450: very noisy B&G autopilot

[Amberina]

dear All,
just took my new Lagoon 450 from les sables d'ollone to Cambrils (spain).
during the trip, it was very difficult to sleep in the owners cabin due to a very noisy autopilot.
do other owners of the 450 have the same problem, or is this a 'warranty' issue?
thanks for you responses...
Yves
Amberina

[Emerald Sea]

Originally Posted by Amberina

dear All,
just took my new Lagoon 450 from les sables d'ollone to Cambrils (spain). during the trip, it was very difficult to sleep in the owners cabin due to a very noisy autopilot. do other owners of the have the same problem, or is this a 'warranty' issue?
Amberina

If your 450 is fitted with the Lacombe&Schmitt linear drive 50ST hydraulic system, then Yes, its noisy. Ive had correspondence with L&S about this and they are aware of it - its the opening/closing of lock valves that are loud however its 'normal' i.e. its the nature of the beast. When I talked to them 2yrs back they said a future version would solve this - I guess they're not there yet.

However they are very reliable systems even though the noise is disconcerning. Do get yourself one of L&S's Service Kits. Your AP is you best friend!

If you come up with a solution, other than earplugs, do let me (us) know.

[GoingWalkabout]

Is their a quitter product that could be used to replace the B&G? Incredible that Lagoon would 1. use this in the first place after knowing for at least a couple of years that it is a problem. 2. place a noisy mechanical device within ear shot of the owners cabin. Couldn't they at least put it on the other side near the guest cabin. Thoughtless things like this give me serious pause about their product and thinking of management.

[Sandero]

I don't have a lagoon but I sleep on top of an Alpha 3000 AP and I can't even hear it.

[Emerald Sea]

Originally Posted by GoingWalkabout

Is their a quitter product that could be used to replace the B&G? Incredible that Lagoon would 1. use this in the first place after knowing for at least a couple of years that it is a problem. 2. place a noisy mechanical device within ear shot of the owners cabin. Couldn't they at least put it on the other side near the guest cabin. Thoughtless things like this give me serious pause about their product and thinking of management.

I guess you didn't read the previous thread.....its not the B&G components. Read again.
If you want to chalk up thoughtless things....you don't need to start with a Lagoon. Begin with boats from the letter A and continue till you get to Z.....

[tuskie]

Originally Posted by Emerald Sea

I guess you didn't read the previous thread.....its not the B&G components. Read again.
If you want to chalk up thoughtless things....you don't need to start with a Lagoon. Begin with boats from the letter A and continue till you get to Z.....

Yeh, Steve. We feel your pain. Did you read the mooring line thread about how he doubted that the oiginal Lagoon lines would be "optimal"? LOL No idea; our originals have been excellent and would hold the "Queen Mary".

Going walkabout does have a point, in that it would not be big job to swap the AP drive over to the other hull, if the L & S unit was too noisy in the owner's cabin. BTW, they are a great drive unit. I'm told Lagoon used them because the previous Raymarine units sometimes got too quite. They kept breaking.

[Emerald Sea]

Originally Posted by tuskie

Yeh, Steve. We feel your pain. Did you read the mooring line thread about how he doubted that the oiginal Lagoon lines would be "optimal"? LOL No idea; our originals have been excellent and would hold the "Queen Mary".

Going walkabout does have a point, in that it would not be big job to swap the AP drive over to the other hull, if the L & S unit was too noisy in the owner's cabin. BTW, they are a great drive unit. I'm told Lagoon used them because the previous Raymarine units sometimes got too quite. They kept breaking.

Yes, moving the L&S hydraulic system and the Reference arm to the port side would not be a complicated project, quite doable. Or better yet ... add a second one for redundancy to the port side. Our friends on their Outreme49 did this a few yrs back. Probably a wise thing if one cruises wide and far. In our 19k of seamiles the Raymarine and L&S AP has been a champ and we have a lot more miles approaching......mmmmm.

[GoingWalkabout]

Originally Posted by Emerald Sea

I guess you didn't read the previous thread.....its not the B&G components. Read again.
If you want to chalk up thoughtless things....you don't need to start with a Lagoon. Begin with boats from the letter A and continue till you get to Z.....

Point taken. I reread and saw the noisy autopilot wasn't B&G. And I take your point on thoughtlessness being pandemic in the industry.

[tuskie]

Originally Posted by Emerald Sea

Yes, moving the L&S hydraulic system and the Reference arm to the port side would not be a complicated project, quite doable. Or better yet ... add a second one for redundancy to the port side. Our friends on their Outreme49 did this a few yrs back. Probably a wise thing if one cruises wide and far. In our 19k of seamiles the Raymarine and L&S AP has been a champ and we have a lot more miles approaching......mmmmm.

A great idea and one that is commonly installed by long distance cruisers. Having to hand steer for days or weeks on end is something that a small crew simply can't do. Most have two complete, independent AP systems, because it's not always the drive component that decides not to work. Both APs could be used alternatively, depending on who is sleeping in which cabin!