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Pelagic Autopilots, anyone had any experience with them


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Hi guys I have been side tracked to the peaceful surrounds of a beautiful offgrid northland lsb so my pelagic is still feeling unwanted. It came in a box delivered to my front door. I will dig out the invoice. The arm is ss construction. It has separate waterproof compass and control boxes and looks far superior to my plastic raymarines.

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Hi Crazyhorse

Not sure if that address works. Currently organising purchase with the owner Brian and have found contact relatively quick.  

 

pelagicautopilot@gmail.com

 

we have heavy thunder and lightning here in Mandawhai so hope you are OK at anchor

Cheers Ian

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Probably a dumb question but...

 

I have a Raymarine tiller pilot that is mostly reliable except for its habit of yawing 40 degrees every now and then. Can be nerve-wracking in a busy channel so I'd like to change it.

 

Does the Pelagic need new wiring or can it plug into the existing plug and use the Raymarine control head?

 

regards

MS

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Plenty of offshore boats happy with Raymarine pilots. Some are not happy

Plenty using B&G and happy, some not.

Same with NKE. They all work fine, if they are the right spec for the boat, and are installed correctly. That was KM's issue, the wiring should have been separated, and perhaps with ferrites.

Then there are the top end pilots, with jybe prevention, crash recovery, boat movement removal from wind data etc. Here it is my opinion that B&G lead the way, mostly used on super yachts and serious race boats, but some large cruisers.

 

Odd variations of course are usually

1/compass issues

2/computer issues

3/rudder position sensor issues.

 

All of these can be cabling! Communications issues between the units can cause any of the above. If it's N2k, then proper network design, and only 2 terminators! Seatalk NG is n2k.

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Yes, my old raymarine  computer worked perfectly until it became incorporated via seatalk into a larger circuit. That has led to an intermittent  failure  probably due to current variation ,according to various experts ( some here).

 Also impossible to find , complicated by the intermittent factor. 

 But it was good, and all I wanted and want , steer to course.

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Yes, my old raymarine  computer worked perfectly until it became incorporated via seatalk into a larger circuit. That has led to an intermittent  failure  probably due to current variation ,according to various experts ( some here).

 Also impossible to find , complicated by the intermittent factor. 

 But it was good, and all I wanted and want , steer to course.

John, there is an issue on your bus. Is it seatalk, or seatalk NG? If it is NG, common mistakes are ;

1/ too many terminators

2/multiple devices on a drop cable

3/power for the bus at one end, not the centre

4/2 bus power sources, at slightly different voltages

 

It should not be that hard to find, but I always start with drawing the bus out on paper, then following every cable to make sure its actually installed that way. Amazing what you find some times!

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Seatalk with the black flat connector is seatalk classic, or seatalk 1. Its really NMEA0183 with some additional stuff, like power, included. Its way more complex to set up than Seatalk NG or N2K. It can be problematic if you dont start all the devices in a set order - because some of it "decides" if it is a talker or a listener on boot. Its also pretty easy to overload the simple data bus, causing data loss and erratic behavior. Its harder to fault find, and often needs a PC to do this.Complex Seatalk 1 and NMEA0183 systems can be a bit of a nightmare to fault find...

Sometimes, due to the time involved, its just more cost efficient to upgrade the equipment and go to Seatalk NG (or better, imo, B&G, with industry standard NMEA 2000!!)

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....our TP32 has lost it just yesterday going to Brodies Creek. Suddenly flies over to port then starboard on both the fluxgate and n2k GPS. Notice a dull glow in the leds on both the port light and nav light. Only bought it in June, probably only done about 40 hours! Sheeeeeee!t!!!

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Still under warranty. Ring navico on

08004628426 for replacement.

Done but...how long!? Has to go to smart marine first who supllied it then to Navico AUSTRALIA. Got the RMA today, now waiting to see what smart marine wants to do. A shame as it worked well under N2K, hardly bothered with the fluxgate and was great under sail using the NASA nmea0183 anemometer via the MFD. Stuck with the old ST1000 which still holds a course using the fluxgate, never worked on NMEA. Tried to get a Palegic but they don't answer emails.

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Apparently, sometimes paying too little for an item can be a waste of money...

 

I hear Don's Emporium in Fanga's can do some sharp deals sometimes.

How? You pay more, get the same 2 year warranty, need the same RMA from Navico when faulty. Makes no sense to pay more simply because a business wants more than the others! Where the hell is dons Emporium!!? You shop there?

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