[C320-list] Repairs for Legacy Autopilots

[Robert Sloat]

Mates-I just had my ST 4000+ wheel autopilot  control head which Raymarine no longer services repaired by Dan Gerhardt who was mentioned a few months ago by a fellow C320 owner on this site. Costs vary with the amount of work and my repair was a lot less than what Raymarine charged the last time this unit was repaired 6 years ago.  He turned it around in a few days and it is running fine with all the original settings intact.  His contact info is  c250 at mydurango.net.  He is out of that great sailing community of Durango CO!  He also buys and sells autopilots and services autopilots from Raymarine, Raytheon and Autohelm. He told me he has done other instrument repair but with varied success.  Advise dropping him a note if you have an autopilot repair need for cost and shipping information.  I don’t know if he does autopilot repairs for units that Raymarine still services.  

I am not Gerhardt’s agent nor is he related.  I am just delighted to get the repair done quickly in the middle of the season and saving me a lot of angst over spending a lot of money for an upgrade replacement and the hassle of installation a control computer along with the instrument display or taking a chance on buying a used control head over eBay..  

If your legacy autopilot control head breaks down, the alternative if you cant’t get it repaired could be well over a $1000 for a new display and control computer or looking on eBay for a used control head which would be cheaper.  Most of the ST 4000 + control heads on eBay when I last looked were used and cost well over twice my $150 repair cost which included including return shipping if prepaid.  While the upgraded Raymarine autopilot is very good looking, it doesn't match the 2002 area ST60 + instruments I have on the Nav Pod.

One thing I learned about the Raymarine ST 4000+ is that both the display and the control computer are in the control head which is the instrument itself.  This apparently was a poor design as this is the second time it has been repaired over 13 seasons.  STKL FAIL error message is bad news on the instrument.  The newer wheel autopilots have a separate instrument and course computer, the latter installed some where else on the boat. And you might have to get a separate drive motor which may not be a direct replacement for the drive motor for the 4000 + possibly requiring more holes to drill in the Edson pedestal and maybe moving the engine instrument box a little.

Bob Sloat
Savannah 894 (2002)
Waukegan Harbor, IL