Installing an Autopilot: A step-by-step guide

Rick Channon makes solo boating simple with a his step-by-step guide to installing a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot

When I wrote an article a couple of years ago about my annual boating costs, I remember closing the piece with the caveat that my expenses excluded upgrades and toys, as these were discretionary spends. As if to prove the point, this year’s winter projects alone have exceeded my usual total annual spend – but they’ve all been by choice rather than necessity.

I blame the weather. A long grey winter meant I needed a project to cheer me up. Just to reinforce the situation, my boat, Greyfin, was laid up for the winter in a magnificent position with glorious views over Mylor Marina in Cornwall, which encouraged me to spend far too much time in the cockpit, drinking cups of coffee and dreaming up jobs to do.

Very often, they are jobs I can do myself, like adapting the galley with extra cupboards or modifying the helm seat to flip up. This year though, it was going to involve a significant upgrade to the nav equipment, with new and rearranged instrumentation underpinned by the addition of an autopilot system – and that’s work that sits squarely outside my capabilities.

The rationale for getting an autopilot was to assist me as a single-handed boater. I like to potter along, taking in the sights and sounds but if I’m doing that for two hours straight, clinging to the wheel can get a bit tedious. Although I live in a popular Cornish boating location, I’m often the only one out and there is very little to avoid or alter course for – in other words, ideal autopilot country! I could just let the system take care of the steering while I focused on navigation, scenery and comfort.

Billy of BT Marine gets the project under way

Picking my autopilot

The first job was to engage Billy, an electrical engineer who runs BT Marine in Falmouth. He did a quick survey to ensure that it was a viable project on my boat with accessible cable runs and suitable locations to fix the hardware.

Greyfin is an 8m Beneteau Antares with a single shaftdrive and rudder. It has hydraulic wheel steering, aided by a pump and a steering cylinder to make light work of moving the rudder. It was a thumbs up from Billy, who selected the appropriate components for my boat, and also suggested a reputable hydraulic engineer to ‘plumb in’ the new system.

I chose a Raymarine Evolution Autopilot because it would integrate seamlessly with my existing Raymarine equipment – but I was surprised by how much kit was in the box! Firstly, there is the display screen or Control Head to be fitted at the helm station.

Article continues below…

Behind the scenes, there is also a Sensor Core, the ‘brains’ of the system, which sends commands to all other components. It’s essentially a clever 3D compass, acting gyroscopically, cleaning up data and allowing for the boat’s pitch, roll and yaw, so it can take account of different sea conditions without overreacting. Then there is the Actuator Control Unit, which interfaces with the existing SeaTalk network on Greyfin and acts as the power supply to the drive unit.

The fourth and final component is the drive unit, which in my case is the Hydraulic Pump. That would get connected to my existing steering cylinder and ultimately the rudder. Critically, these last three components were selected specifically for my boat’s size, type and speed.

New couplings fitted to existing steering hoses

Fitting the components

Apart from the Control Head, which was fitted at the helm, all other components were mounted on the forward bulkhead in the lazarette. The Sensor Core needed to be located away from other equipment like pumps and electric motors, as well as big lumps of metal, such as the engine, which might interfere with the compass.

Fortunately, Greyfin’s lazarette allows for a fairly simple wiring run back to the Control Head and chartplotter and also to the fuse board, which is located within easy reach, behind a hatch at the helm.

The new system was linked to the chartplotter via the SeaTalk network, allowing the autopilot to tap into the plotter’s navigational functionality, using stored routes and waypoints. Although following a course is not a priority for my particular type of boating, it would be if planning a long passage.

Neat hydraulic drive unit for the autopilot

Final jobs

With all the hardware in, it was time to call in the services of the hydraulic engineer to connect the new pump. They measured up the runs and made up hoses and connectors off site. My system now had to be drained before new couplings were fitted to my existing hoses at the steering cylinder, where the new hoses would link in. The system was then refilled with hydraulic oil, before being bled and tested. With no hint of a leak, the system was good to go.

The final bit of onshore work was for Billy to run through the dockside set-up using the software wizard. This calibrates the system, accounting for the type of drive and factoring in the rudder travel limits and the hard-over timing from lock to lock. With all the professional jobs completed, it was time to launch Greyfin and complete the final set-up on the water.

The basic user set-up was simple. You simply select your responsiveness, boat type, typical speed and display options and then allow the system to automatically run a compass linearisation process to compensate for any local magnetic variations. And there it is. Job done.

Raymarine autopilot actuator control box

Was it worth it?

I’ve been using the autopilot for a few months now and I already find it invaluable. I use it at some point on every single trip I undertake.

It keeps a far straighter course than I can and it does so without over-correcting the rudder. Admittedly, I have a tendency to overuse it now. In fact, I’m continually tempted to leave the helm. But having just done an RYA powerboat course, where keeping your hands on the wheel and throttle are drummed into you, I’m able to resist – for now!

If you enjoyed this….

Motor Boat & Yachting is the world’s leading magazine for Motoryacht enthusiasts. Every month we have inspirational adventures and practical features to help you realise your sailing dreams, as well as tests and news of all the latest motorboats.

Plus you’ll get our quarterly Custom Yachting supplement where we share the last on offer in the superyacht world and at the luxury end of the market.

Build your knowledge with a subscription delivered to your door. See our latest offers and save at least 30% off the cover price.

This article Installing an Autopilot: A step-by-step guide appeared first on Motor Boat & Yachting.

Source: https://www.mby.com/maintenance/installing-an-autopilot-a-step-by-step-guide-133571