A very timely thread… I am beginning to look at boats for a possible change and wondered about what effect either a linear or a hydraulic below deck AP would have on the feel of a boat. Having tiller steering now, any change to a wheel would be “different” – but had some concern having a below deck AP would make the boat feel sluggish. Good to hear people notice little if any change in the helm.
What is the typical change over point in terms of displacement from a linear mechanical to hydraulic system? One boat which caught my eye has rack and pinion steering, I assume from Edson. Any sense of the pros / cons of that vs the chain and wire system? Would think the “direct drive” nature of it would provide near 100% feel of the helm vs the chain and wire, but maybe not. Is the maintenance simpler with rack and pinion? Clean and lube the gears [like a winch] and you are done vs. all the discussion on replacing / aligning idler pulleys / plates, meat hooks on the wire, etc. Thanks, Brian From: CnC-List [mailto:cnc-list-boun...@cnc-list.com] On Behalf Of Chuck Gilchrest via CnC-List Sent: Monday, July 09, 2018 9:04 AM To: cnc-list@cnc-list.com Cc: Chuck Gilchrest <csgilchr...@comcast.net> Subject: Re: Stus-List Hydraulic auto-pilot Just for the sake of clarification, the Raymarine type 1 linear actuator below deck auto pilot , which should be suitable for a boat your size is mechanical not hydraulic. The type 2 hydraulic system is far more expensive and would be found on a bigger boat. I’ve steered with both and found either to be reasonably free of additional friction. On a safety standpoint, below deck systems also serve as complete emergency steering systems, independent of the cables, pedestal and drive wheel. A big plus! Chuck Gilchrest S/V Half Magic 1983 35 Landfall Padanaram MA Sent from my iPhone On Jul 9, 2018, at 8:42 AM, Frederick G Street via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: Charlie — there’s a big difference between a full hydraulic steering system (like on the Whitby) and a hydraulic pilot ram. You should feel no extra resistance with either an electric or hydraulic ram; the steering system will not change in feel from what you’re used to. — Fred Fred Street -- Minneapolis S/V Oceanis (1979 C&C Landfall 38) -- Bayfield, WI On Jul 8, 2018, at 7:15 PM, Charlie Nelson via CnC-List <cnc-list@cnc-list.com <mailto:cnc-list@cnc-list.com> > wrote: My Raymarine wheel pilot has given up the ghost and I am considering a below deck hydraulic replacement. The cost is reasonable since most of my Raymarine stuff will be used by the hydraulic unit. My concern is how responsive (or not!) the wheel will be when the pilot is disengaged. With the wheel pilot, there was little difference. I have steered a boat with hydraulic steering once (a Whitby 42) whose entire steering (auto or not) was hydraulic. The response of that system was so bad I swore I would never have anything to do with another hydraulic unit. Of course, when not engaged I understand that the pilot would not be steering the boat--OTOH, it is still connected in some manner. Since I mostly PHRF race the boat, I need to have the wheel/rudder move without additional resistance from the auto-pilot. Is this something I should be concerned about or is the wheel 'free' when the auto-pilot is not engaged? Thanks, Charlie Nelson 1995 C&C 36 XL/kcb Water Phantom _______________________________________________ Thanks everyone for supporting this list with your contributions. Each and every one is greatly appreciated. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray
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