Bav 39 autopilot

Ziffius · June 13 2013, 17:40

Hi, bought a 39 2005/6 model without an autopilot and have hit a snag when having one fitted. R&J Marine thought it needed SPX10 with a lewmar drive but they found that steering wasn't chain drive as expected so after some more visits and inspections and consultations with Clipper and Lewmar decided only option was a wheel drive. Guess what Wheel drive won't fit binnacle without major surgery and even then motor would be too close to compass most likely and it turns out the wheel drive not really man enough for the size of boat. Waiting on inspection by original commissioner to check if a solution is possible. Turns out this vintage is believed to have had to have a glass fibre pod fabricated and bonded to inside of transom to mount a short linear drive. - we think!

Anyone have this vintage Bav 39 with this unusual arrangement of autopilot?

Skipperwales · June 13 2013, 22:39

Hi
Ive just bought a 2006 Bav 39. She has a raymarine ST 6001 autopilot fitted which works fine.
I cant send further details, pics etc for a while as she's in Portugal and I wont be there for a few weeks, but happy to look further at how its fitted when Im next over there.
Certainly there have been no major bits of carpentry involved in fitting it.
Bill

Symphony · June 13 2013, 22:55

Sure you can fit a linear drive direct to the quadrant. Assume you have a rod drive from the wheel which is why you can't use the Lewmar drive. You will need to build a strong point for the fixed end of the linear drive, but that is not unusual and any competent installer will know how to do it.

Don't bother with the wheel drive, it is not powerful enough for your boat. I have one on a 37 and it is at the upper limit of its capability.

Speak to Raymarine technical department direct.

Ziffius · June 13 2013, 23:24

Thanks Symphony, that is what they are talking about doing -building strong point for the drive. Bavaria apparently changed the steering design after 2005/6 so will see what the Bavaria expert says when he sees it.

Skipperwales, would be interested to see what you find down below where the steering drive is fitted although by the time you are on your boat I hope to be sailing past on my way to the med. Have you bought 4 Ever? From Bluewater Algarve? Maybe I should have gone for her instead!

MIA · June 14 2013, 06:35

This is how mine is set up

Ziffius · June 14 2013, 15:53

Thanks Mia, just had the guy that commissioned this boat and others like it come own to see and that is pretty much what he said needed to be one. Not sure what the extra linkage is at top left of pictures almost looks like a second drive unit???

MIA · June 15 2013, 04:27

The second unit is controller for the angle of rudder in degrees that appears on the auto pilot at the helm, it ranges from 0-30 degrees port/starboard

Ziffius · June 15 2013, 12:03

Hmm they didn't mention anything about that, maybe it's an optional extra. On the few autopilots I have used I haven't seen one with a display of rudder position.

MIA · June 15 2013, 14:27

My last boat had the same sensor both raymarine auto pilot system

Ziffius · June 20 2013, 02:00

Fitters turned up with the 'pod' made from 4 litre ice cream container as a mold. Turns out they had already fitted the rudder position sensor out of sight below the pedestal. Just waiting on the extra quadrant and hopefully I will have a working AP Friday morning. I can at last depart for the med on Saturday.

Ziffius · June 21 2013, 21:50

At last I have an autopilot. Will check if it works tomorrow weather permitting.
The quadrant that was ordered failed to appear so a local stainless steel man (Mr Stainless at Levington) pulled out all the stops to make one. So if anyone else has a Bavaria 39 with an unusual steering system then this is a way of having a linear drive autopilot fitted.

stevem · July 01 2013, 22:12

I've got the same auto pilot fitted on my bav38 2003 model. went over a semi submerged tree trunk in high winds at night mid way between Sardinia and Sicily. There was a teriffic impact and the fibre glass mounting yhat the unit sits on (which was bonded to the hull same place as your picture) was ripped competely away from the hull. Make sure yours is strongly glassed in. P.S Am now in Ionian and itwas well worth the effort of getting here .Hope your trip goes well .

alan burns · July 03 2013, 19:47

You dont need to fit a fiberglass mounting to the hull to take the outboard end of the linear drive. We fabricated a metal frame from RHS that mounts on the existing rudder stop bolts at the transom. this takes all the high loads from the linear drive back to one of the strongest parts of the boat. The outboard end of the frame is in the location that your fiberglass pod sits.

westward · July 12 2013, 19:47

Looks like a nice job. I was thinking of adding a linear actuated pilot to my 2012 Bavaria 32 as a backup to the rotary drive.

Who did the work? Unless I'm mistaken, you don't mention the name.

Ziffius · July 17 2013, 21:29

R&J marine based at Levington did all the work. I just got back after 3 week almost non stop voyage to Sardinia - wow I could not have done it without he AP, not with just 3 of us. I was on a deadline to get back to work! It worked brilliantly under some very harsh sailing conditions even in gale force winds off La Coruna. Just make sure all the bolts are tight/ remain tight. I had to tweak up the drive mounting bolts slightly and the securing bolt on the quadrant a lot. Not sure if it had worked loose or got missed at fitment. Fumes frome the pod fitment might have been a factor as the last bit was all a rush so I could get away.