On Mon, 1 Dec 2003 17:26:34 +1030, BruceM wrote:

Like Michael said Larry,........... Every boat & every sea (following, head,
etc) has it's own particular set of behavioral problems or idiosynchrosies.
I think as long as you don't expect it to be a really sucessful setup, then
you won't be disappointed.
I had a chat today with a pro fisherman & he said that if you set it too
"tight", all your equipment in the steering department would be "overworked"
trying to keep you on course that it wouldn't last long.
Much of his work is in seas with a diagonal swell on his way out & back from
the grounds. His auto-pilot is set with a wide path so that the boats
natural veering behaviour on the up side is allowed to "happen" without
correcting so that the natural opposite veering in the other direction on
the down side is back to within the course allowed. Hope I'm making sense.
If the pilot has to "fight" it one way, it then has to also "fight" it the
other.
That is with a boat that has a decent skeg & a big rudder. Probably similar
to a yacht with a decent keel. Imagine a yacht without a keel?
All in all, with a jet, don't expect too much.
"Michael Ohlhorst" wrote in message
...
Hi Larry,


I recall from years ago that handling large craft was very much the same
thing: you applied rudder and the reaction was delayed. Stopping was
similar - you approached slowly and with caution and reversed engines
well
before you wanted to stop. All of this is what I generically call
"damping" - anticipation of the effect and a delayed reaction to change.
Now my experience with autopilots is practically nil - the only time I
used
one was very brief and basically it just kept the boat on course. I had
hoped that when you set up an autopilot, that you could trim the amount
of
steerage. Are you saying that you can't?

As i am going most often alone with my Boat i have to use the autopilot
for
a lot
of times when i am busy.
The worst situation was a trip at the german north sea between Cuxhafen at
the Elbe and
Helgoland the distance is around 70 miles open water. The weather has
turned
from bad to
impossible and as my flybridge was not ready to use i had to steer form
inside. The lithouse of
Helgoland was in sight but i was not able to steer a usefull course. The
waves are so strong that
my dutch 52feet Motorboot was doing 90 degree course changes within 5
seconds. The only way for me was
using my robertson AP3000 sitting on the sofa and hoping the best -which
lasts 5 hours as the boat is doing around
8 knots in good conditions.

The trimming of an autopilot is the most horrible thing to do. When it is
funktioning in calm conditions it is not working
in rough sea and when its working there your boat is moving like a drunken
sailor at a mirror sea.

Michael




Thanks to all,

I've done a bit more research in addition to what I've read here and
pretty much decided to scrap the idea. Bombardier is just about useless -
virtually no technical help at all. When I asked them about adding an
autopilot, they said they would not help and would pull the warranty if I
did. I already had a brand new engine blow, and the deaIer had to fight
with them to replace the engine with a new one. I think I'll no doubt sell
it next season while the new engine is still working. First and last
experience with Bombardier. I added trim tabs, and they have helped it a
bit, but after visiting the Hinckley site, I am remembering what real boats
are like....

For now, I guess I'll just use my knee to hold the wheel while I eat my
sandwich! I'll start a new thread about the new boat in a different
boating group.
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com

I jumped in late here but if your goal is to let go of the wheel and have the
boat continue to go straight I would suggest going with a "no-feedback" steering
system. If you have Teleflex steering components already, it can be retrofitted
pretty cheap. I have it on my boat and it's great. It's a "poor man's"
hydraulic steering and ideal for lower HP ranges. I'm not too familiar with
jets but I would imagine that hydraulic steering would be an option anyway.

In the interest of safety, you wouldn't want to let go of the wheel at any high
speeds or in rough conditions. For me, it's great because I can make a quick
run to the cooler or the washdown while idling back on the way to the slip on
the ICW. The other bonus is that at high speeds the wheel doesn't pull to one
side and when you accelerate quickly you don't have that engine torque on the
wheel.

Dan


Larry wrote:


Thanks to all,

I've done a bit more research in addition to what I've read here and
pretty much decided to scrap the idea. Bombardier is just about useless -
virtually no technical help at all. When I asked them about adding an
autopilot, they said they would not help and would pull the warranty if I
did. I already had a brand new engine blow, and the deaIer had to fight
with them to replace the engine with a new one. I think I'll no doubt sell
it next season while the new engine is still working. First and last
experience with Bombardier. I added trim tabs, and they have helped it a
bit, but after visiting the Hinckley site, I am remembering what real boats
are like....

For now, I guess I'll just use my knee to hold the wheel while I eat my
sandwich! I'll start a new thread about the new boat in a different
boating group.

On Wed, 03 Dec 2003 01:42:28 GMT, Dan Krueger wrote:

I jumped in late here but if your goal is to let go of the wheel and have the
boat continue to go straight I would suggest going with a "no-feedback" steering
system. If you have Teleflex steering components already, it can be retrofitted
pretty cheap. I have it on my boat and it's great. It's a "poor man's"
hydraulic steering and ideal for lower HP ranges. I'm not too familiar with
jets but I would imagine that hydraulic steering would be an option anyway.

In the interest of safety, you wouldn't want to let go of the wheel at any high
speeds or in rough conditions. For me, it's great because I can make a quick
run to the cooler or the washdown while idling back on the way to the slip on
the ICW. The other bonus is that at high speeds the wheel doesn't pull to one
side and when you accelerate quickly you don't have that engine torque on the
wheel.

Dan

I don't know which steering components are installed and Bombardier (the
manufacturer) won't tell me. I believe they use a cable system of some
kind. I'm kind of fed up with them and will probably sell the boat this
summer and get a real boat. (sarcasm) . I did a quick Google for
Teleflex, though and got a bunch of information. Thanks for the tip.
--

Larry
email is rapp at lmr dot com