Conference unifix::sailing

    To repeat a few comments I made to Hank over the phone;  I helped
    a friend install the navico 4000 in his Hunter 31 last Spring. 
    It was a rush mounting job but went very smoothly.  We did not have
    the right adapter to mount the drive unit on the pedistal, so went
    for the floor mounting.  For this we needed to get the extra long
    belt, about $30, which BOAT US shipped overnight express---very
    good service.  Even with the longer belt we needed to "shim" the
    drive unit with a block of 2x4 through bolted to the cockpit sole.
    
    We routed the power to the drive through the wall of one of the
    cockpit lockers.  No problems with this.
    
    The bracket holding the control unit needs to be mounted on a vertical
    serface and so we used the cabin bulkhead.  We didn't find the cord
    to be in our way, but then we were four guys on a long ocean passage.
     Perhaps it would be different for 6-7 friends on a weekend around
    the Bay.  The drive unit didn't seem to under our feet either, I
    guess since it was sort of tucked under the curve of the wheel by
    the pedistal.  If I had the option, I probably would go for the
    pedistal mounting though, unless there are drawbacks to this that
    I couldn't see.
    
    Operationally, the unit worked beautifully.  We were most impressed
    with its ability to hold us on course through rough seas and gusty
    winds.  Not ever being around one before, I went from a non-believer
    to a believer literally overnight.  The course is easy to dial in
    and changes were very easy to make.
    
    Now the bad news.  The control unit we got conked the second day
    out, we think because it got water in it. We had been in heavy rain
    and lots of spray for over 24hrs.  We tried to dry the control unit
    below and that cured it for a while, but the problems came back.
    
    I heard after the trip that BOAT US was prompt in replacing it.
     My friend planned to remount the control unit in the starboard
    cockpit locker to protect it from spray.  He felt that this would
    not be a problem in actual use of the autopilot.  I have not talked
    to him to see if he actually did this, and how it worked out.

    		Travis Belton

    Well, Travis was right.  It took me about four hours to get the
    whole job completed and a lot of that was running the wiring to
    the breaker panel.
    
    A couple of points.  I ended up mounting the drive on the pedistal
    and within the diameter of the wheel.  The clearances are tight
    and I had to modify the clutch handle (with a hack saw) to get the
    clearance I needed.
    
    The plugs they provided for the wiring must be for very short runs
    as they were sized for about number 20 wire.  I had to do some creative
    soldering with the terminal lugs to use the number 12 I ran.
    
    It seems to work fine in the slip.  I never veered from my 234 heading.
    
    In two weeks I will give it the full test when I make the run to
    get hauled.  It is still just a tad early to unwinterize.