I have a below deck linear drive autopilot that is mounted to an aluminum I-beam that is in turn mounted to the floor of the cockpit.
The I-beam is about 2 foot long and bolted through the floor in the cockpit every 6 inches.
The drive is then bolted to the underside of the I-beam and the connector is clamped to the rudder posts.
I will be down at the boat this weekend and will gets some pictures.
It is a very strong and clean setup.
Peter Farley
Knot in a Hurry u30 #328
Keyport NJ
Here are the pictures of my auto pilot mounted below deck,
Peter Farley
Knot in. A hurry #328 30
Keyport no
Peter,
That’s a clean-looking installation in a very clean-looking compartment.
I’m trying to better understand what I’m seeing in the pictures. It looks like the main part is a hydraulic piston mounted parallel to, and just off of, the transom. Is that right? Is the I-beam actually connected to the cockpit floor, or is it connected to the deck between the coaming and the transom?
In the second picture (the first of your second post), there seems to be an “L” bracket fastened to the vertical panel facing the transom, with a rotating arm and a connecting rod going to the fitting connecting the piston to the rudder shaft. Some questions about that:
What’s the function of that part of the system? Is it just there to stabilize the piston, or is that what senses rudder angle? The L bracket looks pretty light if it has any force to deal with.
This may just be because I’m not envisioning this properly, and/or not sufficiently familiar with the 30C layout. But, isn’t that L bracket on the back of the propane locker? If it is, how did you secure it to avoid compromising the locker’s integrity?
It looks like alignment is really critical for this part of the installation. Since I always have problems with that, any tips on how you got it right?
If you get a chance to post some more pictures, I’d be really interested in seeing where the I- and L- bracket fasteners appear on the other side.
Thanks,
– Bob
Me Gusta
Nonsuch 26U #233
The small bracket is holding the rudder position sensor. There is no load on that so no need for a heavy bracket. You have 3 main components to line up. There is the rudder post clamp which is marine brass and clamps around the rudder shaft. Then the other two pieces are tied to that. The actual pilot drive and then rudder position sensor. The sensor gives the feedback to where the rudder currently is. In my setup the sensor and the drive are 180 degrees apart. My post clamp came with a thread hole for the sensor pin. I will try and go back down and get some measurements this week.
