Navico WP5000 Autopilot

[NCC320]

An aquaintence has updated the autopilot on his boat and has offered me his older Navico/Simrad Wheel Pilot 5000 autopilot. In looking over the owner's manual, it is stated that the control/compass unit for the autopilot needs to be mounted at least 39 inches from the boat's magnetic compass. On my boat and most of the others in our marina, this doesn't seem feasible if you want to position the control unit where you can see the boat's compass heading when you activate the unit (the control unit compass does not have a heading readout on the control unit).

To those of you who are using the WP5000, how far is your control unit mounted from the boat's compass. Looking at the control unit and thinking about it's design and intended use, 39 inches seems too far....is this number a typo in the instructions?

[NCC320]

Calling Navico WP5000 Autopilot Users:

If any of you have used the WP5000, I would very much appreciate your guidance on installing this unit. What is troublesome is that the control unit with its internal compass is supposed to be mounted 39 inches or more from the boat's compass to avoid interference with the boat compass. This doesn't seem practical given the size of the cockpit, and I suspect others have installed the unit closer than 39 inches. But I would like to know for sure before I drill a bunch of holes and cobble up my boat only to find that the unit really won't work. My current thought is to mount the drive unit and the control unit both near the base of the steering pedestal, but this would put those two units close together and the distance from the boat compass would still be on the order of 24"....maybe a few more, but less than 30". Do you think it would work?

[mmhewes]

I am wondering if you know enough about this autopilot to direct me to find another. I have one, and would like a back up.

[NCC320]

Originally Posted by mmhewes

I am wondering if you know enough about this autopilot to direct me to find another. I have one, and would like a back up.

Sorry...I don't know much about it. I tried to check out the system before drilling holes, and I never got the unit to work. I returned it to the original owner and he gave it to someone else.

[mmhewes]

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly; we have had one for 6 years and has worked very well until recently with an intermittent problem. We are currently cruising in Mexico and thought it would be a good idea to back it up.

[tdw]

There's another thread on a similar topic....

http://www.sailnet.com/forums/gear-m...tml#post567738

As mentioned in that thread the lack of any available backup may not make an old Navico product a good idea though it must be said that ours lasted nearly 20 years before going haywire.

One of our problems concerned the wheel attachment itself. Sorting that out was a nightmare and I'm not completely convinced that its still not out of whack and may well be a big part of our problem.

As a general thought on the product I also find that disconnecting the unit is a right pain in the butt. If you simply release the tensioning arm the belt still slides around the wheel causing it to wear.

One other point.....belts for the wheel to control unit are extremely hard to find. The manufacturer that we used to get replacements from no longer makes that size and to date I've not found another.

td