Hydraulic steering/autohelm retrofit

[colhel]

My boatshow purchase this year was Vetus hydraulic steering package and a Garmin compact reactor autohelm from Cactus marine. All I've done so far is unpacked it to check the contents. I'll do a dry fit on the living room floor, take a few pics and see what's what, before installing proper in few weeks. I may have questions ?
The steering at the moment is a single cable teleflex type

 

[BruceK]

Did mine last year. The difference is amazing. However I just replaced the cable with hydraulics. Not the whole system so its hydraulic actuating original hydraulic. This means even with the stbd engine (hydraulic pump) shut down steering is still as light as a feather

 

[colhel]

The picture below hopefully shows how everything bolts together.
On the hydraulic side, the helm pump will feed into the T pieces and then onto the Bypass valve,this isn't a necessary component in the steering but I want it to facilitate emergency steering. From here its connected to the steering cylinder.
On the autohelm side, the control will be on the Echomap plotter. This is connected via nmea to the CCU (course computer) then on to the ECU which is connected to the battery and then onto the pump providing power and control. @BruceK this answers the question we were discussing a few weeks back.

 

[Farmer Piles]

I had an autopilot retrofitted and it works brilliantly. Although I did have someone do it for me. My system was already hydraulic so it was just a matter of intercepting the hoses from the helm and inserting the pump. We put the pump in the cabin close to the helm in the dry rather than have it in the bilges where it would deteriorate much faster. The Autopilot was fantastic on our trip to Scilly in August.

 

[colhel]

I often find helming quite tiresome and far more so when visibility is poor and you have to steer by compass. And because it's tiring I want to get to my destination as quickly as possible and don't enjoy the journey.
On the fitting side of this, I think the hardest part is securing the steering cylinder, also the CCU wants to be as close to the centre of rotation as possible away from electrical interference, so the ideal place will be right where the battery bank is.

 

[Greg2]

I rate an autopilot as one of the most useful bit of electronics kit aboard. Helmed manually for years but when we finally had one I suddenly realised that I could do so much more (e.g. navigation, radar, enjoying the ride) and now wouldn’t be without one. Now that we tend to cruise at low speeds so passages are longer it is essential.

 

[BruceK]

I rate an autopilot as one of the most useful bit of electronics kit aboard. Helmed manually for years but when we finally had one I suddenly realised that I could do so much more (e.g. navigation, radar, enjoying the ride) and now wouldn’t be without one. Now that we tend to cruise at low speeds so passages are longer it is essential.

Exactly! Until autopilot it was always about the destination. Now I do a raggie speed, sunning myself on the cockpit sunbeds yelling at the admiral to keep watch for any pot buoys and doing course corrections via smartphone / tablet. Modern electronics eh? ! Just not on my engines.

 

[Farmer Piles]

As above. I liken having an autopilot as being similar to being a passenger on a long car journey rather than being the driver. Far less tiring, more enjoyable and more efficient as the autopilot course corrects many times per minute. Mine has a rudder indicator too which is great for close quarter manoeuvres.

 

[bendyone]

When I fitted a pump to my older system I needed check valves to stop the pump turning the wheel and not the ram. Also brought the hoses from an industral supplier not a marine supplier. Much savings.

 

[colhel]

@bendyone This helm pump has non return valves built it. Would they stop feedback from the rudder when manually steering? I'm only using 10mm hose and fittings so probably not huge savings to be made

 

[bendyone]

I get no feedback from my system so I guess yes. My hoses were 10% of the cost of "marine" ones.

 

[Farmer Piles]

My system seems fine on that front. The wheel stays still when the AP pump is working and there is no additional resistance to the wheel in normal use. I will find out how Rupert worked this.

 

[Farmer Piles]

Re hoses and fittings - we use Armada Supplies locally, I think they are based in Plymouth - may have others - but a branch in Falmouth so convenient for me. They are industrial suppliers of hydraulics and gear but they specialize in marine. As it happens we use them for all our farm hydraulics.