Mister Fred wrote:
I've got a '79 LF38, hull #009, and currently have a Simrad WP30 wheelpilot on the boat (as does at least one other LF38 owner on this list -- Wal, chime in).
Mike -
I also have the Simrad WP32 (which supports NMEA input) and have used it heavily it for 8 years. It's a drag that they discontinued it when Navico bought Simrad, but the Raymarine was cheaper and took market share, and many of the folks who bought cheaper ended up adding rudder sensors and external gadgets and spending more money, thus giving wheelpilots a bad reputation. I actually bought an entire new Simrad unit when the line was discontinued, and it's up under the V-Berth waiting for this one to die. If I die first, you can buy my boat and get my spare. <VBG>
There really isn't enough room under the cockpit for a below decks autopilot. IMHO, there just isn't enough room on the rudder stock to mount a separate arm that allows a *rational* installation of the rest of the unit. I researched this thoroughly when I bought the boat, and had some good conversations with two other LF38 owners who had installed them. One guy fabricated a totally cool bracket, mounted on top of the radial quadrant, sharing the quadrant bolts. I had some pictures, and it was totally cool. I seem to have lost the pictures. Another guy just mounted the pin on the radial quadrant, which Edson screams is a big *NO.* It's not designed for that. I seriously considered it anyway, because I've rebuilt and replaced my steering system, and that big round radial quadrant is a serious piece of metal work -- or at least it was built that way 30 years ago, because I cleaned it up and put it back on. But really, the bottom line is that you wouldn't want to trouble shoot a below decks autopilot in a seaway. And I believed that building a solid support for the system would block access to more critical systems.
I'm rambling so will try to keep it short. The bottom line is that before I installed a self steering system I'd been single handing the boat for four years with no autopilot. I would actually recommend that approach. Sail the boat. Balancing the boat is really important no matter what self steering system you choose. That boat is very stiff, and is not the least bit squirrelly. It tracks well. Go play with it. Perhaps one can only find understanding when the boat sails itself, because then the boat is in tune.
There was something really important that I wanted to say, but it was lost in the memory of a perfect set of brown eyes. As a singlehander, one must maintain priorities and always think ten steps ahead.
Wal _______________________________________________ This List is provided by the C&C Photo Album http://www.cncphotoalbum.com CnC-List@cnc-list.com
