Autopilot

[yonar]

In 2009 I installed Raymarine Autopilot "SmartPilot X-1 Wheel Pilot for SailboaIts". I've had nothing but disappointments. Never worked right, kept loosing calibration, keep giving massage "NO DATA" and gears will strip. I have already send it back to Raymarine 3 times. Each time minimum repair bill is around $300.--. Will come back, work for a month or so, back to same problems. I am tired of it.
Any suggestions for an autopilot. I am reluctant to replace it with Raymarine's latest model "EV-100 Wheel Evolution Autopilot"
Anybody installed and had experience with "EV-100 Wheel Evolution Autopilot"?

[mainesail]

Who did the physical install? Who calibrated it? Does it have a rudder position sensor? Where is the flux gate located? Was compass interference check thoroughly before installation?

I personally run an S1 on a CS-36T that weighs a bit over 20,000 pounds. It has well in excess of 12k nm on it and still performs flawlessly. 9 times out of 10 it is improper use and set up that kills these and I have been called to numerous boats that have killed them in a year due to improper set up, installation & use and after being properly set up and installed they run strong for many years.

[yonar]

Who did the physical install?    Myself
Who calibrated it?    I did following instructions. "slow speed circles etc." 
Does it have a rudder position sensor?    No it has built in "Gyro"
Where is the flux gate located?    Inside Storage area In between Head Bulkhead and Nav station. Mounted to  Bulkhead facing Bow. 
Was compass interference check thoroughly before installation?    I am not sure what  compass interference  is. Compass is in Edson Binnacle.

Thank you very much for your helpful questions. Where do you have your fluxgate and your brain box installed?
Thing frustrates me on long crossings, it will work flawlessly for about 5 hours or so then goes haywire.

[threes company]

i had the latest raymarine evolution 100 with the linear drive and 75a chartplotter linked to my existing wind log and depth guages installed in feb 14 by a raymarine approved installer in sydney australia. the raymarine techs i spoke to before purchasing advised me not to install the wheel pilot as it will always be working at the extreme of its abilities on a c34. the advice they gave me has been great, the unit has worked well under 4o knots and 4  metres following seas on our return trip back to melbourne. Cant complain at all. I am also very glad i had it installed by the qualified guys as it wouldn't have worked the same if i had installed it myself. Sorry i can't give any help re your unit.

[2ndwish]

Yonar- I've seen your boat around LB. We have  the same system but without the gyro. A few points:
1) I'm not sure how a wheelpilot can work effectively without a rudder position sensor. It has no way of knowing center.
2) Does your wheel come off easily or does it bind on the gear mount? If it binds, the motor is likely to strain. The post mounted on the binnacle needs to fit cleanly in the slot on the wheel pilot
3) I chose a different location for the magnetometer. Where you placed it is very close to the main wiring and you might get varying magnetic fields in the area, but I doubt that is the problem. We placed the magnetometer in the aft lazarette against the forward bulkhead
4) We had problems similar to yours (but not the stripped gears) when we first installed our "new" unit which was actually 3 years old (but never used, never installed). It would randomly crap out. At first we though it was a wiring problem, line noise  or low voltage at the control unit or head. We later realized that it was just the control head that was failing (the autopilot kept steering correctly for a while after the head crapped out)- and it was getting worse with time. We sent it to Raymarine and they confirmed a bad board on the control head. They wanted a fortune to repair it- like 2/3 the cost of a new one- but after explaining that this unit was new (but out of warranty)- we were able to agree on a more reasonable price. Another thing- they diagnosed it within a day of receiving it, very suggestive that they had seen this before. They sent the unit back and it has worked flawlessly since.

[Stu Jackson]

We sent it to Raymarine and they confirmed a bad board on the control head. They wanted a fortune to repair it- like 2/3 the cost of a new one- but after explaining that this unit was new (but out of warranty)- we were able to agree on a more reasonable price. Another thing- they diagnosed it within a day of receiving it, very suggestive that they had seen this before. They sent the unit back and it has worked flawlessly since.

Good news that it now works.

Bad news about the stuff in red.  Like: "They knew, didn't they?"

It's a fact that our boats are at the long end of the ability of wheel pilots to steer our boats.

It's also an issue with RM gear.

There have been thousands of posts about RM gear on this and other boating forums.

I'm still in the "Neanderthal" camp and run around with an ST3000!

Somehow they managed to make a wheel pilot work without a separate gyro or fluxgate compass in 1492 and then complicated stuff by requiring additional parts and wiring.

I've never had to get over it.

KISS or figure out what parts you have, or need.

I also must admit that I have to steer whenever I go downwind.  

Have you seen this?

http://www.c34.org/faq-pages/faq-autohelmwacky.html

Unless you have a below-decks pilot, that's all you're gonna get.

Good luck.  I do believe you can fix it, though.

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

For the guys in San Diego,I had a Raymarine X1 on my boat and never had a problem with it however I had it installed by a Raymarine certified tech(OK, I helped a little) and he was downright FANTASTIC!
His name is Alan Katz and his business name is Doctor Electron at 858-752-3198
Very professional, always showed up on time and is a very nice person.

Mike

[2ndwish]

Somehow they managed to make a wheel pilot work without a separate gyro or fluxgate compass in 1492 and then complicated stuff by requiring additional parts and wiring.

Yeah but that wheel pilot's name was Fernando and he too had a low likelihood of surviving the trip

[mainesail]

Who did the physical install?    Myself
Who calibrated it?    I did following instructions. "slow speed circles etc." 

Slow circles is for the compass. Calibration, as in dealer set up menus, is usually required for any sailboat. I've yet to set one up that did not require extra tweaking in the dealer menu.

Does it have a rudder position sensor?    No it has built in "Gyro"

It needs an RPS and the gyro is not a replacement for an RPS no matter how much Raymarine has tried. You will NEVER get good performance without an RPS....

Where is the flux gate located?    Inside Storage area In between Head Bulkhead and Nav station. Mounted to  Bulkhead facing Bow. 
Was compass interference check thoroughly before installation?    I am not sure what  compass interference  is. Compass is in Edson Binnacle.

Your fluxgate is a compass therefore it is subject to magnetic disturbances. Any magnetic disturbances will cause the AP to not perform as it should. A proper installation always rules out magnetic disturbances and includes firing every device on-board with a compass held in the position you think you want to locate the flux gate and watching the needle for any movement. A boy scout compass can suffice for this.. Once installed a sticker is placed close to the flux gate to let people know to never place anything ferrous near it that can affect it.

Also when installing the wheel drive great care must be taken to ensure it is centered on the wheel and does not oblong up and down or side to side. This usually takes me about an hour to get properly dialed in. A little dish soap under the black pads helps with alignment. When properly aligned you should be able to watch where the pin enters the wheel drive and there should be virtually no movement up, down or side to side against the pin......