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I'm looking for any suggestions or comments about what would be a good electric autopilot to use on a DE38? Would a wheel unit work for general use ( not offshore ) or do I need a bigger under deck unit? I'm kinda on a budget...like everyone else.
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I would think a wheel pilot would work as well balanced as you can get this boat. However.. just about everyone I have heard of after a while ends up replacing it. Our autopilot is dead and we havent replaced it yet.. still not sure what to get and if we can afford it ourselves.
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For what it's worth, my Simrad WP32 only lasted a year on Bodhran (DE32) before it crapped out and that was with the Monitor doing all the steering offshore when the wind was blowing. I know many people use wheel pilots successfully for many years of inshore, protected sailing. If that's what you do, then you might be able to get away with a wheel pilot, but in my mind, they're pretty much disposable. If you want to get a piece of gear that will last for years, get a below deck pilot. I picked up a old Raymarine type II linear drive down in New Zealand a few years back. It's way overkill for my boat. I'm sure a type I would work fine on both a DE32 and a DE38.
I was on a budget when I bought my WP32. It cost $1100, but only lasted 1 year. I ended using it for 3 years but had to fight it constantly. You can get a new Raymarine EV-200 Sail system on Defender for ~$3000. It's three times the cost, but it's the right size for the job, will do what you want it to even when you're not perfectly balanced and will last for many years. Or hopefully it will, I'm always dubious of Raymarine's quality control, but they do seem to be more affordable than others.
The other option is to find a used one like I did. I scored down in NZ and was able to pick up an old Autohelm 6000 system with the type II drive for $500NZD (about $300USD at the time). It was vintage, but worked for me for 4 years of heavy cruising. The computer crapped out on my this season and I couldn't find a replacement anywhere, so I ended up replacing it with a new Raymarine package. The linear drive was still good, so I only had to buy the corepack. In the end I'm still doing way better than if I'd bought a new system off the shelf.
Jason
DE32 Bodhran
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Most of my sailing is done on the Chesapeake, but I'm looking to head south later this year and an autopilot would really help me out. I've found this wheel system CPT Autopilot - http://www.cptautopilot.com - and they claim to be much stronger than the other standard systems that are out there, but I don't have any experience with them. Anyway, I was just wondering what other DE38 owners use and I appreciate your comments. Thanks Mike
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just doing a quick search i found these two links. looks problematic giving it the quick glance at the reviews.. Lots of people liking them but lots of people having them not work well in any but mild conditions, some not working well at all, breaking down and having to be repaired.. Standard warranty is 1 year so I'm not really seeing it. If your going to claim it is stronger and better then I would expect you to put your money where your mouth is in a longer warranty. I love the idea of a wheel pilot for ease of installation but have never seen one that everyone just loves because it was reliable 🙂
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Scott,
Thanks for the links. I agree with you on your points and like you, the ease of installation and cost is what's driving me to a wheel system also. I'll keep poking around and I'll let you know what I find.
...is anything reliable on a boat? :>
Thanks again,
Mike
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lol... i'm tempted to say no but actually there are a lot of things.. most of them made many years ago... trying to find something reliable that has been made in the last decade or better does seem to be hard to find.
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I need to kick start this thread up again if I may. I am looking for feed back for my DE 38. At one time it had a below deck auto helm, the chain sprocket is still there. I want to go with that type system. I had really bad experience with Raymarine, when my E80 chart plotter acted up. I was told by Raymarine since it was 4 years old, I should buy a new one. That was not the response I was expecting. So no Raymarine products for me. So anyway, any one with a system that can still be purchased, and is using the chain drive type unit, I would love to hear about it. Thanks, Travis.
Travis and Kim
S/V WundorStar
DE 38 Ketch
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I have a chain sprocket type legacy installation on our boat to... would be nice to find something you could hook up to that already existing system.
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Scott, I found out that W-H Autopilots will still make a motor/chain type system. The motor drive will be unwarranted though. Talking with their design staff, they told me why the hydraulic type system is better. The question is if I have enough room for the 9" arm swing below deck that is required. I have to check it out before I make my decision. The cost difference between the two systems was not that great. I am leaning towards the upgrade. Travis
Travis and Kim
S/V WundorStar
DE 38 Ketch
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I think there is room to add a hydraulic ram type system to the quadrant. The only issue I see is access in case you need to work on it. It is under the cockpit locker/lazerette floorboards. To get to the quadrant you need to empty the locker and then pull up the access hatch in the floor. Really bad design overall for accessibility to a very important piece of equipment (quadrant) on our boats. However that being said it seems pretty tough given I haven't any stories of issues with it from other owners.
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Going to resurrect this again as we're looking at replacing the autopilot. The boat originally had an Autohelm.
Looking at the Garmin WHP 12 Here is a link: https://buy.garmin.com/en-US/US/on-the-water/autopilots/ghp-12-autopilot-system/prod68528.html
Any of the systems discussed above similar? We are replacing electronics, chart plotter, autopilt and radar all the same time this coming fall.
Gracias. 
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Havent seen this model yet.. might be you giving us advice on it in the end
Scott
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I've had plenty of woes when it comes to autopilots on my DE32. For harbour sailing the wheel pilots will suffice but they are not up to the job of self steering at sea, even given tour ability to balance the boats.
I started with an old Raymarine wheel unit. Then replaced that with a newer model about two years ago. I sailed Orion from Nova Scotia to the Bahamas. As Jason said, nothing beats a windvane. My Monitor did 90 odd percent of the steering there and back, much of which I was soloing.
I was knocked down a number of times and the Monitor suffered catastrophic damage during one of the knockdowns. The wheel pilot was left to steer. Knockdown number 3 shorted out the brain and left me to hand steer and heave to until I made it to Newport RI. A new brain and I was on my way again. I fought broken belts and big seas the rest of the way to NS, in which the wheel mount unit struggled.
Long story short...I'm in the process of building a more robust autopilot. The idea of a below deck cylinder is the best option after a windvane in my opinion. But Raymarine units are crazy expensive and that's because of the name, and the fact they have an electromagnetic clutch built in. I'm going to use a different linear actuator and fabricate a mechanical clutch of sorts.
I've found other actuators that are more robust, stronger and faster....for a fraction of the price. And I like the idea of a fail safe clutch assembly.
Simple is better. I've even done away with roller furlers and such. If it can fail at sea....it will!
Dylan
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Wait, Scratch, what? You were knocked down "a number of times?" Isn't that the cue that most people take to either write a book about that one time it happened to them or change their religion? A number of times? Were you being a bad person? Were you consistently overpowered or is there something about DEs that I'm not aware of. We have a DE 38 ketch and while I've spent a whole lot more time rebuilding then sailing this particular boat it seems to be that the stubby little masts are going to make the boat pretty stiff (and slow). My first mate, if I can get her out there, would not want to know that multiple knockdowns are a possibility.
What were the contributing circumstances and how did it happen a number of times with no collateral damage to you or the boat?
Thanks in advance for the answers on that one.
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Read what was written about the CPT, they changed some things in 2014. I'm thinking that is what we are going with because I want it simple. Just want to hold a course. Hoping for our coastal cruising needs, that it will be a good buy.
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