Fitting an Autohelm

[admin]

From: nswsailor (Original Message) Sent: 20/03/2007 2:13 AM
Dear All,

I have had the luck of purchasing an ST1000 autohelm cheap!

I have a Mk 1 which has lockers on both sides of the cockpit. Has any Mk 1'er, or anybody else, fitted an autohelm or similar to a locker lid? The problem I have is, that the measured position of the fixing point for the autohelm is directly over the inside edge of the lid gutter.

I am in a bind as to wether I epoxy the fitting to the top moulding and have a hole in the lid or to cut away the gutter and fix a backing piece to the lid. There is also the question of the pressures on the locker lid's plastic hinges as the autohelm works.

Hoping somebody out there can help.

Phillip
SEAKA



----------------------
Reply
Recommend Message 2 of 9 in Discussion

From: ArkingCrow Sent: 20/03/2007 6:43 PM
Good afternoon Philip

I am a new owner of a Mk 1 Tophat that I have purchased in Sydney recently.

It is fitted for an ST 1000 Autohelm and the way it is fitted on my boat is that a small piece has been cut out of the back edge of the cockpit lid and then another piece has been fibreglassed into the lid gutter which accepts the Autohelm fitting and also allows the gutter to drain as it normally should.

There may be other methods to attach the unit but this one seems fairly robust and trouble free, once installed.

Cheers

Austin
Jay Bee / Hermes ??

------------------
Reply
Recommend Message 3 of 9 in Discussion

From: nswsailor Sent: 20/03/2007 10:26 PM
Austin,

I was hoping someone had an autohelm fitted.

Could you please post a photo of the fitting with the lid open, that should be enough to allow me to do the same as yours.

Many thanks in anticipation.

Phillip
SEAKA

--------------------
Reply
Recommend Message 4 of 9 in Discussion

From: ArkingCrow Sent: 21/03/2007 6:22 PM
Hello again Phillip

Sorry that I can't send a photo just yet. The boat is in Sydney and I am back down in Tassie at the moment.

I guess if you had sturdy metal hinges and even a hasp and staple latch on your cockpit lid, I guess that would suffice for a lid mounted fitting but I would feel happier with the solid set up as is installed on my boat.

Once I get back up there I will take a photo of it and post it to you.

Best of luck

Austin
------------------------

Reply
Recommend Message 5 of 9 in Discussion

From: nswsailor Sent: 22/03/2007 1:21 AM
Hi Austin,

I will wait until you post the photo. Better to get it right than mess it up.

Many thanks.

Phillip
SEAKA
--------------------

Reply
Recommend Message 6 of 9 in Discussion

From: ArkingCrow Sent: 8/08/2007 7:18 PM
Hello again Phillip,
I haven't forgotten your request for a photo of the fitting for the autohelm. It is just that my boat is in Sydney at the moment and I am down here in Tassie. When I get back together with my boat I can attend to this matter and forward some suitable pics.
Cheers
Austin
---------------------------

Reply
Recommend Message 7 of 9 in Discussion

From: nswsailor Sent: 9/08/2007 12:57 AM
Austin,

Many thanks for your offer. After the last exchange a MK1 Top Hat came through Camden Haven and he had the same autohelm as mine.

From seeing his I was able to successfully fit the autohelm.

Have been to sea once since then and found later that I only had a 5amp fuse fitted, needless to say I spent the whole time at the tiller. Had to tie it off when it was necessary to go forward, but had a good sail reaching 6.5 knots at times with the No1 genoa and main. I feel that's good, as at the Sydney Boat Show I looked at a 27' cruiser and he quoted a cruising speed of 6.5 knots but the price tag was 145K. Thank god for Top Hats.


