Edd & Dwight, I installed an XPS-5 Smartpilot on Alegria after the original ST4000 clutch failed to stay in place on the last sail of the season 3 years ago. I installed it myself using the Edson pod for the control unit at the binnacle post ($$$ but very nice!). I ran wires down the tubes to the engine compartment and spliced there where I had to. The sending unit is beneath the sink down low. I placed the control unit on the teak bulkhead opposite the Nav station...behind my head while sitting there. After following the calibration instructions it worked absolutely perfectly for two years...I tried to make it fail in winds up to 30k and in following seas...no problemo. Last year the clutch started to slip....I supect it just needed tightening..and finally did a little RTFM to find out what to do. We will see this year how it goes...I hope it is fixed. I was able to connect it to my Garmin GPSMAP 478, and it does work with the chartplotter, but does not track as nicely as it does by just using the compass. The unit is rated for up to 16,500 displacement fully loaded....I am probably at closer to 18,000. Maybe that could be a problem crossing an ocean but on Lake Michigan it seems fine (it's about 13 hours from Wisconsin to Michigan)....not to mention that Alegria is very well balanced and tracks pretty well anyway :-) OTOH....the noise is very annoying. Kinda like engine noise...I don't like it. BUT, Otto is the most reliable and best tracking crew on the ship. Wouldn't leave home without her..if I had a choice.
$0.02 Fair Winds! Spencer Johnson 1984 C&C LF 38 "Alegria" #165 ~~~_/) * ~~~~ Mount Prospect, IL On the Hard in Waukegan, IL Gaslight Pointe Marina in Racine, WI
_______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
