Autopilot for Hydraulic Steering Sailboat

[Alexandre.S]

I have an Irwin 37 ketch with hydraulic steering (displacement: 22,000 lbs). Any suggestions on which should be an adequate autopilot system?

[Strait Shooter]

Just adequate? Any will probably do then.
A WH autopilot however is much more than adequate IMO.

John

[s/v Jedi]

WH Autopilot is very sturdy but a bit dated design. I still have mine though, but always use the Simrad Robertson instead. Both have their roots in commercial fishing fleets.

ciao!
Nick.

[Alexandre.S]

There are not too many autopilots for heavy boats with hydraulic steering. I've heard about WH. Do you have any personal experience on the system? Sorry about the ignorance, but what does IMO autopilot mean?

Alexandre

[Strait Shooter]

IMO is short for "in my opinion".

Yes, I do have experience with the WH autopilots.
Will Hamm is designing the steering system and supplying the autopilot for my boat.
The AP4 model (I think that's the right model number) has the ability to have a wind vane wired to it and also has a function for following seas that I understand from local fisherman can't be beat.

As Jedi said, these were designed and used (still are) by the commercial fishing fleets out of Seattle and Alaska.

Wills shop is about 3 miles from my boat at present and he's gone out of his way to help me design the system. It's a small company and the customer service is great.

It wasn't really a choice as far as I was concerned.


John

[sabray]

Originally Posted by Alexandre.S

There are not too many autopilots for heavy boats with hydraulic steering. I've heard about WH. Do you have any personal experience on the system? Sorry about the ignorance, but what does IMO autopilot mean?

Alexandre

IMO In My opinion.
The control unit CCU etc.. is the brains. You want to match the out put rating for the drive and CCU to your boat. I would not buy a unit that uses tiny slip sleeves or # 4 screws driven into a tiny slot to run the drive. This is a great point of failure. Look at how the connections are terminated. Look at the loads and wiring sizing that will be required from the panel. You can easily mis match components usually. Get the best drive Octopus Garmin etc... Get a computer that exceeds the drive requirement. Garmin WH etc... Hard pigtail or terminal block. No squishey stick a wire in and hope that it has good contact. IMO

[S/V Alchemy]

I like both ComNav and WH for hydraulics, but really I have yet to test it aggresively as I'm in "reno" mode on the hard. I certainly agree with the idea that you should find the right sized ram or rotary pump...and then go one size bigger.

[stillbuilding]

Furuno has the Navpilot 700 which sounds like it has extra features particularly suitable for hydraulic steering. Check out Panbo website for comments and Furuno site for additional info. It talks NMEA 2k apparently but how useful the "power steering" extra feature is I am not sure. May or may not be better than Simrad AP28 which attracts a lot of praise. Maybe others with more insight can comment?

[Vyndance]

Both the ComNav and WH are built in the same geographic location for the same fleets. If I was not a loyal ComNav customer (after 3) I would have a WH. Besides the commercial fishing fleets, ComNav is used on many of the largest yachts on the planet.
Oversizing your pump is not a good idea. It won’t be capable of making small corrections as it will move to much fluid every time it turns on. Your cross track will S curve around the course and create a bunch of heat in the ccu.

[bobconnie]

Im with Vyndance on this one ! Comnav works better then anything Ive ever had ( altho mostly before my Comnavs I had Wood FreemanLOL) on my 42 Colvin I had Comnav make me a unit way back when they were a young company! best thing I ever did! lasted 16 yrs and was still going strong when we sold her! very adjustable in different seas and wind conditions! don't know about most of the other systems out there, but a Comnav will be one of my first upgrades on our new boat !! Just saying

[stillbuilding]

Originally Posted by bobconnie

Im with Vyndance on this one ! Comnav works better then anything Ive ever had ( altho mostly before my Comnavs I had Wood FreemanLOL) on my 42 Colvin I had Comnav make me a unit way back when they were a young company! best thing I ever did! lasted 16 yrs and was still going strong when we sold her! very adjustable in different seas and wind conditions! don't know about most of the other systems out there, but a Comnav will be one of my first upgrades on our new boat !! Just saying

Which Comnav autopilot (they make a range of course)?

[atoll]

it might be a good idea to check what the cubic capacity of your steering ram is, before ordering.

pump sizes vary,a type 3 reversing pump is good for a 400cc ram,bigger than that and you will need a constantly running pump that uses solenoids to reverse the flow of hydralic fluid.

the ram capacity is generally stamped on the ram body,or available from the mfg with the pump model number.

[Blue Stocking]

Sold and installed ComNav for some years. 1101 is great unit. Various output amperage packs to drive different size pumps. Broad range of sea-state settings + MOB and other interfaces.
Popular with commercial fishing and rig supply boats.

[barnakiel]

Ray and Furuno make relevant toys, I also believe Simrad does.

For a sailing boat I would use a Ray. I like their G series computers and found them deliver stable course keeping in all conditions.

The installation is pretty straightforward - place the head where you like it, place the brain in a dry location, place the compass sensor close to the center, etc.. Link to the pump, link the pump to the cylinder, add the valve.

Choosing the right volume of the pump for your cylinder is vital though.

b.

[speciald@ocens.]

I just changed the electronics on my powerboat and went with Garmin for the autopilot and all the other pieces. I had to install the larger hydraulic pump (2.1l) as my displacement is greater than 40,000lb. It works great and talks and listens to all the other instruments on the NMEA network and was cheaper than other units I looked at.