Raymarine type 1rotary drive for autopilot

[chubby]

I have an existing raymarine wheel pilot SP5 which is probably at the limit of spec on a heavy 7000 Kg displacement motorsailor and am thinking of upgrade to a below decks autopilot.

The boat has rod steering and already has a sprocket for a long redundant chain driven Pinta autopilot so the rotary drive seems ideal and easier mechanically than a linear drive in the aft locker.

So does anyone have experience of this type of drive, either tips for installing, choice of sprocket size on the drive ( 2 and a bit turns on the wheel from midships to full helm ) or use?

Would it plus the up to date controller and sensor be a worthwhile upgrade, cost apart, the wheel pilots seem to have some adverse comments on the forums?

The type 1 is recommended for up to 11,000 Kg, is the type2 a worthwhile extra or over kill?

Anyone done their own installation or professional and if so who and ball park figure?

The electrical installation is easy: I have done it for the wheel pilot and basically connecting up the right coloured wires but the mechanical part might need more thought.

Any comments and advice welcome, thanks, Chubby

 

[Yngmar]

My boat came with a motor driving the wheel via a chain, although it is Whitlock DU145 (now Lewmar) drive. It's basically a small pancake motor with a big gearbox and a solenoid clutch in front. Others have reported a series of clutch failures on the Lewmar version of the drive, although my older Whitlock version hasn't given me any trouble at all. No idea about sprocket size, but I imagine the installation instructions will tell you all about that. The only downside is that in case of steering cable (or rod) failure, you cannot use the autopilot as backup to steer with (in manual mode) like you could with a drive on the quadrant or rudder post (if the broken cable/rods aren't blocking it, or after detaching them).

The drive is mounted in a heavy duty bracket hanging directly under the binnacle at the top of the engine room. The bracket has slots, so the chain is tensioned by sliding the entire drive unit up/down and tightening up the bolts that hold it. It was a bit noisy at first, but adjusting chain tension and lubricating things sorted that.

The controller (Raymarine type 300 with ST6000+ head) is right next to it, so the heavy-ish power/motor cables have a much shorter run than they would have to the transom. The fluxgate compass is in a aft cabin locker near the hull and there is also a rudder position sensor mounted on the rudder post, which is important for the Autohelm, as without it'd only work in "reluctant" mode.

Overall the setup works very well, from some rough conditions off Plymouth to downwind steering in light airs. Unlike a friend's B&G Hydra/Hercules, which throws the towel in case of any trouble, the Raymarine pilot merely beeps for attention but keeps on trying to get back on course when pushed off for whatever reason, a very important distinction.

 

[djc]

Took some photos of my set up . Cetrek pilot with pilot head , rate and heading sensors , rudder feed back unit and the large black pilot motor .
Seems way over sized to me , not sure of its rating etc , but mind full of its power consumption when sailing I allow 3.72 amps on average. although this could rise when sea state increases .

 

[Quandary]

Last year I bought a mobo. and then purchased a pilot for it which I installed, used for one trip and then took out, as while I liked pilot, I did not like the boat. It is a Raymarine P70R head with a Acu 200 computer ( the type with a clutch for permanent drive connection) and one of those fancy, fit anywhere, course sensors. The drive is a separate package comprising a Cetrek/Teleflex motor drive (now sold as Octopus) with rudder position read out, a 2m. teleflex steering cable and an Octopus tiller quadrant connection kit. Octopus say up to 38' 7000kg. disp. Probably irrelevant to your preference for a chain drive but good kit with only a couple of hours use and 2 years left on the 3 year extended Raymarine warranty. I will probably end up selling the Raymarine package and the drive separately. All instructions etc available.
Easy to fit, the motor can sit anywhere relative to the rudder as the thrust is taken by the connection tube.
Apologies if not relevant to your query.

 

[chubby]

thanks for the feedback and photos, food for thought, especially the motor mounting, having a general refurb of the steering system then will tackle the autopilot