Immediate Help Needed -- Isla Mujeres, MX

[Cruising Couple]

We are in Isla Mujeres, MX and need a belt for our RayMarine ST4000 Auto Pilot. We are scheduled to depart for home (Florida) on Saturday and we shredded the belt coming in to IM during the regatta this past weekend. Apparently, RayMarine no longer carries this belt and obtaining this belt is further complicated by credit card ship to/bill to issues.

The RayMarine part number is D169 and the specs are 5/750/9mm (with teeth) and is available from AMETRIC.

Any suggestions????

Thanks,
Darby and Falco

[zeehag]

in mexico there are specialy stores, and belts is one specialty they seem to always have. can you take the old one to the local belt store for replacement?

[cas206]

This one? Are you looking for a volunteer to order and ship to you?


D169 BELT for AUTOHELM RAYMARINE AUTOPILOT

[Pete the Cat]

Well, you might find someone in the anchorage there with a spare belt. You might be surprised what might be stocked at the boatyard in the inner harbor there---Mexican boatyards sometimes have ancient parts when they have them at all. I was there on my T37 a few years ago with a 4000 as a backup to my underdeck autopilot and a couple of spare belts for it. Can't help you as I am currently 3000 miles from my boat. Besides, unless you have some "in" with the local customs agent getting something to you in a few days through them is very unlikely in my experience. In two years in Mexico the only hassles I ever had was with the Port Captain in Isla Mujeres----most of them were very helpful elsewhere. I recall the hassle, delay and 100% duty I had to pay on outboard parts shipped from the US to Mexico.

If you are not successful in finding someone with a spare in the anchorages, you might try fixing the one you have. For most steering, the 4000 uses just a few teeth on the drive and on the wheel and I cannot see why you cannot position the drives so that the teeth mesh and the broken part is in the loose part of the bight. If you encounter the square seas and 25 knots off your nose that sometimes happens in the Yucatan Strait on your route, it ain't going to work and you will have to hand steer for that, but it usually calms down. Once you get in the lee of Cuba. The really awful part of the trip is the steering in light or no winds through the night. I assume you know this is a busy route that requires constant watchkeeping anyway.

Good luck. Too bad, for a number of reasons, that I am not anchored next to you. I really think Isla Mujeres is one of the best places I have been.

[Cruising Couple]

Originally Posted by zeehag

in mexico there are specialy stores, and belts is one specialty they seem to always have. can you take the old one to the local belt store for replacement?

Do you have the name of a store in Cancun? Thanks!

[Cruising Couple]

Originally Posted by cas206

This one? Are you looking for a volunteer to order and ship to you?


D169 BELT for AUTOHELM RAYMARINE AUTOPILOT

Yes, this is the one. Can you ship overnight to Cancun?

[Bash]

These folks have a chandlery and yard in Isla Mujeres, in case you haven't already checked with them.

Puerto Isla Mujeres Resort & Yacht Club
Puerto de Abrigo, Laguna Macax, Isla Mujeres, Q. Roo, 77400
Tel:+52 998 287 3340, Fax:+52 998 287 3346, VHF Channel 16,11
marina@puertoislamujeres.com

[Ram]

2 years ago - i lost a water pump">raw water pump belt and at the time there was none showing in stock in all of Europe so I had my daughter go to the Yanmar dealer and overnight one to me-from America- this overnight took 10 days to arrive and cost $130usd - I had a charter starting and could not wait so I took 3/8 line and brade it into a loop and it held up- until the belt came from America-

- thats not the end of the story- the belt cost $20usd and when it came it was the wrong one! so had to do it again for $130 more in shipping 10 more days before the right one came- so for $260 usd + $40usd I was over nighted -20+ days-- a $20 belt - The rope held the whole time!

[zeehag]

i dont know name of the specialty stores, but they all sell many kinds of belts fo ruse in everything from golf carts to diesel trucks and tractors and boats... should be easy to find one of these tiendas if the local marine sources do not pay off. they are usually located where gringos do not usually travel daily.

[Ocean Girl]

Ahoy tartan 37, what is your departure time? oops just saw your Saturday departure ,never mind, might of been able to find one this weekend but no sooner. Anyways, Good luck!!
Erika

[cas206]

I called that site and they don't have a problem shipping to mexico with a US credit card addresss as long a the billing address is correct. They ask for the billing address first. AT the bottom of the page, unclick the box, that says shipping is same as billing. Then you can select mexico as shipping address. Hint... the zip code of 77 has to be entered as 00077 for the web page to accept it.

If I tried to order, it would be $34 to over night to me in Maryland from the store in New Jersey. Then it would be another $77.00 to Fedex over night to you. There would be a very high probability it would not make it by Saturday. So best bet is to try ordering directly to you from web site.

[Cruising Couple]

Thanks for all of the help. The local chandlery, unfortunately, is out of business. The remainder of the stock is being sold in a "shack" about 100 yds.outside of the gate of the Villa Vera Puerto Isla Mujeres.

The mail order solutions from the US will, unfortunately, not get here by the time we need to leave.

I will look locally for a supplier of "bandas" for the correct size.

For future reference, Ametric Corp. in Laurens, SC makes these belts for the older ST4000 MK1 models. It is their 5.750.9 part number which is also the size of the three dimensions in millimeters.

I will probably be ordering several for future replacement purposes.

Falco and Darby

[Celestialsailor]

Forget any specialty store in Mananaland for that belt. I have the same unit. There are two types. Old unit (MkI) with black housing and newer unit (MKII) gray housing. Here is one on ebay for the old. Hope this helps.
BELT Raymarine D169 Autohelm ST4000 AutoPilot Raytheon Wheel Pilot | eBay

[zeehag]

how emergent is your departure date? why is it you are sailing to a schedule? that is what kills and hurts ye. try to have more time and relax until you find the part. it will take weeks even for fed ex to get something to you in mexico. goo dluck and i hope it works for you.

it doesnt hurt to try the specialty stores in mexico--i was told i wouldnt find that which i sought in one-- but i did. so do try.

[Cruising Couple]

Thank you all for your help, we are VERY grateful. One of the boats that sailed the regatta with us had the exact belt we needed and has given us their spare. We are on our way back home on Saturday, weather permitting.

Darby and Falco