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 Post subject: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Apr 2015 07:21 
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Skipper

Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
Could some of you folks that have Raymarine linear drive units take a few pics of your installation for those of us that are thinking about installing our own drives ?
I know I'll need to build some kind of platform but have no idea where to start...... a few pics would be worth a million words !!

Also.... does Raymarine have the equivalent rudder drive link as the Alpha Marine system ? Could the Alpha Marine rudder drive link be used in combination with the Raymarine linear drive ?

Thanks a head of time !!!


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Apr 2015 13:05 
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Skipper

Joined: 10 Nov 2006 22:56
Posts: 171
Location: Portland, Oregon
I have an Alpha Marine pilot. I can take some photos of my LD installation and the rudder drive link this weekend and post them for you. The installation for a Raymarine may have similarities.

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Tartan 37 Betty Lou (formerly Rainbow)
Hull # 118, fin keel
St. Helens, OR
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Apr 2015 15:29 
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Skipper

Joined: 21 Jan 2010 12:57
Posts: 168
I've just finished an installation: it will be a couple of weeks until I'm back to the boat and can take pictures. The geometry involved is challenging: at least it was for this dummy. The combination of having the ram be at a 90 degree angle to the radius of the quadrant with the rudder amidship and the ram halfway extended and parallel to the plane of the quadrant, and having the rudder stops limiting the travel of the quadrant/rudder rather than the linear drive doing so is a daunting design challenge. Access is a pluperfect bitch as well. I did it by myself: that's a big mistake, as there are frequent times when a helper would really save time. I mounted the forward endnof the drive to the cockpit sole in the area of the drain sump that's covered by the teak grate (where your feet are when standing at the helm). I had a stainless plate fabricated with the pin for the aft end of the ram, at 10" from the center of the rudder post. I had to limit the travel of the rudder a bit more than it came from the factory, which required removing the quadrant to get at it. If I were to quote a price to do the job for someone, it would be at least what the pilot costs. Having done it once and having spent lots of time figuring things out, I could do it more quickly a second time. There may be a really efficient boat mechanic that could do it for you: if they were to quote a price of $1500 or less, it would be a bargain.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 07 May 2015 22:19 
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Skipper

Joined: 29 Dec 2006 09:38
Posts: 656
I will post pictures of my 6000 Raymarine unit. I did some glass work to mount stuff but did not find i particularly difficult, just took some time. My unit has steered my boat at least 30 K miles with no difficulties in some snotty weather. I thought I had submitted the pictures of the Installation to the tech area of the T37 website. You probably need the short linear drive if you plan to install athwartship, and you need some familiarity with glass work. Need a small bulkhead to attach the unit and another for the reference unit. But it is not particularly difficult to figure out if you screw something together with plywood and glass it in place. I strongly suggest you get a separate tiller arm on your rudder post and NOT drill the quadrant. Edson sells an expensive one that is keyed for your shaft size, but you probably can get a local machinist to make one for you for cheaper. I put the computer up in the coaming in the lazarette so that it would be dry and more or less available for wiring. Get a remote that you can use below if you are really going cruising. The repeater aspect is really nice when you do not want to be topsides for night passages. Real cruisers use radar and stay below on passages. You cannot see much topside and night a lot of the time. Trust technology to steer and look out for you.

Ray
Velera #373


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Dec 2015 09:39 
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Skipper

Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
Your thoughts ?

I need to measure first but I was thinking of mounting my linear drive directly to the cockpit sole with a robust SS backing plate on the exterior cockpit sole and either SS L bracket or robust wood mount on the inside of the engine compartment.

I've got a local machine shop that can weld 4 or 5 screws to the exterior backing plate. This would allow, w/butyl, a great seal when torqued down from the inside. No screws/bolts would be exposed in the cockpit.

This would eliminate the need to build a platform in the quadrant. The only downside is a visible SS backing plate in the cockpit. It could be painted and be less noticeable.

Feedback ??


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Dec 2015 13:06 
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Skipper

Joined: 21 Jan 2010 12:57
Posts: 168
Not at the boat so I can't take photos: on 09 Dec '15 I posted on the "General Maintenance" section (choice of autopilot) of my installation. I secured mine to the cockpit sole as you describe; the geometry has the forward end of the drive unit & its' bracket mount in the very aft end of the cockpit sole, so the bolts are in the "scupper well" and thus under the teak grate and therefore not visible. This seemed more mechanically sound to me than glassing a shelf onto the hull side.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Dec 2015 14:25 
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Skipper

Joined: 09 Jul 2008 12:51
Posts: 251
Thanks for the reply.... it seemed to me to be the best way to install it but just wanted to get some verification. I think I may make it a little more robust with a SS backing plate too.

What size tiller arm did you get ? I measured mine the other day and if memory serves it was 2.7640 inches in diameter. Did you install the 10" or 15" arm ?


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Dec 2015 15:39 
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Skipper

Joined: 21 Jan 2010 12:57
Posts: 168
I had a bracket w/pin fabricated that's secured to the quadrant. I couldn't comprehend the advantage of a separate "tiller", and if memory seves I'm not sure there was adequate available rudder post to add the tiller. The quadrant is awfully strong: that's not a weak link. It worked out that a 2 3/4" thick plywood pad between the underside of the sole and the linear drive mounting bracket provided the correct geometry. I used the largest fender washers available on the upper side of the sole to distribute the racking of the bolt heads: a plate might be better, but I don't see the fiberglass of the sole working. I was surprised how little fore and aft movement of the ram there is. The Raymarine installation manual dictates a 10" tiller radius: an advantage of a dedicated tiller would be that you could make it somewhat longer to improve the mechanical advantge. I've yet to modify the rudder stops so that the linear drive is never tasked with limiting rudder travel, which could be an issue reversing if you let go of the wheel and the rudder went hard over. I haven't done that yet in several years of yachting, so don't see it as imperative. I mounted the compass and the computer on the aft side of the bulkhead aft of the galley as high as possible.


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 14 Dec 2015 21:05 
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Skipper

Joined: 14 Jul 2012 20:36
Posts: 495
Location: Norfolk, Va
I installed mine this summer. I made a aluminum plate (junk yard) that's installed on top of the quadrant and found that the regular size ram is a tight fit. Used two of the existing tapped holes and drill three more (two bolts and one for the pin). Would order the shorter ram if doing it again. Installed the ram's bracket from the underside of the shelf with 1/2" spacer, after reinforcing shelf with lots of fiberglass. Rudder angle sending unit was mounted on the glassed in piece of alum angle (junk yard) and pin on the new quadrant plate. Had the install checked out by an authorized RayMarine guy, he said it was good to go. Seems to be doing well, only have about 1,200 miles on it. Just keep the angle of the ram 90deg, from your takeoff point which is 10in from the center of the rudder post. Rudder angle come off perpendicular to the centerline. There are software setup points which must be entered during your seatrial. I mounted the computer under the nav station desk, up as high as I could get it. The flux gate compass was mounted midship just under the floorboards behind the shower sump. When working thru the lazarette, take a dollar store noodle and split it to give you some padding while hanging over the edge.
see attached photo

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B7NLlT ... cslist_api

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Hull #208, Puff Card
Southern Chesapeake Bay


 
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 Post subject: Re: Autopilot Installation Pictures wanted
PostPosted: 15 Dec 2015 00:14 
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Able Bodied Seaman

Joined: 14 Jan 2014 18:32
Posts: 39
Puffcard, why did you use a plate instead or right to the quadrant?


 
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