Secondary pilot (backup) on Pogo 850
-
Posts
-
Hello,
My Pogo is equipped with a NKE pilot, but I’m experiencing some malfunctions and would therefore like to have a back-up pilot, less efficient, but simpler and more reliable.
I’m considering an electric tiller pilot (with compass mode only), or even a windvane gear (I’ve seen 850s with this equipment). So I’m keen to get feedback and advice on the equipment best suited to my needs.
Thank you for your help. Single-handed sailing without an autopilot is a real pain.
Gérard
Hello Gérard,
Here are some links:
– https://www.svb-marine.fr/fr/simrad-pilote-de-barre-franche-simrad-tp32.html
This is a technology that dates back to the 1990s, initially introduced by Autohelm, which was taken over by Raymarine (and Simrad too, I think). I don’t know if the technologies (notably magnetic compasses) have been upgraded since then.
Both Simrad and Raymarine offer less powerful and less expensive models of the same type.
I’d recommend taking the ones listed above, as the less powerful ones are also more fragile.
My experience at the time on a 27-foot trimaran: worked well, but some of the inner gears, made of plastic, were fragile and would break after a few months’ use. If you want to steer on the wind, you naturally need to connect them to a windvane (check the connection standards: NMEA 0183 and also Seatalk in the case of Raymarine).
I recently installed a rudder actuator on my Pogo36. On the latter (I assume it’s the same for the Pogo 850), it’s quite tricky to determine the positions of the pivots on the deck and on the tiller. This is because the rudder stocks are not vertical and the tiller travels at an angle. Ideally, the actuator should operate in the plane of this trajectory and more, and should be perpendicular to the tiller in the neutral position. I assume this is also the case for the Pogo 850.
I think it’s better to place the actuator on the tiller, which is on the motor control side.
Good choice and good installation.
Etienne
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
