What Autopilot would you chose for a heavy 38ft Blue Water Cruiser?

B

BrendanChandler

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www.brendanchandleryachtdelivery.co.uk
<font color="blue"> Hi Wise Ones,

The autopilot on my 20 year old Beneteau is becomming old and tempremental (like its owner) and I am concidering that I may have to replace it.

We use the boat for bluewater cruising and have a Hydrovane fitted. I would like an autopilot for the calm days of motoring and wonder what to buy. I am sure that some of you have done this exercise recently and wonder what you decided and what it cost.

We are currently away in the Azores and cannot go to the Boat Show.

Brendan </font>
 
Re: What Autopilot would you chose for a heavy 38ft Blue Water Cruiser

[ QUOTE ]

The autopilot on my 20 year old Beneteau is becomming old and tempremental (like its owner) and I am concidering that I may have to replace it.

[/ QUOTE ]

Just make sure the Autopilot does not replace you instead!!

A.
 
Tiller steering - Raymarine ST4000+ or maybe ST4000+GP if the boat is that "heavy".
Wheel steering - Raymarine ST3000 wheel or ST4000+mkII.
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hammer.thumb.gif
"Artificial intelligence is no match for natural stupidity"
 
will really depend how much money you want to pay, and how much you intend to operate using the autopilot. Assuming wheel steering:

light use (i.e. not more than 24 hrs continuous and abt once per week) you should be able to get away with using the Raymarine ST 3000 or the 4000.

3000 is cheaper but will require rigging before use

If you intend using it continuously or if your boat has a heavy helm (e.g. running for a week) then you need to step up to the S series, which are a lot more money, but also much better quality. The S series is graded per size of your boat, and has a steering control available to be compatible with whatever type your boat has (e.g. hydraulic, wire, chain etc. The S series also has a further refinement as an additional item which adds a rate gyro to the system so vastly improves steering ability and response to waves.
 
I don\'t know if this works with a Hydrovane...

...but there is the possibility, with trim tab gears, of making a stub vane and running a small cheap autopilot connected to the stub vane.
 
Re: I don\'t know if this works with a Hydrovane...

[ QUOTE ]
...but there is the possibility, with trim tab gears, of making a stub vane and running a small cheap autopilot connected to the stub vane.

[/ QUOTE ]Not only trim tab types, but any wind-vane s/s /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
That system is the same as the S series. You would need to select the correct size for your boat as that changes the power characteristics of the linear ram to suit the boat size. The additional rate gyros could be added later at extra cost, but if they can be afforded will make a big difference the the system.
 
I've had the Autohelm (now Raymarine) ST4000 on a 33' heavy displacement boat and, more recently, a Navico 8000 on a 41' boat. The Autohelm was brilliant on a 3 year cruise, never a moments trouble and adequately powerful. This was a 1989 model, very solidly built; subsequent models were built with more plastic componants. The only downside is the clutter of a wheel mounted autopilot and the need to maintain the belt drive conscientiously. The Navico was also faultless, and was a hydraulic unit working directly on the steering quadrant below decks. This served well during a year or so's cruise in the Caribbean. My preferred choice would be the underdeck hydraulic unit for a boat as powerful as yours.
 
I have been told that it is possible to connect a smaller autopilot to the steering tiller on the hydrovane. I guess this would only work in the no-wind, smooth sea situation, but if there was wind you would be sailing, wouldn't you /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
What make is the ram? is it an hydraulic unit or an electrical driven linear drive a la autohelm? If it's the latter would suggest cheapest way forward would be to have the drive unit overhauled and fit a Raymarine 5000+ control head to drive it You will need to fit a fluxgate compass if you don't already have one.
 
<font color="blue"> /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gifThanks everybody,
It may be that I could replace the 'electrical bits' and keep the rest. I will need to have it done in the Canaries and by the time we get there from here, Azores, via Porto Santa etc the marinas and hence the Boat Electrical people will be heaving. I have had poor experience of electrical guys under pressure in Canaries, like they fitted a new smart regulator which went on fire 3 days into an Atlantic Crossing.

If it fails, I have little comeback as I will be in the Caribbean.
Sorry that I am rabbiting on.

I have been considering adding a tiller pilot to the Hydrovane. My tiny Irish brain has difficulty in understanding how a small weak item like a tiller pilot can happily control a large healy boat but if I chose Autopilot I would need a much bigger unit to control the same boat.

Any explanation would be very welcome.

Brendan </font>
 
For a heavy BW cruiser an Automhlem 4000 is not up to the job. We used one and found that we had to hand steer in winds above f6 following. It got across the Atlantic but only with a fair bit of TLC. From memory they are designed for dispalcements up to about 6 ton. If you are going the Raymarine route a 6000 is the job for you.

We have a 6000 and a Monitor windvane, the Monitor handles most of the work but in heavy cross seas or big following seas, when the Monitor can yaw a fair bit, the 6000 does the job. This is clearly at the expense of electrical power but having done a couple of passages where the 6000 stood up to the kind of conditions that the 4000 gave up on, I'm sold on it.
 
Agree, go for the 6000. I was surprised anyone was recommending the 4000 for serious work on a heavy 38. When you need an autopilot (except for brief sail changes or whilst eating lunch in fine conditions) you need muscle. Go for the best you can afford
 
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