autopilot installation on 42 ft sailboat

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by skipmac

Have had discussion before with boaters experienced with hydraulics in general and AP drives specifically and noise was mentioned several times. One very experienced boater commented that hydraulic systems were simpler than mechanical but I don't quite understand how that could be. Both need an electric motor but mechanical has gearing while the hydraulic has pumps, lines, etc.


My boat came with a Raymarine AP that was non-functional including the drive but new brushes and new bearings fixed the drive and I tossed the rest. The drive was the Type 1 which is rated max to about my boat displacement so when I saw a old but unused in the box Type 2 on eBay I grabbed it for a spare. Good thing since the old drive died after 24 hours under sail on my trip north. Anyway, I'm very happy with the Ray linear mechanical as it has plenty of power and is very quiet. Quiet is critical for me since the motor is right under the bed in the aft cabin.

I'm sure some will feel strongly of one over the other, but IMO each has their pluses/minuses, just pick your poison and work with it. Over sizing the drive unit (vs. just barely enough) is the better approach and most are much happier w/that decision when it hits the fan.
Very nice you had spare drive unit. Usually one purchases spares then never needs them and just take up space in a locker.


Bill O.

[shadowdancer]

just talked to a B&G rep on the phone. the core package includes the new WS310 did sensor instead off the 508 wind sensor thats in the picture, also a speed, depth, and temp transducer as well as traction 2 display

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by shadowdancer

just talked to a B&G rep on the phone. the core package includes the new WS310 did sensor instead off the 508 wind sensor thats in the picture, also a speed, depth, and temp transducer as well as traction 2 display

All for the low, low price of??? Just wanted to start my day off with some sticker shock!

[ericoh88]

Bill O

Read your excellent article on the install of pypilot and all.

I am using the old Raymarine ST6000 control head ( year 2002 so days are numbered) - I like the buttons for manual/auto, -10,+10,-1 and +1 .

I am interested to go the rasp pi & pypilot way and I understand you can control your pypilot via wifi devices.

What do you do when you need to take over manual from auto, like you suddenly realised a crazy fishing boat crossing your bow? Happened to me when bimini side shades were down. I hit the manual button and swing the wheel to avoid a collision.


How?


Eric

[Bill O]

Eric,
We use a windows touch screen tablet (wireless) in the cockpit (or anywhere else on the boat) and our pi at the nav station has independent control (wireless) of the pypilot through opencpn as well. Could use a smartphone also.

The latest version of pypilot has a tack function as well as +/-10 & +/-1 degree adjustments. I was told a dodge function was under development, but typically we just use the 10 degree button to avoid crab pots, etc. while using the AP. It's fairly rare we ever need to disengage the AP, but if we do a quick tap instantly gives you manual control. Our pypilot is below decks but all these functions can also be controlled w/an IR remote (included) if in line of sight w/o any other additional computers.

I'm very impressed w/the pypilot capabilities and will say it is as good or better than the APs produced by the "big guys" for a fraction of the cost. Added bonus, the power consumption of the pypilot is extremely low.

Different subject re: your side shades. Instead of a solid canvas, we use Phifertex which allows us to still see through the shades and still block a majority of the sun.


Bill O.

[ericoh88]

Originally Posted by Bill O

Eric,The latest version of pypilot has a tack function as well as +/-10 & +/-1 degree adjustments.

Bill, I appreciate your speedy reply. All the adjustment/controls are wifi . Imagine me hitting the screen on the tablet when there is no more power, or in a heavy down pour with wet fingers or simply the wifi does not work.

I prefer a hardwired with 6 buttons at the helm. I asked Sean about this and he replied there are i/o on the pi to do these button controls. This approach would mean I have to do the coding and debugging. More coding if future updates happens to use these same i/o.

As a stop gap measure until such features are added, perhaps an on/off hard wired button at helm to the clutch (for mechanical linear motor) or bypass solenoid (for hydraulic continuous motor) or a relay to disable the reversible hydraulic motor.

I wonder any pypilot users felt there is a need for such hardwired buttons.

What say you Bill - a wired on/off control at helm?

