Autohelm Navcenter 300

[Mark Stein]

Hello,

We just bought our first C34 (Hull #1354) this Spring and absolutely love the boat!  The only problem I've found is the chartplotter.  Does anyone have experience with troubleshooting an Autohelm Navcenter 300?  I have looked high and low on the Internet and found nothing.  The problem is that the screen won't display consistently unless there is pressure put on the sides of the unit.  It's almost like a loose wire???  When the display is visible, the unit seems to work correctly, but then either when the helm is bumped or after touching the operating controls, it will "blink" out again.

Although I have a call into Raymarine to inquire about getting it diagnosed, I'm afraid the cost to repair will be prohibitive.

Are there any ideas or similar experiences out there?

Thanks.

-Mark

[Jon Schneider]

Hmmm... that was pretty brilliant technology in 1994 when it was introduced -just shortly after the demise of DOS- and the technology didn't improve all that much for a few years, but I think (not that you asked, I realize) that any investment in this unit is a waste.  If there is a television repair shop in your area, you might bring it to them, but they'll have to be able to power it up on 12v, and it's probably more likely that once they open the case, more of the unit will break.  Or, you could go to eBay and pick up a far superior unit for under $100.  I think this one's ready for electronics heaven. 

[Mark Stein]

Thanks Jon, that's pretty much what I feared and suspected.  Can you suggest a unit that would as easily interface with the other Autohelm instruments of the era that I could keep an eye out for on ebay?  I would like to simply replace the whole thing with a Raymarine E80 but the Admiral has limited support for further purchases this season since the boat was just delivered a few weeks ago!

Any ideas would be much appreciated.

Thanks again.

-Mark

[Jon Schneider]

I hear you about first year budget blues.  I don't know what other instruments you have, but if they transmit NMEA 0183 sentences, I think you'll be fine with any relatively modern chartplotter.  eBay is just too variable in its selection and there are just too many choices to advise on a specific one.  I wonder, though, if you really need to be all that concerned with networking to the chartplotter.  Are your instruments so difficult to view from the helm?  If not, then connectivity shouldn't be the prime driver.  I think you'll also find that it's a lot more fun (and often safer) to mostly look at the horizon and your sails, rather than focus on the electronics.

[Mark Stein]

Indeed, as a "geeky" sailor, I do tend to focus on the need for "data" while under way.

Thanks for your feedback and perspective.

-Mark

[Mike Denest]

I have one from 1996 and it's still working (my fingers are crossed). 

[rirvine]

Mark:

If you get to the point of looking into a new chart plotter, you should consider a laptop PC (or MAC) with navigation software based solution. Some of these solutions offer far more features than a chart plotter for much fewer dollars. I have been successfully using MacENC (on a MAC PPC laptop) for about 3 years  - total cost $800.

Just an idea,   Ray

[tonywright]

Last weekend we were on the river when a severe thunderstorm hit.  Visibility closed in and winds built to well over 30 knots, peaking at close to 50. I turned on all navigation lights, since I knew that there were other boats nearby before we lost visibility. We turned around to motor slowly into the wind, as did several other boats around me. As the wind shifted direction and got stronger, I had to fight to bring the bow around to follow it. Each time we thought it couldn't get any worse, it did.

Fortunately I had the Raymarine plotter on, so I could see exactly where I was on the river. We started out with lots of sea room, (1 mile in each direction) but over time we were drifting closer to a shoal area. Wind and water were flying, and everything got soaked in the cockpit, despite bimini, dodger and  connecter all installed. I had to wipe the rain off the display to see exactly where I was. Not sure a Mac would hold up too well on those conditions. Did I mention the hail?

In the middle of it all, the fire dept came out with their rescue boat, all searchlights blazing and emergency lights flashing (it was 3 pm, but you couldn't see more than 100ft), closely followed by a second rescue boat and a police boat.

It ended well, except for one boat that went back into the harbour in the storm and got some serious damage on their side during a collision.

But I regretted not having foul weather gear on board.  In an attempt to keep the worst off me at the helm, my wife brought up the covers for the dodger windows. I was seriously wet and cold, and it was not funny.  It was our first sail of the season, and the weather forecast was sunny, with a chance of showers!

Moral of the story: it is really worth having a good robust display in the cockpit. (And we will never go out again without foul weather gear. Now considered as essential as all the other safety gear we did have on board.)

Tony

[Mike Denest]

Mark:

If you get to the point of looking into a new chart plotter, you should consider a laptop PC (or MAC) with navigation software based solution. Some of these solutions offer far more features than a chart plotter for much fewer dollars. I have been successfully using MacENC (on a MAC PPC laptop) for about 3 years  - total cost $800.

Just an idea,   Ray

That's for sure.  When the upgrade comes, I want to go with a new chartplotter, gps and pc capability.  For now, my system works fine.