Hydraulic Steering - attaching an autopilot

[Jon 413]

The CC was eye watering in price but as we were planning to do a bit of two handed sailing decided to go with it and have now done over 5000 nm two handed and dont regret it one bit

[idlerboat 116]

Hi,

I have Hydrive hydraulic steering (the best there is !)

A custom servo, pendulum wind steering system.

The hydraulic system DOES have feed back. It dosnt have the check valves that are in some other systems.

I have a raymarine wheel pilot , but I will be fitting a completely seperate hydraulic auto pilot, with its own ram and pump.

 

 

I have a bypass valve on the steering system ram, and will put one on the auto steering ram. I have put a simple control cable to the bypass valve that runs to the cockpit.

Push one in, pull the other out and hit the auto button.....

 

!. Normal hydralic steering

2. Wind steering...for sailing..

3. Wheel pilot Auto....low power draw for light winds smooth motoring.

4. Hydraulic Auto...for rough weather and back up steering system..

5. The tiller extension that sits under the aft cabin bed.

 

What makes it easy for me is that I designed this system into the boat when I built it. No retro fitting or odd rudder angles.

[tuffyluffy 76]

Which Raymarine model do you have? And how does it perform?

 

Cos I hate mine (Wheelpilot 5000 I think) via direct link (not hydraulic). In fresh conditions it's useless, weaves all over the place. It's all within spec including the rudder feedback sensor which is supposed to make a big difference. I've had the L&B guys look at the installation and they can't figure it out and I've heard of many similar experienced from the above decks Raymarine wheelpilots. I's just not fit for purpose

 

 

AC ive got a new ST6002 head unit, coupled to an old (1998ish) Type100/300 course computer (with rudder ref, compass AND gyro) which inturn drives a Type 1 linear drive (its an electric ram)

 

When i first bought the boat there was no gyro with the unit and the boat would 'yaw' (if thats the right word) quite a bit, especially in following quarterly seas. Basically the compass didnt react quick enough to catch the boats movement, hence the AP doesnt react fast enough to stop the 'yawing'.

 

I did some research on the web, and the general conclusion was that a gyro would fix it as it picks up the boats movements alot faster and feeds the info back the computer. I contacted L&B who told me there was no gyro was available and id needed to buy a new course computer. I called Raymarine in the UK, and they told me the opposite, and give me the part number which i ordered from a US retailer. The gyro arrived, i plugged it in and taadaa, the boat now behaves beautifully.

 

As a result im a bit disillusioned with L&B.

[tuffyluffy 76]

Ok, so I wonder can a gyro unit be retro-fitted to my ST5000+ unit - via some kind of input?

 

Doubt it.

 

Youve probably have a newer course computer than me, hence if mine could take a gyro, your should be able to. Find out what course computer you have and email Raymarine HQ.

 

I just spotted this on ebay. Not sure if its right for your unit though

 

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Raymarine-Smart ... 5ae577b010

[Fogg 427]

Hey tuffy, very interesting, thanks.

 

Here's what my manual says the back of my head unit looks like:

 

 

Atm I think all my connections are being used except for the Seatalk ones - I wonder if that's where I could plug in a gyro???

[tuffyluffy 76]

Hey tuffy, very interesting, thanks.

 

Here's what my manual says the back of my head unit looks like:

 

 

Atm I think all my connections are being used except for the Seatalk ones - I wonder if that's where I could plug in a gyro???

 

Mmm, not sure about that one. Id definitely call/email Raymarine HQ (i think they are still in the UK) and ask them if a gyro can be attached via the seatalk plug or some other way. My Corepack/course computer had two 'gyro' input plugs which dont appear on yours.

I suspect if their answer is no, than you'll either be stuck with your current setup, or you'll need to add a course computer with a gyro (bout $2K from here http://www.marinedeal.com) or keep an eye on ebay as they often pop up there when others upgrade.

[Chewing Gum 17]

AC we had a pilot like yours - chucked it out and bought one with gyro - Raymarine from L&B -it was one of the first probably about 5 years ago. It has done heaps of miles and is way better than the old unit for course keeping. Also uses less power an is a lot quieter because the drive is not working as hard.

 

As far as Hydraulic systems go I don't like them because of lack of feel.

Can't go past the wire or kevlar rope and quadrant system, look at the Volvo boats or Steinlager 2. Also if autopilot drive is connected to quadrant you still have steering in event of steering failure.

[Fogg 427]

Yeah I'm thinking it's a chuckout job too.

 

But my steering is otherwise great. It's not hydraulic. And it's not wire. It's not string. It's Whitlock direct link. Fantastic. Feather-light. 100% feedback and no drag. I can literally spin the wheel from lock to lock with my fingertips. No play. When AC is out of the water I can practially blow the rudder from loc to lock by breathing on it. Dunno why everyonse else doesn't go direct link, can't understand why it's so rare.

[idlerboat 116]

....I would have gone direct drive, but the engine is in the way...it would have taken three changes of shaft height....one of the hassels of a centre cockpit setup...

[gonzo 0]

Hey Ab1974

 

Most comments to date reflect good advice - the key thing will be matching the size of the pilot pump to the size of the cat's steering ram. If you can confirm the cc rating on the ram you're most of the way there. Boat size and displacement as well as are also key considerations.

 

I'd talk to the guys at Lustys - despite a couple of barbs their way through this thread, in my experience they have a lot of expertise in both pilots and hydraulic steering.

 

Give the local guys a shot at pricing too - international pricing comparisons pretty much always end up with accusations of price rorting by the local agents. Such comments don't consider the lack of consistency in the 'global' pricing set by

manufacturers nor the differing business models (stocking agent vs online retailer who simply buys and sells to order.)

 

These days the price gaps between here and the U.S. et al are such that in my opinion its worth sourcing locally...Support the local guys and they'll support you.