below deck autopilot

[ChrisOB]

Jeff-I have a ton of Nmea cables and power cables for the AP, and a whole separate Nmea 0183 for my AIS.  At least 9 cables.  It took me 30 minutes to label them, disconnect, put the heat gun on the water hoses and rip the tank out.  I am so happy i did it because the shelf for the tank is not built well on my '86 and now i have a ton of access to everything.  I have seen 2 people mention the aft water tank recently and I am confused why folks think it is such a mystery, dont just put the wall back up and hide it. You will be happy to dig in there and inspect your steering quadrant etc, anyways.  good luck and happy sailing!

[svviolethour]

On my boat, probably the most expensive, and totally squared-away, 1990 C34 in the world   I have a B&G Zeus electronics system and a Simrad hydraulic below deck autopilot. I like it all. Yes, the autopilot was a pain in the ass to install, requiring a custom glassed-in mount to support the ram and buying a new Edson tiller arm and drilling the rudder post to mount it. However, it all works well together, and fortunately, I was able to spend the dough to get good "boat worker" assistance to help me fumble through the job. I believe I posted some photos of the install last year. But if you are interested in more info email me.

Noah - I found this thread through CruisersForum, and am wondering if you could share more details on the plywood / fiberglass shelf you made for the mount? It looks like it extends upwards at least a foot, so there must be tremendous forces pushing against it - so it is impressive that it has held up. Is it 3/4" plywood and fiberglass? I see the buttress joints (not sure what to call these, but like an I-beam) which obviously add strength. But how is it attached securely to the hull floor? Can you recall how many layers of fiberglass and what weight? Thanks!

[ChrisOB]

Hi- I think Noah and I and one other are the only ones to tackle the below deck.  It's a huge job, I will not sugar coat it.  For me it was worth it as the boat performs very well in hard weather 10 foot seas with 25knts. I fiberglassed a large shelf on the port side behind the fuel tank.  The tiller arm for the AP can be at whatever angle you want so long as it's in a flat plane. Mine is probably 30 degrees.  Drilling the rudder post for the tiller arm is not for the faint of heart. They do not advise using the quadrant.  It's a big $ project.  Are you plannng multi hundred mile passages?