Originally Posted by Bill O

Different subject re: your side shades. Instead of a solid canvas, we use Phifertex which allows us to still see through the shades and still block a majority of the sun.
Bill O.

That is good suggestion - I will get my friend to sew 2 side shades up . Thanks.

As you can tell, I am a newbie. Some days, at the right time and perfect angle the sun is blinding. In fishing boats area, I remove the side shades or have half shade and have my sunglasses on.

Eric
9M2EO

[Bill O]

Eric,
Haven't felt the need for a wired on/off at the helm or at the nav. station. Everything works as expected. We have plenty of power to run our devices and anticipate when a recharge is needed well before they would run out of power.

In heavily congested areas, it may not be the best time to run the AP especially if other fishing boats or other fast moving vessels are around your boat as it can be sometimes very difficult to anticipate stupid moves by other boaters.


Bill O.

[AndyEss]

Originally Posted by Bill O

I did look up the specs for a NAC-2 and they are only rated at 8A continuous w/16A peak. Agree, would not consider this to be adequate for a primary AP on a 42' sailboat. The -3 was rated at 30A continuous w/50A peak. Quite a jump in power capability between the controllers.

Bottom line for some one doing an initial AP set up is to look at the specs of the AP components and size/purchase appropriately. Too many these days want a plug n' play. w/o understanding the "system" nor how taxing certain sea states or points of sail play into power needs of the AP.

We have a larger below deck hydraulic pump for our AP that could spike at 30A if/when it hits the rudder stop full over (never does). So after looking at the -3 specs it could have worked. One of the turn offs for the Simrad system was the noisy pump as someone described as sounding like "copulating cats" while running and I certainly didn't want to hear that in the aft cabin. Instead we went w/a Kobelt pump (used on Amels) w/silent feet (anti-vibration pads) under the mounting plate and is virtually silent.

Going w/the pypilot was a simple decision as we already had the RPi (the computer) w/ocpn then just needed a controller. The parts are much cheaper than the name brand and so far very reliable. Will agree the AP is a vital piece of equipment and typically we would carry spares to keep such vital systems running. Due to the expense of just the NAC-3 computer alone, I'm doubting many would carry one as a spare in case that failed. IMO the pypilot modular components are so inexpensive one could carry all replacement electronic components and swap them out as needed.

In general, very pleased w/the pypilot as our AP which has many great features (as much or more than the name brand) and functions well. It's also comforting to know that my AP computer in the near future will not be "discontinued" or "not supported" just to sell/upgrade you the latest/greatest.


Bill O.

My solution to underspec'd AP computers (in terms of how many amps they can handle) is to offload the AP computer control with an external bridge relay circuit. The AP then only has to provide a low amp control signal, while the external relay circuit handles the power.
My circuit consists of 4 x 40 amp (continuous) solid state relays. I set this up because I have an old Raymarine AP system which includes a Type 2 linear drive. With my external relay board I can drive it with a AP 100 computer which is only rated for a Type 1 drive.
Easy to do with any AP because the control signal is just an on-off pulse. The external relays allow use of a less powerful (and less expensive AP computer) and can also be used as a low cost "buffer" for AP computers of the right size.

[Solaris]

Originally Posted by shadowdancer

I plan on using an octopus ram, B&G for the computer, rudder feed back, GPS (I have a Vulcan 7) not sure I need a GPS also a wind sensor and compass, and keyboard (again not sure I need compass or keyboard with Vulcan 7) B&G is very hard to contact and not sure they know

does this sound ok ?

Hello. I was inquiring on Google if an Octopus auto pilot would read or be compatible with a B&G Vulcan 9 chartplotter? Your post came up in the search. That is the scenario with my 45Gulfstar Hirsch sailboat project. Hoping the already on board Octopus (Which I had hydraulics repaired on already) will connect. Or, am I looking at upgrading a newer autopilot to match the newly purchased B&G Vulcan 9? Curious how your situation turned out as it sounds similar to my situation. I'll be getting into this project within the next month. Hoping my current autopilot will talk to the B&G Vulcan9. Any advice and shared experiences would be valued! Thank you.


Lyn
S/V Fleetwing