Phillip
SV SEAKA




------------------------------

Reply
Recommend Message 8 of 9 in Discussion

From: ArkingCrow Sent: 9/08/2007 5:32 PM
Hi again Phillip,
Good to hear that you have resolved the autohelm mounting. They certainly are a useful item to have aboard.
It seems that you have been getting good speeds form your boat. I have only recently purchased mine (a Mk1) here in Sydney and will be sailing it back down to Tassie when the motor is completed and the weather permits etc etc.
I think mine is quite an old Mk1 because it has chainplates that are glassed into the side of the hull and not the deck saddle type that appear evident in the later models.
On slipping, I also noticed a few osmosis blisters but there were not too many and were about an inch to inch and half in diameter.
When I get the boat to Tassie, I will give it the "works". Get it sandblasted below the waterline, have the blisters opened, dried and then epoxied back up again. I will have the mast beam taken off and hot dip galvanised or some other suitable treatment done to it and a general tidy up.
I am impressed with the Top Hats because if their sailing ability, general seaworthiness and have that cosy feel below.
Anyway, I am rabbitting on
Cheers for now
Austin
SV Jay Bee

-------------------------
Reply
Recommend Message 9 of 9 in Discussion

From: nswsailor Sent: 10/08/2007 2:41 AM
Austin,

I haven't seen a Mk1 with glassed in chain plates, so it must be older than latter models. One day this site should try and list all the varations so as to date those Top Hats without a paper record. Sorry to hear about the osmosis, hope it all works out, (sorry about the pun!)

I just spent the day flying (out of Taree) around Coffs Harbour up to Yamba and all points west as an air observer for the Grafton Rural Fire Service (plenty of fires that could cause trouble if the weather gets to hot and windy later) and saw that the sea off the coast was dead flat with a nice NE wind blowing, several yatchts out to sea enjoying the conditions.

Should have been out there and not flying! Hope you have a good trip to Tassie.

Phillip
SV SEAKA

[Marinka]

I am just about to get either a ST1000 or 2000 and my question is what size stainless attachment needs to go on the tiller - 4in one? Hope someone can help, Cheers Peter

[Shaun]

Gday peter,
Ive just recently fitted a new ST2000, not quite sure what you mean by "stainless attachment"??
in the box of the ST2000 you get a stainless steel pin, that you drill/epoxy into the tiller, & also a brass sleeve that you drill/epoxy into the starboard seat,.
My tiller was too low, so i could of used a small bracket bolted onto the top of the tiller(i think you can buy these as accessories,details of this are in the box), but alternatively i raised the tiller by packing up about 4mm at the base of the tiller(on top of the copper? tiller block & the underside of the stainless bracket that holds the timber tiller.
This raised the tiller about 50mm at the end you hold it(which is much more comfortable anyway), & made the autopilot level.
It was really helpful to see how others at the 2009 sailaway had installed their autopilots, Keith on Swift(Mk1) had an accesorie, that it actually attaches to the backrest(inside of the combing) & not into the seat at all. Would of been a handy alternative for installation in Phillips case above too.
In general i thought the installation was fairly tricky, but i tried to get it millimetre perfect, in hindsight probably wouldnt matter if its a few mm different from instructions.
cheers
shaun

[Marinka]

thanks Shaun, it was the small bracket that I was talking about - they come in various sizes - 3 4 and 5 inch and as the tiller on my boat will be too low and as I am in Qld at the moment I will need to guestimate how long the bracket needs to be. Otherwise I might just take a small block of wood and trim to size as a temporay measure. I might be sailing north when you are sailing south! - if you take Night Cap to the rally. How is the new boat and what sort of diesel do you have? Cheers Peter

[mmts]

Hi Peter,

I have recently fitted an Autohelm ST1000 to my Mk1, next time I head down to my boat i'll take a photo of the stainless bracket I had made up......only trouble I find with it is that it sometimes gets caught up with the sheets whilst i'm racing around the bouys

[Marinka]

Thanks that would be appreciated. i have had a look at the one on Karl's boat but he has a different tiller so I guess it is between the 50 mm (2 in) or the 4 in mark on Karl's - ST1000 or 2000? - does the 1000 do the job with the Top Hat? Any views on which one to get? Cheers Peter

[Phillip]

Peter,

I fitted my pin directly into the tiller, I did not use any brackets .

What I do when I use my autohelm is I tighten up the bolt (it has a locktight nut)
where the tiller pivots on the bronze block.

I do this stiff enough to make it really firm but still able to move up
and down to adjust it to the correct height for te autohelm.
Do this also when measurng the tiller for drilling the hole for the pin, it should be vertical.

I have never had any problems with this arrangement.

Good to hear you got your Burgee.

P h i l l i p
SEAKA

[Marinka]

I was also able to fit the pin directly to the tiller and George the autohelm worked like a charm from Lake Macquarie to Camden Haven. Thanks for the advice, Cheers Peter