Raymarine EV-400 w/ type 1 short linear drive? What will haooen?

[Juhana]

Hello all,

I'm updating my autopilot to a Raymarine EV-400 unit and fitting it with a Raymarine type 2 short linear drive unit. The boat is a Jeanneau 44 from 1990, 10 metric tons or so.

Question: As I just happen to have a spare Raymarine type 1 short linear drive unit in shelf, I just thought about a possibility to use that as a temporary spare unit in case the type 2 unit happens to fail one day, just in order to get back home easier etc. I appreciate that the type 1 unit may be pushed to its limits, but does anyone have any real-world experience about this - what will happen, will I risk the drive unit, the actuator unit, both or perhaps all I hold dear :-D

Regards,

Juhana

[maine50]

I have a type 1 linear drive on a 42" S & S sailboat that has steered the boat
for last 20+ years including 15000 miles of open ocean . The boat weighs 24000lbs but has a large skeg and balances easily. As a backup your installation wouldn't likely see extreme conditions.
I did once need to remove it because of a mechanical connection problem at the quadrant/arm. The pin was frozen at the mounting stand piece at the other end. So you might want to see if you can remove your existing type 2 easily. The Raymarine drive design hasn't changed in many many years because they are so dependable.

[Capt.Don]

I have the EV400 driving a type 1 linear drive for over a year now -- no problems.

[bstreep]

I wouldn't think twice about keeping it as a spare. You will wear it out with high/heavy use, but you likely will never use it. And if you DO need it, it will probably cross an ocean or 2 without giving up.

[Juhana]

Thank you all for sharing your knowledge! This is really helpful information, and at least for me pretty much unavailable otherwise, not from any manuals or even local Raymarine dealers anyway. What a great forum!

Juhana