linear drive units/ tiller pilot issues

[Boatguy30]

On previous boats I have had both raymarine type 1 linear drives and the Robertson HDL2000.
The HDL with a Raymarine S2 was a really great setup on my 43' 32,000lb Wauqiez ketch

I now have a 34' sailing catamaran that really is a sailing cat not a cruising pig. She easily does 10-12 knots in 18+ knots of wind and Incan easily see 200+ mile tradewind days.

All power is solar and on a 4 month Bahamas cruise used a Simrad tp32. It actually worked pretty well early in the cruise but the performance seemed to degrade and really worked poorly when out on a weekend trip a little while back.

I opened it up and all looked good but for a bit of black dust on the motor. This unit was new old stock navico I bought on ebay and first used last fall.

Anyway, I was not able to get my GPS to interface with the pilot so the supposed speed compensating software did not kick in, but I can see using this to sail thru the night in decent winds.

I sailed the boat pretty flat out on this Bahamas cruise and hit 16.5 knots once and 13-14 knots a couple of times under main and jib. Somit sails like a ULDB but the helm is actually a bit heavier and she's probably steers more like a heavier monohull than a planning mono.

I will certainly need topsail more conservatively on ocean passages but will still be doing 8-10 knots frequently.

I'm trying to work out what type of autopilot system I should use. It has twin tillers like a big beach cat so I'm considering trying the biggest Raymarine tiller pilot. But I also could easy fit a belowdecks linear unit.

I'm planning another winters Bahamas cruise next year and then its off to Panama and the S Pacific in late 2016. So I have some time to experiment, but don't want to waste a bunch of money.

You can see my boat here: sailingcatamarans.BlogSpot.com

Cheers,
Jeff Goff

[todd22123]

Hi Jeff-

Consider searching through the threads for autopilot knowledge.

In general, quite a few SSS yachts have sailed to Hawaii with the Raymarine below deck computer/compass with above deck drive unit. The drive unit is the weak link, related to water intrusion. Current version of this autopilot is something like Raymarine Evo-100 and related models.

Another good sized subset have all below deck autopilots. These are more expensive and use more power, but they have the potential to be both more powerful and reliable.

The smallest subset rely exclusively on something like you had working, the Simrad TP-32, all in one, above deck. They have anecdotally gone a long way.

Todd

[BobJ]

Raymarine Tiller Drives (model Q047) have not changed and are still sold with their EV-100. It is the only tiller drive Raymarine sells for use with a belowdecks computer and heading sensor. I've had several Q047's on my 5,500# monohull, which has a light helm. Care includes diver's silicone grease on the "piston" and a Sunbrella cover to keep most water off. Average life for these drives has been 2,000 nm* before complete failure or a return to Raymarine for rebuilding. I would expect much less on your boat. For what you're doing, belowdecks drives are the way to go.

* Total miles since my first Q047 was placed in service is about 14,000 nm. I'm on my sixth or seventh.

[Boatguy30]

I had been thru a lot of the past info and its really a great resource. I posted on this thread specifically because of all the knowledge with boats of similar size and speed to mine. The Transpac is also on my bucket list of sorts, but living in FL with young children and a nontrailerable boat makes it unlikely for 2016.

Anyway, I have lately been thinking of a system using a small displacement hydraulic ram like used to steer smaller powerboats, about 10cu in. This could be driven by the smallest raymarine pump and the EV100. I would put a ball valve in parallel with the cylinder to create a bypass and a zero power clutch/solenoid. I could reach it pretty easy from the helm if setup properly. It seems to me s solenoid drawing 10w or so on a typical linear drive is maybe 1/2 the total consumption at least in light winds.

Does the EV100 play well with other non raymarine items. It appears you have to buy some type of adaptor to get it to work with standard NEMA?

Cheers,
Jeff

[BobJ]

Hi Jeff,

Our SSS Commodore, Al Germain, has a hydraulic ram installed on his tiller-steered WylieCat. I don't know what type ACU is controlling it but maybe he'll chime in here.

To answer your question, I just went through this with my new EV-200* installation (RM's "SeaTalk NG" bus like your EV-100). You have two options:

1) Direct NMEA0183 to/from SeaTalk NG: Nothing from RM directly but RM supports this: Actisense NMEA0183-STNG Converter

2) What I did, which was plug my Garmin chartplotter (NMEA0183) into an old RM ST60 "Multi" repeater that has NMEA input, and then install RM's ST1-STNG Converter kit. This gave me more flexibility and was cheaper.

* By the way, the reason I got the EV-200 instead of the EV-100 was to get the clutch circuit included with the EV-200. I may install a belowdecks drive unit later.

[pogen]

I have a Nexus hydraulic ram below-deck pilot that is pretty power hungry, and I've never been crazy about the way it steers. As a second, completely independent unit, I am in the process of obtaining a completely independent tiller pilot (cockpit mount)
from Pelagic Autopilot.

http://pelagicautopilot.com/

This is Brian Boschma's company, he is a long-time SSS member.

My hope is that it will be 1. redundant with my main system 2. less power consumption 3. possibly quieter

His pre-production pricing is extremely favorable.

[BobJ]

My Boschma wand (now Pelagic Autopilot) is working well and has promise as a replacement to the RM Q047. On his Blog, see the photo on February 3rd (I've since turned it over so the motor is on the bottom).

[Boatguy30]

I dropped Brian an email. Stuff looks s bit whacky, but I guess if it works.....

I failed to factor in that my sons bunk is directly below the area the belowdecks drive would mount. The filler pilot is currently mounted on the port side. Poor planning on my part I guess.

Maybe this think from brain will work out and solve all my problems. I tried to do the factory reset on my navico/simrad but I guess my unit is too old for it to work.

Thanks for the ideas.

[BobJ]

Not to overhype Brian's drive unit, but you get a better motor than the cheap (under $10 at cost) motor in the Q047. Instead of plastic gears you get stainless steel. It's smoother and quieter and has internal limit switches so you don't jam it hard over, which is mostly what tears up the gears in the Q047. It does draw more power than the Q047 though not excessively so. Finally, his drive currently costs about the same as the minimum repair cost on the RM drive (which I have paid several times).

[svShearwater]

Pretty sure AL has a Lecompte & Schmidt (L&S) ram if I matching the photo I saw recently with the right boat. I can certainly recommend the L&S as a strong reliable option. It should work with most ACU's.