[DG] (DG11) EV-400 Sail -- Use with existing drive motor

[tom wingfield]

I am interested in buying an EV-400 Sail Kit for use on my 42' sail boat. The boat currently has a rudder drive system that is in good operating condition -- rotary motor connected to rudder post via chain and cables. This is a very simple, strong and reliable system. No need to replace it. Will the EV-400 work with this drive system? Will I need to add a rudder angle indicator?

Thank you.

[Derek - Raymarine - Moderator]

Hi Tom,

Thank you for your enquiry.

Do you know what the drive motor is? To be certain that the ACU400 will operate the drive reliably we need to know the max and average current draw of the motor in the drive unit, since 3rd party drives can take large slugs of current when starting and stopping and we need to make sure that this will not damage the ACU400.

The current draw will increase depending on the boat displacement and the weather conditions, so we would prefer to base our recommendation knowing the details about the drive.

We would recommend fitting a rudder angle transducer to accurately measure the rudder position.

regards

[tom wingfield]

Derek,

Thank you for quick response.

The original autopilot on my boat (1984) was made by Cetrek, an English company now out of business. I am not at my boat now, and do not recall whether the drive motor carries a data plate.

Does the "Cetrek" brand tell you anything about the current draw?

Will the size of the fuses tell you what the max current draw is?

[Derek - Raymarine - Moderator]

HI Tom,

There is very little information remaining about the Cetrek drives, I recall their T1 and T2 hydraulic pumps related directly to the Raymarine T1 and T2 pumps, but I rarely came across one of their rotary gear type mechanical drives.

I would not like to assume,but most likely an ACU400 would be required, confirmation of the drive details would be preferred, if you can get some photographs that would help a lot too.

best regards
Derek