Autopilot with gyro or not!

[F37]

Does anyone out there have any experience with autopilots fitted with and without a gyro?I am about to fit a new Raymarine system to my Sealine F37,and as there is such a big difference in price i would appreciate any thoughts on the pros and cons, to help me decide.

 

[Talbot]

Do you plan bad weather or long trade passages, cause sailing downhill or in bad weather is where the rate gyro really earns its value. IIRC trials by raymarine established that a racing yacht achieved a 3% increase in speed by comparison with the best human helm. I believe that all the single handed long distance racers use them, and they must be pretty confident in the system to be able (as Ellen diid) to leave their boat under autohelm at 36 kts going downhill in the southern oceans (scary)

 

[F37]

Er... Not if i can help it! I am based in Jersey and it will be used mainly for visits to the adjacent french coast,and possibly a couple of trips a year to the English south coast.

 

[Nautical]

Basic upshot....for fast planing boats gyro best, can keep with constant course corrections whereas no gyro all bit hit and miss if it gets lumpy.

 

[Talbot]

IMHO it then becomes a "nice to have" rather than high priority within the spending budget.

 

[hlb]

Think you more or less have to have one on a fast planing boat. Well that is, I presume I've got one!!

My Auto helm 6000 st Works fine up rivers and canals. I never use the wheel.

 

[steverow]

As far as I am aware planing boats are better with a rate gyro.
They "auto learn" the boats behaviour and attitude.
Displacement/low speed semi D boats can get away with a standard unit.

Steve.

 

[alastair]

I fitted a Raymarine Autopilot in my F37 last year. I agree with what others have said in that you will certainly have better performance. That said, I am perfectly happy without the gyro version. It depends if you are going to be out in wild seas on not. The main benefit to me would have been improved MARPA performance - the radar plotter used the same gyro info.
As you say, its an expensive option, but you can upgrade later with a plug in PCB for £580.
Hope this helps

Alastair
www.javacharter.co.uk

 

[F37]

Yes thanks for that,i didn't realise that you could upgrade at a later date perhaps my best option is to fit the standard unit and see if it suits my type of cruising,and then upgrade if it falls short.Can I ask do you use your autopilot a lot on the sea,and how often does it go outside its parameters?

 

[hlb]

I engage auto pilot as soon as I leave the marina. Cant stand all that wheel turning, this way and that. The only time it will disengage it's self is if in track mode. The next way point is at a sharp angle. It needs damping down to Umm forget the word, but number three setting. Else it's far to sensative and wanders by trying to get back on track to sharply. Other than that it stays on track in any sea. Less you have to slow down to much. When it cant.

 

[alastair]

The performance without a Rate Gyro has been fine for me, but I havent really been out in anything over a F4 recently - wife and kids wont let me!! When I have a charter, I avoid the bad weather too, and offer a money back deal if its too rough on the day. Were going to France and the CIs on hols this Summer, so maybe catch the rough stuff then /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Alastair
www.javacharter.co.uk

 

[nicho]

I had one without on a previous S37, and didn't have any problems, though in a biggish following sea at planing speeds, it would get cought out from time to time. I'm just having one fitted to my current boat (another S37), and decided to once again save the £600, and not have the rate gyro. I think it is fine for most, and as other have said, you can always retro fit..

 

[Gludy]

I would go for the G series with the built in gyro - this is used also for marpa and getting accurate heading information into the rest of the system. All you need is the standard cheap fast fluxgate attached to nmea2 on the autopilot. So in addition to much improved autopilot in any sort of seas, you get accruate heading info for other purposes.

 

[Oldhand]

For what its worth to you:

My sailing boat steered what I thought to be very poorly, both under engine and sail when my autopilot heading input was a standard fluxgate compass. I changed the compass to a "rate gyro" enhaced fluxgate unit from the same manufacturer and the autopilot steering control was transformed. I would thus conclude speed is not necessarily the deciding factor on whether to have "rate gyro" enhancement, it is as much to do with the boat handling characteristics. Of course the other advantage is that "rate gyro" enhanced high speed NMEA heading output makes radar ARPA functionality useable.