"Sub $600 Autopilot" Progress

[Russ]

I think you guys are getting carried away.

I would be thrilled to have one of Vic's APs as they are right now.

[Obelix]

Same here, Russ

Obelix

[BOAT]

I think you guys are getting carried away.

I would be thrilled to have one of Vic's APs as they are right now.

I agree - and I even said I was willing to pay more for it. I said that the only difference was that it can't wind vane and MACS don't really need the wind vane feature anyways.

Mathew just backed up that statement by saying he does not use the wind vane software anymore because the sensor is a hassle.

(My Chartplotter can do NMEA2000 and the 0183 too - so that part does not matter to me.)

[aviro]

I have à pegasus wind sailor instrument
It works perfect and it is one of my best
Mod
Just à small breze 1 knot and it show you
The wind
Realy stable at high wind

[mrron_tx]

I guess a wet fingertip won't work any more Ron.

[RGF]

I guess a wet fingertip won't work any more Ron.

You couldn't have a wet finger in Grapeland this time of year surely, unless of course you have a tank to dip it in....

[u12fly]

Aren't there solutions for ratating masts like sailtimmer and pegasus? ...

Neither the sailtimer nor the pegasus unit >actually exist<, meaning that they're between revisions and aren't orderable or available. They're also a rather complicated solution compared to just having the chartplotter do the math. ...

I'm not on the site too much these days , but I did catch this string, so thought I'd step in

I've been shipping production released Wind Sailor RM-20 units for a few months now... lead times are about 30 days. The system is NMEA 0183 compatible, it is not directly NMEA2000 compatible because all systems tied to the NMEA2000 bus must be certified and that cost is beyond the current products budget. However I have fully tested the system with an Actisense NGW-1 NMEA 2000 Gateway to a standard NMEA2000 bus and it works perfectly.


Chris.

[Tumbleweed]

This thread is awesome !

I'm in the process of redoing the steering on my '05 Mac26M and in preparation for one of these APs (when they hit production), what Rack & Pinion steering should I install now to use while waiting.... all suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Lester

[vkmaynard]

STEERING CABLE 8' TELEFLEX SSC13408. Same as the AP uses. http://macgregor26.com/suppliers_corner ... ty_rr.html

I believe it is the same as a Teleflex SS141-8 kit with bezel. http://www.discountmarinesupplies.com/T ... stems.html

[Obelix]

Hi Viktor,

I'm still waiting, do you have any timeline estimate

Obelix

[sirlandsalot]

This thread is awesome !

I'm in the process of redoing the steering on my '05 Mac26M and in preparation for one of these APs (when they hit production), what Rack & Pinion steering should I install now to use while waiting.... all suggestions greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Lester

I have the rack and pinion on my M. It is tough to steer, takes force to turn and pulls right. Should it have a lighter feel to it? Do you think something is wrong, it all looks good. Wish I could try another Mac to see the difference.

[Russ]

[I have the rack and pinion on my M. It is tough to steer, takes force to turn and pulls right. Should it have a lighter feel to it? Do you think something is wrong, it all looks good. Wish I could try another Mac to see the difference.

Under power? That's not unusual with sideways blade pressure. My Suzuki has a trim tab to compensate for this. You might look for that.

[tp56ihs]

I would love to get one as well. Will it work with a NFB cable helm?

[sirlandsalot]

[I have the rack and pinion on my M. It is tough to steer, takes force to turn and pulls right. Should it have a lighter feel to it? Do you think something is wrong, it all looks good. Wish I could try another Mac to see the difference.

Under power? That's not unusual with sideways blade pressure. My Suzuki has a trim tab to compensate for this. You might look for that.

Yes under power, I have that little trim tab on the engine maxed out. When I sail it is so nice to disconnect the engine. However when motoring if is exhausting holding on, and if I let go, we are turning right in seconds.

Is your trim tab on you motor all the way, or centred?

[seahouse]

Hey Sir!

"Max" the tab out in the other direction, and see if it makes the boat turn to the left instead. Small changes in the trim tab angle can make big changes to the trim - I've never seen any that needed to be any where near full deflection, so it might be turned in the opposite direction to what it needs to be. I've seen that before.

Note it will change with the speed of the boat, so it will need to be set for the speed that you prefer. (It usually becomes more pronounced, and maybe more critical, at higher speeds).

-B.