How to install an autopilot on a sailing yacht

[@AchikSarih]

Thank you very much, my brother, for this distinguished work that you did and introduced me to. I benefited a lot from you. You are a good man.❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@confidencesailing]

Thank you.

[@skippywinters]

Im so glad you posted this. This way I can straight away hire someone else to do the job I wouldn’t be able to do myself but would only come to that realization half way through the process

[@confidencesailing]

Glad it helped. And thanks for watching

[@mattphillips9107]

I would've chosen a Kate over a George with the bush dilemma 🤣 looking forward to this seasons videos, keep up the great work guys.

[@confidencesailing]

Wow!! I'm ashamed to say Kate never even crossed my mind.

[@duncanbrown1864]

I like the long form vids. You shousld do more, if you can!

[@confidencesailing]

Thanks. I shall try.

[@szymondworski]

Nice work, well done! We have a similar crew configuration as you have. Our autopilot (which obviously has his own name) is very helpful and counts as an additional crew member :)

[@confidencesailing]

our old boat had an autopilot called Harry the Ghost. This one is therefore called Harriet.

[@szymondworski]

@@confidencesailing Haha! Ours is called Mr. Karnowski. He is a mayor of Sopot - the town my wife and I come from. As we called our boat Sopot it seemed obvious for the mayor to helm it for us as needed! :)

[@et06pn0]

Thanks for sharing!

[@confidencesailing]

You're welcome

[@ulftornert2855]

Well done! And thanks for sharing!!

[@confidencesailing]

Thanks 👍

[@skyfreezr]

ACU has to be fitted vertically so any condensation collecting on the wiring, drips away from the circuit board rather than into it

[@recifedepeixes]

That's a good reason...

[@Nami-Sailing]

Very beautiful Video 😀 We are in the process of finding the perfect autopilot for our 30 f boat and just saw your video. After a Year, would you buy the EV-100 again? Is it strong enough for bigger waves and silent enough for a good chill? Thank you again for this video, we subscribed ;)

[@confidencesailing]

It's always a balance. If I had more money I would get a direct drive type as in big waves this one isn't strong enough. Noise wise it chatters away, but in calm conditions where you might want to 'chil' it isn't annoying.

[@rockchicksdigme]

Dude! Now THAT was an unboxing! 😮👍

[@confidencesailing]

No animals or children were hurt during the procedure👍

[@tstrandv123]

Hello, is this autopilot strong enough to use under sail and moderate sea conditions?

[@confidencesailing]

if the rig is well balanced then under sail - no problems. Certain sea conditions - experienced under either sail or power - can prevent the autopilot from keeping a straight course. but its more to do with the direction of the swell than the size... beam seas are most problematic. Slowing down can help, or increasing the response level on the controller (there are 3 - leisure, cruise, performance) - sometimes just a few minutes of hand steering helps, and you can put the pilot back on and it will be fine. I owned the predecessor of this unit on a previous boat and that would frequently be overpowered - at which point the autopilot beeps a very brief alarm - and then stops operating... leaving your wheel/rudder still engaged with the motor.... quite irksome if you then get forced into a gybe before you can grab the wheel... This model has so far been pretty good - but I wouldn't want to rely on it for crossing an ocean. The P70 control head, the ACU and sensor can all be used with a hydraulic ram instead of the wheel pilot motor - and they can handle anything - but are more expensive and more challenging to install.

[@jonny-dn]

Have you thought of adding a rudder position sensor? Apparently it can reduce S ing and make the whole system more accurate....

[@confidencesailing]

My understanding was that it was pretty essential on hydraulic systems as the rudder position continually 'creeps' relative to the wheel (certainly that was the case in my last boat which had hydraulic steering) but with wire and chain that wasn't a factor so rudder position wasn't necessary. It might be an upgrade worth considering though. The 'S'ing can be a nuisance over a certain speed through the water. Thanks for the tip. I'll look into it.

[@jonny-dn]

@@confidencesailing Interesting you should say that as I have hydraulic steering and my system doesn't have one (I have same components as you except for hydraulic ram steering). Am thinking of adding one soon so I'll let you know if it makes a difference. Cheers.

[@michaelmulryan2889]

Could you try and reverse the wheel ? One side maybe deeper at the hub.

[@confidencesailing]

I thought that myself, but Unfortunately not. The end of the shaft is tapered. So it only goes on one way around. although I think the hub is centred. (I’m not on board at the moment so I can’t remember)

[@casybond]

Had to laugh when Bush and Terminator appeared.

[@confidencesailing]

because this was recorded and edited quite a while ago, I had forgotten about Bush myself - so I had a fair chuckle myself when I saw it back this morning 😂