OpenMarine

Hey guys,

 New here and have a question

 I'm setting up a opencpn system and I need a autopilot for a below decks install on a 30' cutter

 The boat goes up and down the east coast of the US every 6mo, single handed with about 200W of solar and two group 31 batteries 

 I WAS going to use pypilot, and use a tiller arm mounted on the rudder shaft

 Plan was Pelegic, but their arm apparently needs up to 25 amps, and that doesnt seem to work with pypilot

 Any solutions, or is this pypilot just for very small boats?

Here is a picture of where I would be mounting the system, boat hook was just for size reference


   Thanks!

A hydraulic pump and ram attached to a tiller clamped to the shaft would work. Not cheap though.
Otherwise using a less powerful linear actuator is possible if you use a longer tiller to reduce the power requirements.

I am not sure which ram you are using, but unless it is hydraulic it is unlikely to draw 25 amps. Most hydraulic draw a lot less than this as well. I am building a hydraulic controller which can supply 20 amps continuous (60 amp surge), next version 30 amps.

Typically tillerpilot draws between 1-2 amps while moving the rudder. You can also drive relays with the motor controller to handle much higher power but you won't get speed control and soft starts.

What about a wheel pilot? Could you fit that somewhere?