fibreglass near the back of the seat
(near the hinge). I shall have a think!
Thanks for all the useful advice/comments..

John

winslowbuoy · Mar 26, 2012

John - The whole point of the tiller pilot is that it has to be easily detachable when the odd emergency crops up so it is the work of moments to reove the TP when you require access to the locker.

My tiller pilots (i've had three over the last 25 years have all been sited in the Locker lid (I have a backing plate underneath the lid and I replaced the old lid hinge years ago with surface mounted hinges.
Mike
________________________________
From: johndenney johndenney1@...
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Monday, 26 March 2012, 19:55
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Where to fix a Raymarine st 2000 tiller pilot?

I rang the nice man at Raymarine and he was quite insistent that the
fitting instructions should be adhered to. (thought he might!) The
logic is that the 18" distance from the tiller pivot point is the
"correct" lever arm for the torque of the motor... maybe, if the TP
is only used occasionally it will be fine with a shorter lever arm but
it is less "effecient". I can see the sense in that logic but many
other factors will come into play - balancing the boat and waves
etc.... I need to decide if I need to get in the stb locker whilst
using the TP! I am leaning towards buying an extension (3") for the
TP and fitting it in the "solid" fibreglass near the back of the seat
(near the hinge). I shall have a think!
Thanks for all the useful advice/comments..

John

Vega1447 · Mar 26, 2012

Hi Michael.
From the comments here the only reason for siting the pivot hole for the tp on the locker cover is the possibility of overloading the

Was that your reason?

(I located the pivot hole for my TP10 just aft of locker cover following what I thought was unanimous advice here. )

Thanks and all the best,
John V1447 Breakaway

John Kinsella
Mathematics and Statistics Dept
University of Limerick

Phone 0035361202148
Web jkcray.maths.ul.ie

winslowbuoy · Mar 27, 2012

Hi John - I followed the instructions with the TP and that produced a pivot point in the locker lid. I beefed up the locker lid and the hinge and it worked fine. My 3 TP's have all given up the ghost due to too much time in damp lockers rather than overwork. In practice I have found the TPs work fine when motoring in any conditions but struggle when sailing in lumpy uncomfortable seas especially the wind over tide conditions that the East coast seems to produce. The first time I used a TP on 'Jenavive' was on a long tack up the Dutch coast The tillerpilot steered an absolutely perfect course for 4 hours without making a sound, after extolling it's virtues to all the crew I discovered the reason it hadn't made a sound was that it was jammed hard over.
Mike

________________________________
From: John.Kinsella John.Kinsella@...
To: AlbinVega@yahoogroups.com
Sent: Tuesday, 27 March 2012, 7:38
Subject: Re: [AlbinVega] Where to fix a Raymarine st 2000 tiller pilot?

Hi Michael.
From the comments here the only reason for siting the pivot hole for the tp on the locker cover is the possibility of overloading the

Was that your reason?

(I located the pivot hole for my TP10 just aft of locker cover following what I thought was unanimous advice here. )

Thanks and all the best,
John V1447 Breakaway

John Kinsella
Mathematics and Statistics Dept
University of Limerick

Phone 0035361202148
Web jkcray.maths.ul.ie

Vega1447 · Mar 27, 2012

Thanks Mike. I've had the tp hard over experience too.

The argument for locating the tp aft of locker is as you know to get better "throw".
I was inclined to do as you and install as per the instructions. But the unanimous (at the time) advice here was to fit further aft.

Fingers crossed I suppose.

BTW I keep the TP in a dry locker below deck when boat not in use.

All the best,
John

John Kinsella
Mathematics and Statistics Dept
University of Limerick

Phone 0035361202148
Web jkcray.maths.ul.ie

pjacobs55 · Mar 27, 2012

Given the multitude of different boats with different rudder configurations and varying geometry's, not to mention an infinite number of weather conditions, it's impossible that they'd all apply the same load on a tiller pilot. I think the figure in the manual is a "best guess" compromise by the manufacturer.

On the units themselves, I had an ST1000 saw itself to death on a 25' boat. When I took it in for repair I was advised that the ST2000 has a better internal mechanism and would last a lot longer, so that's what I bought. The only problem I've had to date is pieces of a disintegrated rubber stopper gasket inside found their way under the compass and jammed the gimbals, causing some disconcerting unplanned course changes. Removal of the offending pieces solved the problem.

Another time the unit refused to hold a course and wandered randomly all over the place. I'd thrown a jacket over it to keep the hot sun off, and the magnetic pocket clasps in the jacket were interfering with the compass!

Although it works fine without it, getting a new rubber gasket has so far not happened. Even finding an exploded parts diagram to get a part number has eluded me. Although I like the Raymarine unit better than my Navico Tiller Pilot, I think Navico has a better reputation for support, IMHO. I was able to download their TP10-20-30 service manual online.

Peter
www.sintacha.com

SVFlyAway · Mar 27, 2012

Funny you'd mention your jacket throwing off the tillerpilot. I once had a
boat with a built-in autopilot and one day it was wandering off course as
much as 30 degrees. The problem was that I had put my tool bag on the cabin
sole, and right beneath the floorboards was the fluxgate compass.

pjacobs55 · Mar 27, 2012

Read Conrad's "The End of the Tether", then.

Nicholas H. Walsh P.A.
120 Exchange Street
P.O. Box 7206
Portland ME 04112
207/772-2191
Fax 207/774-3940

This email is from a law firm and may contain material that is confidential
or privileged. If you suspect you were not the intended recipient, please
delete the email and give us a call.