below deck autopilot

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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!
1986 MK1 Tall rig/Fin Keel #247

svviolethour

Quote from: Noah on April 10, 2015, 06:51:30 PM
On my boat, probably the most expensive, and totally squared-away, 1990 C34 in the world :shock:  8) 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?
1986 MK1 Tall rig/Fin Keel #247