[C320-list] Autopilot upgrade

[Jon Vez]

Hi Scott,

Perhaps I can provide you with some info. I owned a '99 and now have a 355. My linear drive is attached to the swim platform with substantial bolts and a large backing plate. The Swim platforms are both solid glass. With the proper backing plate you should have no problem.

As far as the performance difference, there simply is no comparison. If I had known how substantially better the linear system was compared with the wheel drive versions, I would have upgraded to this system on my 320 in a heartbeat! I went through the aggravation of upgrading my wheel drive system on my 320, which included swapping out the engine control pod etc. if you're going to upgrade, the linear drive is the way to go....hope this helps...

Regards,

Jon Vez

Sent from my iPad

On Apr 19, 2013, at 2:17 PM, Scott Thompson <surprise at thompson87.com> wrote:

> Time to replace my old, tired, non-functional autopilot, and possibly other instruments not working at the same time. I'm toying with the idea of switching to a below-decks linear drive instead of the wheel pilot I have now. It would be more powerful than the wheel drive, include rudder sensor, and be more protected from the elements. Also, it would clean up the helm station and would not require moving the engine instruments pod, which otherwise would be necessary with a new wheel drive. The installer I'm talking to says that he would anchor the linear drive to the swim platform, through-bolted with a stainless backing plate (which would thus be on the top of the swim platform).
> 
> Some questions for you...
> 
> 1. Does anyone know whether that part of the swim platform is sold glass or cored? This is on a 1999 model year boat. The installer says he has done similar installations on a 350 and that the swim platform is sturdy enough to take the forces involved. I'm sure that is true for normal sailing but what happens in a hard grounding?
> 
> 2. Thoughts on whether this is a crazy idea? Has anyone else made that change? The only real downside I've discovered is the cost, which is substantially more than a wheel pilot. But I'm tired of dealing with the old ST4000+ which seems to be broken more often than not, and never did steer a straight line at its best, even when I followed all of the tweaks and recommendations coming from this list.
> 
> Scott Thompson
> Catalina 320 "Surprise," hull #653 (1999)