Autopilot

[delevi]

But the Raymarine 4000 is Ugly!

Must agree there, therefore the reason I'm looking at other options, plus doesn't the huge 20+ inch wheel become an obstruction? It may not be for you X guys, but the cockpit in the M is smaller and narrower.

Understand ... agree ... especially about using a tiller pilot. But I still don't understand why same caveat isn't even MORE important with them. Unless spending the big-boat-bucks on the ST5000, you need physical access to a TP in order to disable them.

How can you even make a tiller pilot work on a Mac X or M?

Does anyone know what BWY installs for their autopilot? I saw that they offer one as optional equipment.

[norbert]

Timmy + Chip,
I purchased my autohelm 4000 2nd hand (or more.., it s an old non-st model with this black box and without display) from a motor boat owner, and the reaction arm was missing. I mounted the engine ring drive with the motor sticking into the pedestal. no problem so far, but the location of the hole will never been exact on the last fraction of a mm, so you have to allow a small movement (the reaction arm provides this by a elongated hole). my solution was to file the diameter of the steering wheel brackets a little bit larger, so the ap drive can slightly move on the wheel spokes. works ok since.

Frank,
yes, you have to release the clutchon the 4000 if you want to steer manually. I admit that in the 1st year I tried several times to turn the wheel without having released the clutch before, but you will quickly get accustomed to that. and you have a wheel brake for free!

[Chip Hindes]

Those who haven't tried it tend to overestimate (can I say grossly exagerrate instead?) the difficultly and extra time it takes to release the clutch. Like Norbert, about the third time I grabbed the wheel, tried to turn it and couldn't, I learned the secret. Call me a slow learner. After that it wasn't a problem. Once you've learned to do it, it's automatic, and takes literally a fraction of a second. End of "problem". And in fact, like Norbert I find myself frequently using it as a wheel brake; with the AP on standby you can lock the wheel in any position and it will hold that rudder angle until released.

Can't comment on the 22" wheel in the M, but you're probably right, although you don't need a monster wheel for the ST4000 to work. In fact, the finger clearance is tight on the stock 15" wheel, but anything larger, ever 17 or 18" would work fine. The 22" does restrict fore and aft movement on the X as well, but it's livable and again, something you can easily get used to. But IMO one of the best and cheapest mods ever for sailing, in that unlike with that puny excuse of a stock (powerboat) wheel, I can reach it while sitting forward of the pedestal with my back against the side seats.