autopilot

[derekh]

It was terrible, On Sunday I was motoring from Portrush towards Ballycastle in flat calm water when suddenly we hit a little wave. Her-in-doors staggered and lost her ballance. I looked down and saw the red liquid flowing from where she lay just struggling to regain composure at my feet. Pan Pan Medico ? No the silly cow had spilled my glass of red plonk. I need an auto pilot so I can hold my wine with both hands. Someone recomended simrad ap 11. The boat is a 28' sunseeker with a teleflexy thing for the steering and a pair of kad32's with power steering. The wife is 5'6" and cooks a mean bacon buttie but I am well advised that she is past the autopilot stage.(The bacon buttie is an Irish thing & a must for a marine breakfast).
Anyone know about ap11 and their compatibility with my existing setup.

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[h4nym]

Why not the Raymarine SportPilot/Plus... you're surely under 4.5 tonnes...?

Hany

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[Dave_Knowles]

Hi,

My advice is tread carefully.

I have a Autopilot ST3000 fitted to my 7m Cleopatra and it is a disaster. No matter how I try and set it up all goes well for a bit and then it dramatically wanders off course. I have had the unit checked by Raymarine and they say it is ok. The only thing I still have to do is connect it to my GPS and see if this m,akes a difference. I presume that the course will then be controlled by the GPS rather than than the compass in the Autopilot.



Dave

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[hlb]

Get a Raythion/Raymarine ST6000 t's brilliant. I never use a stearing wheel.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[Dave_Knowles]

Can you give me any tips as to what might be the problem with my ST3000.

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[hlb]

Mine is crap on Responce 1. So I reset it on Responce 3

Dont know if this helps!

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[ccscott49]

Just a little aside, an autopilot that veers suddenly off course is definitely, not OK no matter what raymarine say, there must be something wrong with it! Have they been out on the boat and seen it do this?

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[Dave_Knowles]

No they havn't.

One thing theat I am a little unclear about is if I connect it to my GPS does this then override the compass in the Autopilot when I put it to goto a waypoint?

If it does I could try this to see if it is the head at fault.

<hr width=100% size=1>Take care.

Dave

Dave Knowles
Southampton - UK

http://www.MyCleopatra.co.uk

 

[ccscott49]

Not sure on that, I think it still uses the fluxgate compass of the autopilot, but adjusts for Xtrack error from the GPS. This kind of stuff is beyond my knowledge.

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[hlb]

Maybe it's your hydraulic pump that is knackered. I've just replaced mine after it got water in it. You would have thought water and boats mixed fairly well. But not with Raymarine pumps!!

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn

 

[Dave_Knowles]

I have moved the fluxgate compass to the third position and find the now the windscreen wiper when switched on causes it to go all over the place. I also found the if I switched anything on the switch panel that has the Autopilot switched through this often makes the head reset. I assume that it would be sest therefore connect via a fuse directly to the battery.

How do othere connect the power?

Sorry for so many posts but gave the boat a good run run yeaterday.

<hr width=100% size=1>Take care.

Dave

Dave Knowles
Southampton - UK

http://www.MyCleopatra.co.uk