[C320-list] Auto Pilot - Wheel vs. Direct Drive

[Graeme Clark]

Jeff

I guess it depends on how much you can do yourself and whether you want to use off the shelf parts.

I have had nothing but trouble from wheel pilots. I’m going for a linear drive now. MY wife and I tend to sail two handed most of the time and we’ve realised that the only way we are going to make longer passages and start going places , is if we bite the bullet and get a decent installation.  Things will only get worse as we age, too!

I have just purchased the Raymarine EVO200 with Type 1 linear drive. Other members here can supply some great photos of their installations.

The thing about the raymarine SeatalkNG is that it really is plug and play, so my plan is to do all the wiring myself, and only use a professional installer (if I absolutely have to) to fit the linear drive. However, knowing exactly where it needs to go etc means that  - thanks to the association members here - its not (or shouldn't be) the big worry that it would if you were starting a new installation from scratch!

You can buy ready made parts from Catalina Direct or have them made up by your local machine shop.

Certainly there might be some interfacing issues if you have older instruments (e.g. windspeed and direction) but thats going to apply no matter what a/p you fit.

Graeme
#366, Jaskar, England




On 6 Nov 2015, at 17:32, Jeffrey Brown <oceanblues at mac.com> wrote:

> I know this topic has been discussed dozens of times but wanted to throw it out there again. There is a significant additional cost to install the direct drive autopilot vs. the wheel pilot. I’ve heard the additional install cost can range from $1500 to $2500.  For those of you that did go this route and had previously used the wheel pilot, was it worth the extra cost? I’ve used the wheel pilot for years, and for the most part it has worked well, until it began to lose it's mind recently taking random turns which is causing me to replace it this year, its the original, 20 years old.
> 
> Jeff Brown
> "Out of the blue" Dana Point, CA
> Catalina 320, Hull 78
> (949) 350-5123
> oceanblues at mac.com
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