Auto Pilot - autohelm 6000

[Bowman47]

Hi, This is my first post here.

I have an old boat, Bowman 47ft Yawl, which has terrific bones but the autohelm 6000 has decided not to work, it veers of course as soon as its set and can only assume that there is a problem with the computer or flux compass, not really my forteit.

Anyone know of a spare or parts to this model would be greatly appreciated.

Thankyou for your help.

Al

 

[bottomscraper]

I have a PDF of the AH6000 owners manual if that would help. We had an AH6000 on our sailboat but replaced it 16 years ago. The newer autopilots are significantly better at holding a heading than those older systems.

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. A friend had a boat that would veer off course pretty dramatically. We found that unhooking the rudder position sensor that the problem went away. The autopilot worked fine without the rudder sensor. On my new autopilot I had the option of using one or not. Since it is so difficult to get to to replace it with the new one I just left it off and the autopilot works fine. The manual had 2 procedures to set the autopilot up, one with the rudder sensor and one without the sensor. Maybe try unhooking yours and see if it works better, if not you can hook it back up.

 

[Jeff F]

Used parts availability is good. Lots on eBay. Compass failure is common on that AP.

I'd suggest you download the manuals and go through the initial setup process, if you haven't already done that. It's a good start if you want to DIY.

Oh and welcome. Is that a GRP boat?

 

[Peter B]

Yes, welcome to TF Al, and now you've been appropriatly welcomed, I've taken the liberty of moving your thread to an area of greater relevance to your query for better exposure.

 

[bottomscraper]

...We found that unhooking the rudder position sensor that the problem went away...

I believe this is an old Autohelm 6000 that was originally made by Nautech, later acquired by Raytheon which became Raymarine (not a later Raymarine system with an ST6000 control head). These older units did not have a rudder position sensor. Maybe the original poster can verify this.

 

[Bmarler]

I believe this is an old Autohelm 6000 that was originally made by Nautech, later acquired by Raytheon which became Raymarine (not a later Raymarine system with an ST6000 control head). These older units did not have a rudder position sensor. Maybe the original poster can verify this.

If it is the original autohelm it also has an internal flux gate. First thing to do is to make sure there’s nothing metal near it.
I had autohelm units before and they were perfectly capable. Used control heads for that are about $500 on flea bay.

 

[bottomscraper]

The manual (attached) for the AH6000 shows an external flux gate (and the one I had had an external one).

 

[Bowman47]

Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated, Yes it is the original old Autohelm 6000 that was originally made by Nautech and does not have a rudder sensor. Thank you for the manual, that is the correct unit, did you say the flux gate could be a place to start in a process to get to the problem?

 

[Bmarler]

Thanks everyone for your comments, much appreciated, Yes it is the original old Autohelm 6000 that was originally made by Nautech and does not have a rudder sensor. Thank you for the manual, that is the correct unit, did you say the flux gate could be a place to start in a process to get to the problem?

Ok, looking at the manual, if you have the control head with the indicator, you can see the flux gate output on the display.
Otherwise, you just need to read through it, and chase down all the components in the system to get familiar with the installation, then go through the commissioning sequence. That should reveal the problem area.

 

[DavidM]

Check to see if you accidentally left something metallic near the fluxgate compass. That will cause the veering you are experiencing.

David

 

[bnoft]

Post #11 describes what we did. The Dyson vacuum was stored in a locker directly above the fluxgate compass. Headings appeared to be a suggestions as we looked like a WWII freighter zig-zagging. Finally put 2+2 together and changed the storage site for the vacuum, no more issues.

 

[Pete Meisinger]

I had a friend who had that unit on his pacemaker. It veered toward every bridge he approached. Not a good time for a malfunction.

pete

 

[EngNate]

All of the older Raymarine and Autohelm components are compatible and there is lots on the used market.