[C320-list] C320-list Digest, Vol 4141, Issue 1

[Doug Treff]

I have used the EV-100 in wind mode. It does work, even with different brands of wind instrument and autopilot. You can still run into issues with the EV-100 holding a good course if you're in a seaway and the waves are pushing the boat off course.

The real issue is that the drive motor on the EV-100 sometimes can't overcome the weather helm. It's not strong enough, and also doesn't move fast enough sometimes. Getting the sails well-balanced with traveler position, proper draft, and jib car locations will help reduce weather helm and that will make it easier for the autopilot.

--
Doug Treff
doug at treff.us

On Wed, Dec 1, 2021, at 11:58 AM, chuters wrote:
> Jack,  
> Have you used the EVO 100 in Wind Trim mode?  If so, was there an 
> improved performance difference between the two modes?
> Thanks
> Jack Fitzgibbon s/v wetted bliss#441
>
>
> Sent from Yahoo Mail for iPad
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> Today's Topics:
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>   1. Re: Raymarine EV100 Wheel Autopilot/B&G Vulcan (Jack Brennan)
>
>
> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Message: 1
> Date: Sat, 27 Nov 2021 21:33:44 -0500
> From: Jack Brennan <jackbrennan at bellsouth.net>
> To: "C320-List at Catalina320.com" <C320-List at Catalina320.com>
> Subject: Re: [C320-list] Raymarine EV100 Wheel Autopilot/B&G Vulcan
> Message-ID: <577031534.630005.1638066831802 at bellsouth.net>
> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="utf-8"
>
> I think the key to the wheel pilot vs. below-deck autopilot debate is 
> how you sail.
>
> If you?re a hard-charging sailor who is not afraid of big seas, you 
> definitely need below decks. Winds of more than 25 knots and 6- to 
> 8-foot seas will overwhelm a wheel pilot. Likewise, carrying too much 
> sail or having it improperly set will do the same.
>
> I do a 600-mile round trip through the Keys and eventually to Key West 
> every spring. The wheel pilot is fine for my purposes. At 15 to 20 
> knots with seas up to 5 feet, I sail with jib only and average more 
> than 5 knots. With the sail properly set, the wheel is never far off 
> center line.
>
> We always manage to catch some winds up to 30 knots and short, steep 
> seas of up to 7 or 8 feet in the Gulf of Mexico. I want to be at the 
> wheel in those conditions, mostly because there is so much shallow 
> water about, so the wheel pilot is turned off. 
>
> My biggest problem with the wheel pilot was, when I first installed it, 
> it would shut down on occasion when winds neared 15 knots. The problem 
> turned out to be the cheap connector Raymarine installed where the 
> power cable reached the motor. I replaced it, and it worked fine after 
> that.
>
> Oh, and the factory didn?t assemble the round part that fits on the 
> wheel correctly. So it came apart and scattered ball bearings all over 
> the cockpit and into the harbor. I sure wasn?t happy about that. 
> Luckily, ball bearings are cheap.
>
> Jack Brennan
> Sonas, 1998 Catalina 320
> Tierra Verde, Fl.
>
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> Sent from Mail for Windows
>
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>
> End of C320-list Digest, Vol 4141, Issue 1
> ******************************************