Tiller pilots reliability

[hpeer]

I now have Pealegic.

Quality is VASTLY better.

The ram is commercially available and inexpensive. The only proprietory bit is the control head and current driver. Factory support from mfg. Is excellent. They sell kits to marry with various vanes.

They also sell various configurations of drives.

It is completly stand alone.

https://pelagicautopilot.com/product...ller-actuator0

[Mike OReilly]

I’ve*had*a Ray tiller pilot on my heavy (15 ton) full keeler for about 10 years. It was rated to manage 18,000# when I bought it, but at the time, that was the biggest one I could find. So far, it has exceeded my expectations.

We mostly use it in relatively easy conditions, but there have been a few periods when we asked a lot from it, and it has never failed — yet.

If/when this one packs it in, I will definitely look at Pelagic. It looks to be better all round. But so far, I haven’t managed to kill my Raymarine.

[thinwater]

The most common cause (not only) of failure is water intrusion. Yes, they are supposed to be water tight, but that is a very difficult thing:

• Temperature swings. The full swing is below freezing to maybe 140F, but easily 70-140 in minutes when a thunderstorm hits. This places the unit under ~ 10% vacuum.
• Piston goes in and out. Not only is this a leak path, but this also changes the air volume in the housing.

One solution is a cover. You can make one or get one on Ebay (apparently popular in the UK where it rains a lot). Simple enough. But there are questions about overheating.


Other causes include overwork (balance you sails) and letting the unit hit the travel stops (why they don't all have limit switches I can't guess).


I've had mixed results. The first fried because it was installed wrong and hit the stops a lot (pulley rotated on the shaft--easy fixed). Eventually it sucked in water, but that was probably my fault from not re-sealing it properly. The one I have now is 15 years old and has seen a good bit of fair weather use. But probably not much rain and the boat is very light on the helm.


I'm not dissatisfied, but they take use better than abuse. If I cruised with it in the rain I would make a cover for use only in the rain (when overheating shouldn't be a problem). But lately I really avoid the rain.

[smj]

Originally Posted by Mike OReilly

I’ve*had*a Ray tiller pilot on my heavy (15 ton) full keeler for about 10 years. It was rated to manage 18,000# when I bought it, but at the time, that was the biggest one I could find. So far, it has exceeded my expectations.

We mostly use it in relatively easy conditions, but there have been a few periods when we asked a lot from it, and it has never failed — yet.

If/when this one packs it in, I will definitely look at Pelagic. It looks to be better all round. But so far, I haven’t managed to kill my Raymarine.

I’ve never understood why they rate autopilots on vessel weight, only thing that really matters is the weight of the helm?

[Mike OReilly]

Originally Posted by smj

I’ve never understood why they rate autopilots on vessel weight, only thing that really matters is the weight of the helm?

I*agree, it doesn’t make direct sense. Surely the issue is how much force the helm feels. A well-balanced rudder, and more importantly, a balanced rig, doesn’t put a lot of force on the helm. But as we know, we don’t always manage to maintain perfect rig balance. When things get out of balance, and the rudder is called on to do more work, then I think a larger boat will produce more force than a smaller one. I assume displacement (weight of vessel) is a proxy for boat size.

[Antsjh]

Fwiw I bought a $15 waterproof gear bag on Amazon to make a cover for my current RM 2000. Also owned a Pelagic used for a small catamaran I had, liked the construction and operation of the Pelagic.

[Pete7]

Tiller pilot cover. Wouldn't buy one from E bay UK if you are in the US, instead ask a local sail maker or canvas business to make you one in the depths of winter when things are slow.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/145162056...3ABFBMuq_hqIRk

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by smj

I’ve never understood why they rate autopilots on vessel weight, only thing that really matters is the weight of the helm?

Because nobody would know the max force on the helm or how to calculate it. Vessel weight is just a rough proxy. In some cases you could be fine with a smaller AP drive and in some cases would need to step it up one model.

[jeffscott]

I have the Raymarine EV-100 on my 37' (very light, 8,000 lbs) catamaran. I'm on the third ram in 9000 miles of autopilot steering. I don't know why they quit; I always guessed they just wore out. I always carry a spare ram. So far I haven't had problems with the brain. But, I'm going to now buy the Pelagic, and see how that goes. I was wondering about the displacement thing myself, and which unit to buy, but I think it makes sense to go with the more powerful one since it will be used mostly offshore.

[Statistical]

Originally Posted by jeffscott

I have the Raymarine EV-100 on my 37' (very light, 8,000 lbs) catamaran. I'm on the third ram in 9000 miles of autopilot steering. I don't know why they quit; I always guessed they just wore out. I always carry a spare ram. So far I haven't had problems with the brain. But, I'm going to now buy the Pelagic, and see how that goes. I was wondering about the displacement thing myself, and which unit to buy, but I think it makes sense to go with the more powerful one since it will be used mostly offshore.

Yeah the all-in-one designs tend to have pretty poor reliability. You have electronics up in the cockpit unprotected. With them attached to the ram there is going to be flex in the housing and vibration. Pretty much the worst environment for electronics. They are easy to install but never heard of one that last a long time.

[massnspace]

Questions on the Pelagic ram:

1. It looks like it can’t be easily removed like the Raymarine? Or maybe replace the bolt/nut with a quick-pin?

2. The ram looks identical to a Chinese-made cheapo unit that you can buy on EBay for cheap. How does it hold up, especially in salt water and rain? Is it stainless or just mild steel? Is the mounting bracket just painted steel?