[C320-list] Autohelm Upgrade

[Charles Martin via C320-list]

Dear Shipmates:

I'm upgrading my Raymarine ST 4000+ autohelm to the Raymarine EV-100
System; however, the ACU (computer) requires a ground as follows: the
dedicated drain wire should be connected to the vessel's RF ground point.

My question is does the C320 have an RF ground point? If not, where have
others connected the ground from the ACU.

Best,
Chip Martin
S/V Bonaventure, Sail #767
(410) 231-0199
chipr...@gmail.com

[Steve Weinstein via C320-list]

If I recall correctly, when I installed the EV-100 on my prior boat, a C270, the drain wire was just connected to the regular ground.  There was no RF ground point.  I think that it's stated somewhere in the manual which is available online to just connect to the regular ground.
Steve Weinstein2000 C320 #722, Vega

[Mark Seyler via C320-list]

When I installed the EV-100 on my 320 I connected the RF Ground connection to the negative buss by a separate ground wire. I don't know if that made any difference, but I figured it was somewhat isolated from the power feed to avoid any possible interference. The autopilot has worked fine for 2 years.

Mark Seyler
S/V Reality,
Catalina 320, #232
New Orleans, LA

[Charles Martin via C320-list]

Thanks so much, Steve.

For laughs, here are the one lines for my electronics system (attached), a
mix of old and new Raymarine and a Garmin GPS 421 chartplotter. I don't
yet have the NGT-1 and iPad in the system, but I plan to add them if I need
to debug any of the messages after final setup. Did you have any issues
with your autohelm system getting everything to play nice during initial
testing?

Best,
Chip Martin
S/V Bonaventure, Sail #767
(410) 231-0199
chipr...@gmail.com

[Adam Green via C320-list]

Hey Everyone.

To re-bed stanchions do people fill with epoxy and re-drill or use sealant
and re-fit

Thanks Adam #519

On Tue, Mar 12, 2024, 12:16 PM Charles Martin via C320-list <

[Mark Seyler via C320-list]

The decision depends on the condition of the deck where the stanchion attaches. Unless the through-bolt was pulled out of the deck (in a collision or otherwise) the only reason to use epoxy would be to replace degraded plywood core.

When I had to replace a bent stanchion after Hurricane Ida there was no degradation in the area of the through-bolt holes, so I just bedded the stanchion with butyl tape. (I don't recall if there was even plywood core that close to the edge of the deck.) I did countersink the holes a bit, to provide more area for the butyl tape to seal.

If I had noted any degraded core, I would have drilled oversize holes, cleared the degraded core, filled the space with thickened epoxy, and then re-drilled through the epoxy. I did just that when I had to replace the through-deck portion of my chainplates. (Later 320s had an improved deck with solid fiberglass in the area of the chainplates, but my 1995 model did not.)

So look at the condition of the hull and deck where you are re-bedding, and epoxy and re-drill only if needed.

Mark Seyler
S/V Reality,
Catalina 320, #232
New Orleans, LA



-----Original Message-----

[Darren Holtz via C320-list]

Mine were leaking a bit in places, so I just took the screws out cleaned everything up and put some 5200 on them and put the screws back in. Not sure if that the best but it's been working great for the past three years.

Darren
________________________________
From: C320-list <c320-lis...@lists.catalina320.com> on behalf of Mark Seyler via C320-list <c320...@lists.catalina320.com>
Sent: Tuesday, March 12, 2024 2:21 PM
To: C320...@Catalina320.com <C320...@Catalina320.com>
Cc: mse...@cox.net <mse...@cox.net>

[Christian via C320-list]

"Mine were leaking a bit in places, so I just took the screws out cleaned
everything up and put some 5200 on them and put the screws back in. Not
sure if that the best but it's been working great for the past three years."

I don't mean this to sound critical. I would not recommend using 5200 for
bedding anything. 5200 will eventually fail, and the item will need to be
rebedded. And I find 5200 to be a complete nightmare to clean for
rebedding. It makes cleaning silicone sealant (my mortal enemy) look like
a dream boat (no pun intended) job to do.

I like butyl. Life Caulk is also likely a good choice.
-Christian

[Steve Weinstein via C320-list]

Chip, all the equipment that I had on the C270 was Raymarine, so it all networked together with SeaTalkng.  I did have to use an ITC-5 to connect the speedo and depth to the network.  But it all worked great.  The EV-100 was an easy setup.  Later, I added a B&G wireless masthead wind speed/direction unit, which is a NMEA 2000 unit.  It connected directly into the STng network through the receiving unit that I installed in the Navpod, with a simple NMEA 2K to STng cable.  Again, the setup was simple and everything worked together nicely.
I have an EV-100 sitting in the garage that I intend to install in place of the old Raytheon unit that I believe was original equipment on the boat (Vega).  All the stuff on the boat is Raymarine/Raytheon and is working fine with my Axiom 9RV MFD.  I'm hoping the EV-100 will integrate easily with the existing setup.
Steve Weinstein2000 C320 #722. Vega