[C320-list] X5 Autopilot

[Donald Lawson]

ALL
A friend of mine had his ST4000 blow up on his Wilderness 40. Broken shaft and some stripped gears. He had it repaired this spring by Beacon Marine in Ventura/Oxnard. I don't  know the cost. Anyone interested I can get you the phone/address.
Don Lawson #1005
On Jul 10, 2012, at 5:48 AM, Jim Sweet wrote:

> Mike,
> 
> I replaced mine last year because the control head died.  I put the computer unit in the aft cabin over the little shelf to starboard of the steering mechanism and it seems to be fine.  The wiring question is a bit foggy in my memory.  I do remember having a bitch of a time pulling the wires through the pedestal because the original install of the previous unit included sealing the pedestal tubes with about 4" of silicone that had to be dug out to get the wires through.  I know that the power wires were fine but I think that I had to route some of the wiring to the computer down.  I would also replace the control head (that's what went on mine).  I think that the new unit is vastly superior to the old one as far as course keeping ability.  I had a very old ST4000 on a Pearson 332 that was a very good unit but the original ST4000 on the 320 never kept a straight course like on the Pearson and I fooled with it for 9 years.  The X5 performs like the old ST4000 on the Pearson.  BTW, I did manage to sell the old unit to a guy on ebay that repaired the units (If I had found him prior to plunking down $1300 for the X5 I probably would have had him repair my head unit) so you may want to see if he can repair your unit or is willing to buy it for parts.  I think that he gave me around $500 for mine.  His email is Dan Gerhardt <c250 at mydurango.net>.  Let me know if you have any other questions.
> 
> Jim Sweet
> TGIF (Thank God It Floats) 901
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mike Paris" <mparis495 at gmail.com>
> To: <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
> Sent: Tuesday, July 10, 2012 8:12 AM
> Subject: [C320-list] X5 Autopilot
> 
> 
> My ST4000 disintegrated while cruising this past week. The band broke and two of the small wheels snapped at their base. I plan to upgrade to the X5 unit. I have St60 instruments with a Raymarine C90 chart plotter.
> 
> Questions for those who've installed the X5
> 1) Where is a good place to place the computer unit?
> 2) Which, if any, of the existing wiring can be used?
> 3) Is it worth replacing the the control head?
> .
> Thanks,
> Mike P #734
> 
> 
>