Simrad wheel autopilot

[Vic Suben]

Has anyone installed a Simrad wheel autopilot?  If so, were there any problems with the installation and/or the autopilot's operation?

Thanks,

Vic Suben
Surprise, Hull No. 453
Port Jefferson, NY

[Ron Hill]

Vic : Which Simrad unit are you looking at installing?

I have a Navico (Simrad predecessor) belt driven wheel pilot that I installed back in 1989.  It has NEVER had a problem with the motor or the compass/electronics.  The belt did brake last year after 17 years ( I bought a new one).  Guess you just can't get things to last anymore (smile).  
A great piece of equipment.  

[Vic Suben]

I will probably install with WP32.

[Stu Jackson]

Vic

Greg Sherwood, former Fleet One Captain, installed a WP30 or 32 six months ago and is having all sorts of problems.  Email me separately and I'll get you together with him.

[Mike Vaccaro]

There were some issues with the clutch mechanisms on the Simrad wheel pilots in the last 18 months.  We had difficulty installing the first unit as the clutch would not properly release (bad on a good bad scale!); but found the folks at the Simrad USA help line to be especially helpful.  The sent a new unit and it's worked just fine since installation.  

The Raymarine wheel mounted units have also had problems; as have just about all other types of autopilots.  The wheel mounted units are fairly simple units; and you may encounter magnetic interference if you depend on the internal flux gate in the units.

The bottom line is that either unit will work; so you may want to make a "best price" determination based on supply.  And no matter which unit you buy, you may encounter some installation or operation problems.  Regardless of who installs the unit, be sure to properly calibrate the flux gate sensor (this is spelled out in the manual and is a simple procedure) and give the unit a good shake-down as well.

The Simrad units are preset for a 120 degree heading change when using the "Tack" button.  This may only be changed with an expensive remote or at the factory service centers.  Your best bet is to sail the boat and gain some experience and then remove the autopilot and have it properly set if you want it to give maximum performance during tacking.  

Something else you might consider is a "quick release" plug for installing the pilot at the wheel.  The Simrad unit comes with a 25-30 foot four-strand wiring harness.  If you lead this below decks, you'll have to either pull or cut the harness if you need to remove the pilot.  With a water-proof quick release, you can simply unplug the harness, loosen four allen screws and take the pilot off for maintenance.

Unfortunately, there is not a uniform standard for production and testing of marine electronics and auto pilot equipment.  Couple this with less than stellar installation and it can cause problems.

Best of luck,

Mike

[Craig Illman]

I had a WP32 put on this spring. I haven't experienced any clutch problems. Hopefully, they have a newer plug, with eight wires (as opposed to six), available for detaching the unit. My installer had to dig up some army surplus waterproof plug. The auto-tack works pretty well, I've had times where it has gone too far or otherwise gotten confused. Overall, I'm glad I added the unit. It's allowed me to single-hand or comfortably cruise with my spouse who has a bit impaired mobility.

[Randy Stolze]

I installed one two years ago with out any problems. The only unnerving part was drilling a hole in the binnicle post.

  I mounted the remote waterprof plug in the aft lazarette to keep it totally out of the weather. The 25 ft. remote extension provides plenty movement around the boat. I thought the plug cane with the unit. Not sure due to time land memory lapse.

  The unit has functioned without any problems. I have not used it for any length of time, only short periods to take a break from the wheel. The torque power actually vibrates the binicle which I was afraid would cause leaks but it has not started leaking yet.