Hey folks, looking for some
advice on my
autopilot.
I bought a
Raymarine x-5
wheel pilot for my
Catalina 270 about two and half months ago. Installed it, got over a few hiccups and it worked beautifully for a about a month. Then, after an hour or so of use, and up to this day, it would slowly wander off course under sail until the Off Course
alarm goes off. It's pretty much done for the rest of the day then, won't stay on course at all.
Steps I've taken:
- Sent the course computer to
Raymarine. they have verified it's not defective and is working properly.
- Checked the
Fluxgate compass. Deviation is about 3 degrees and the
boat always KNOWS where it is. The problem arises when it won't go there. As in, you set a course for 240 and eventually, it will be 40 degrees off; you press standby and, sure enough, it says 280. So, the
compass is correct, it knows where it is, it just refuses to go there.
- There are no other energized devices around the computer or the controller. I have shut everything off but the
autopilot and I still get the same results.
- Checked the voltage at the computer. Consistently getting 12.6ish off
batteries and over 13 with the
engine on (but in neutral) so the
alternator is engaged.
The only other thing I can think of to do is maybe install the optional
rudder sensor, but the biggest feature of this pilot is that it's not supposed to need it.
Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Mike