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Old 22-11-2010, 10:37   #46
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below deck autopilot for bluewater

Our pretorien came with both a Sailomat windvane and a Raymarine wheel pilot. The previous owner thought the same thing, that by having a good windvane, they could spend less on the autopilot.

While crossing the Atlantic, they found that the windvane wind paddle was somehow being interfered by the solar panel, which is high up above the bimini. He did not want to perform surgery on the paddle mid ocean, so they switched to the autopilot. It did not last the rest of the way to the Azores.

He fashioned a smaller paddle once in port, so the problem is solved, and might have been solved before they left if they had experienced those conditions, but hey, they did not.

So while I was thinking along the same lines, I want to put a good below-decks autopilot in place, as it seems like having a reliable backup for the wind vane is important.


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An ideal situation would be a good windvane, and an electric A/P. In this situation you could save a few bucks by downsizing the E A/P, for windless days........i2f
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Old 22-11-2010, 11:19   #47
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............One thing no one has mentioned yet is the power draw of an auto pilot, remember to consider that as part of your choice.
I should probably update. My original 1973 Benmar drive uses a 1/4hp motor to pump hydraulic fluid. In 1988 I "married" the drive to a Nexus control head. Anyway, I can't leave mine on long distance unless my wind generator, hanging in the often spoiled air in front of my mizzen, is really putting out. I'm sure not many are using a 37 year old autopilot, but mine is always spot-on excellent. We often cruise the Bahamas, though I agree the needs are the same elsewhere, and we always use the autohelm for at least occasional breaks, sail tending and raising the anchor single-handed, etc.
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Old 22-11-2010, 14:38   #48
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My helm center is marked and I can read how much helm is being applied... as in weather helm to keep the boat on coarse. What does a rudder angle indicator tell me that I can't tell by looking at the position of the CL of the rudder???
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Old 22-11-2010, 15:16   #49
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I have hydraulic steering and two helms. Marking centre does nothing useful so the gauge tells me where the rudder is ... sort of. Mine doesn't seem terrible accurate or responsive for some reason.
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Old 23-11-2010, 14:12   #50
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Just finished 1000 miles of hand steering. Five guys in the crew. We all agree - Autopilot, don't leave home without one!
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Old 23-11-2010, 15:00   #51
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My autopilot failed with with about a week to go on my last Bahamas cruise. Going solo with 30 knots of wind meant I couldn't leave the wheel for more than about 15 seconds at a time. Sailing all day that way, got very tiresome, very fast. I really can't imagine going into a cruise without one.
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Old 23-11-2010, 15:29   #52
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RTB:

I think Brent Swain's book has a section on how to build your own windvane. After sailing my boat for four years w/o an AP I have a hardtime imagining sailing w/o one. The worst I had to do was 16 hours on the helm. It sucked and the weather was cold and miserable but I lived with it. An AP would have made that day easy.
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Old 23-11-2010, 15:30   #53
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There are ways to combine the wind vane and AP -- I've seen them on boats but honestly don't know all the details. We always said we'd look into it if our AP crapped out (we had a Monitor, hydraulic AP and wheel AP -- use the Monitor whenever we sailed, hydraulic AP if motoring).

Anyways, if you have a Monitor or other wind vane, it's possible to hook up a tiller pilot to where the wind blade goes when you're using it, and let the "vane system" do all the work. It's cheaper than having both, but you give up redundancy.
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Old 23-11-2010, 15:58   #54
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Like this?

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$300 tiller pilot married to Monitor. Low power draw with lots of power to helm.
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Old 23-11-2010, 16:00   #55
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Thanks Charlie. I'll add the AP to my list. With only the wife and I, it will be tough to get along without one.

I only have 3 group 27 batteries in my house bank. I'm thinking that may not be enough, and not sure where I could add more.

The vane would solve that problem, but we want to add davits...sooo I need a bigger boat.
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Old 23-11-2010, 16:09   #56
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With only the wife and I, it will be tough to get along without one.
The good news is that picking up an autopilot is a lot cheaper than picking up a second wife.
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Old 23-11-2010, 16:13   #57
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She never lets me drive now. I'm guessing that might change, huh?
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Old 23-11-2010, 16:15   #58
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She never lets me drive now. I'm guessing that might change, huh?
Yeah, just as soon as she hears you want a bigger boat.
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Old 24-11-2010, 07:00   #59
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I would like to direct this to the Bahamas cruisers out there. Do you use your AP most of the time? Or would you be happy without one?
I sail either solo or doublehanded and find the AP well worth the power requirements, temperament, reliability problems and cost. The electric AP does well as does the wind vane. While wind vanes cost more and take time to install and setup properly, they are remarkably simple and very reliable. Having sailed for a week without the AP, I got pretty good at balancing the sails but never got the boat to sail herself.

As for the Bahamas, I use it a lot. I have a wired remote so I can sit on the bow and wind my way through coral heads, shallows/sand bores, and other thin water obstructions. In deeper water, I can fish, do my hourly navigation chores, or simply relax.

Being freed from the chore of steering in a real plus - something I miss a lot when I'm on land.
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Old 24-11-2010, 08:51   #60
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$300 tiller pilot married to Monitor. Low power draw with lots of power to helm.
But is the bird a qualified helmsman?
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