capnsensible
Well-known member
I still cant afford a modern all singing all dancing super racing wave handling magic stick though, which is my point. :encouragement:
Golden Globe Race
- Thread starter capnsensible
- Start date
flaming
Well-known member
But you're also not planning on racing through the Southern Ocean though are you?
flaming
Well-known member
If you have to ask....
Here's why though.
https://www.nke-marine-electronics.com/nke-autopilot-article-in-sailing-world/
capnsensible
Well-known member
Just as well as the autopilots cost too much. Why has this suddenly turned out like wading through treacle?
Dudes, my envy of those that can afford to spend others money on the best kit should not over concern you. Really. :encouragement:
Seajet
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The obvious question then is ' how expensive and where do we got one ? '
As none of we mere mortal yotties can trust our Autohelms or Simrads for 40 winks let alone turning in and leaving ' George ' to it...
bbg
Active member
My NKE (for a MiniTransat boat) was about €10,000, I believe - although there was already one installed when I bought the boat. I think you would be paying something in that range for the full system including ram, sensors, remote control and the ability to steer to the True Wind Angle.
But that was before they added the ability to include more sensors to measure pitch, roll rates etc. And you would want at least two displays/control heads - maybe three.
It wouldn't surprise me if the Open 60s were spending €20,000 on a full system.
You can go on the NKE website and find the dealer network if you want to buy one. Accastillage Diffusion sells them in France, I believe.
But you don't really need one if you are cruising or coastal hopping. If you want to race around the world via the Southern Ocean, it's a different story.
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capnsensible
Well-known member
Interestingly, the skipper who is winning the Golden Globe Race and is in the Southern Ocean has a Hydrovane. 
flaming
Well-known member
You've lost me...
Top end kit is always bloody expensive. However what's top end kit today is standard tomorrow. The standard Raymarine pilot that we had on the Elan was higher spec than an open 60 pilot of 15-20 years ago... I actually thought that in fairly heavy downwind stuff it was probably 95% as good as top helm. And better than me after 24 hours awake... And the current Raymarine kit is better still.
Seajet
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Flaming,
there was a time I'd have gone straight for the top stuff even on my little boat, but as you say experience shows yesterdays' top notch becomes todays' standard.
I knew a chap at our club years ago who was trying to develop such a 3d accelerometer sensing autopilot, never heard of him again as his boat was sold - I hope Konrad is involved in there.
Meanwhile I'll stay hovering nervously by my ST 2000, it's brilliant, handles quartering waves very well - but I can't trust it, it's a replacement for the first one which lasted 30 seconds...
there was a time I'd have gone straight for the top stuff even on my little boat, but as you say experience shows yesterdays' top notch becomes todays' standard.
I knew a chap at our club years ago who was trying to develop such a 3d accelerometer sensing autopilot, never heard of him again as his boat was sold - I hope Konrad is involved in there.
Meanwhile I'll stay hovering nervously by my ST 2000, it's brilliant, handles quartering waves very well - but I can't trust it, it's a replacement for the first one which lasted 30 seconds...
bbg
Active member
No-one is criticising you (or anyone else) for not having the "top stuff". Just pointing out that the best autopilots that are available today are very VERY good.
Looks like you didn't know the capabilities of top end autopilots. Now you do.
flaming
Well-known member
Just as bbg, can't criticise that at all. And like bbg I just thought it sounded like some people weren't aware of quite how good the latest stuff really is. Autopilots are one area where there really has been an awful lot of progress relatively recently.
Seajet
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So why hasn't this filtered down to mortal yotties like me and chums via Raytheon and Simrad ?! I can live without the 3D wave sensing for normal cross Channel stuff, I and a huge number of other people just want the ****ing things to be waterproof !!!
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
So why hasn't this filtered down to mortal yotties like me and chums via Raytheon and Simrad ?! I can live without the 3D wave sensing for normal cross Channel stuff, I and a huge number of other people just want the ****ing things to be waterproof !!!
Why do you think it would not filter down? It probably has to a degree.
https://www.sailingeurope.com/blog/raymarine-autopilot-aircraft-technology-for-easy-yachting
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capnsensible
Well-known member
So why hasn't this filtered down to mortal yotties like me and chums via Raytheon and Simrad ?! I can live without the 3D wave sensing for normal cross Channel stuff, I and a huge number of other people just want the ****ing things to be waterproof !!!
Have you thought of one of the windpilots? There are some that are nothing like as heavy as the Hydrovane.
Back to Simrad, I found the weak spot to be those rather unecessary red and green teensy bits of plastic that have a light flashing under them. An autopilot ruined by a bit of plastic worth 0.0000001 of a groat.
capnsensible
Well-known member
Now you are talking! Like.
Seajet
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OK, spiffing - but ' aircraft technology ' isn't waterproof - and the Sea Harrier autopilot while useful wasn't cleared as fit for service use...
So does this thing come in tiller pilot form, and how much - I would google but as you're promoting it...
So does this thing come in tiller pilot form, and how much - I would google but as you're promoting it...
capnsensible
Well-known member
Seajet
...
Now I feel I and buyers of the Autohelm range are being cheated; I'll wait until either my ST2000 goes bang or they drop prices for the kit that may or may not be better...
My favourite autopilot was the original Mini Seacourse, which had a great sense of humour; at that time my boat had a total loss battery system, we had to take the battery to garages for charging ( no charging coil on the original engine and solar panels were for spaceships ) .
No battery condition meter either, but when the voltage went too low the Seacourse died with a dramatic ' Urgh ' and went to full extension shoving the helm hard over - you can guess this didn't happen out on wide open seas, it saved itself for narrow gaps like the Dolphin Passage off Southsea - I watched it like a hawk and may as well have been helming anyway.
My favourite autopilot was the original Mini Seacourse, which had a great sense of humour; at that time my boat had a total loss battery system, we had to take the battery to garages for charging ( no charging coil on the original engine and solar panels were for spaceships ) .
No battery condition meter either, but when the voltage went too low the Seacourse died with a dramatic ' Urgh ' and went to full extension shoving the helm hard over - you can guess this didn't happen out on wide open seas, it saved itself for narrow gaps like the Dolphin Passage off Southsea - I watched it like a hawk and may as well have been helming anyway.
D
Deleted member 36384
Guest
OK, spiffing - but ' aircraft technology ' isn't waterproof - and the Sea Harrier autopilot while useful wasn't cleared as fit for service use...
So does this thing come in tiller pilot form, and how much - I would google but as you're promoting it...
I am not promoting it. The compass is IPX 6 waterproof which basically means you can hose it with a strong jet of water and it will not leak; the control module must be mounted inside but has a drip proof rating. Raymarine Evolution does not work on an external tiller but you could use a linear drive, mounted below decks to work on a tiller arm from the rudder stock, or quadrant perhaps. Transom hung rudders would require a different system. Raymarine prices are easily obtainable and fairly consistent across the various suppliers.
Seajet
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As my boat has a transom hung rudder and the ( actually useful unlike those on boats with faux aft cabins ) cockpit lockers take up the space below, I think I'll have to wait in the vain hope that someone in the 21st Century - we're meant to have Thunderbirds by now - can actually manage a waterproof tiller autopilot - I wouldn't mind so much if leaks were at the moving ram, but how hard is it to make a sealed casing ?!
