CPT or not CPT?

[NATBF]

Hello folks-

I am getting some work done on the boat, and it would be the time to install a CPT wheel pilot if I'm going to do it.

I have an EV100 which does not have the robustness to deal with significant waves (even in the bay, but 6' waves outside the gate were definitely too much, as I found out), so I have been thinking of something better. I have a windvane for long distances. I am not enthusiastic about laying out the cash an under-deck autopilot would cost... so looking at CPT.

Any commentary by folks who've used it / know of it would be very much appreciated.

 

[alemon74]

Hello folks-

I am getting some work done on the boat, and it would be the time to install a CPT wheel pilot if I'm going to do it.

I have an EV100 which does not have the robustness to deal with significant waves (even in the bay, but 6' waves outside the gate were definitely too much, as I found out), so I have been thinking of something better. I have a windvane for long distances. I am not enthusiastic about laying out the cash an under-deck autopilot would cost... so looking at CPT.

Any commentary by folks who've used it / know of it would be very much appreciated.

I had installed a CPT autopilot on my cape dory 33 that I recently sold. The upsides as I saw them: It performed very well to windward when the sails were balanced. The unit is much quieter than most other wheel pilots. You really dont hear it at all. It also has minimal power draw. It is substantially stronger than the raymarine autopilot both in overall robustness and torque that it can generate. It's also a very simple and easy install. Totally doable as a DIY project. On the downside, it has no rudder angle sensor. If the boat's course is meandering, especially downwind with any kind of wave action, it doesnt keep up with rapid enough adjustments to stay on course. When trying to get back on course it will attempt to keep turning the helm despite the helm reaching its limit of full starboard/port travel. This results in the belt jumping the gears as the CPT tries to keep turning against the helm that can't turn any further. Additionally, it has the obvious downside of only sailing to a compass heading - ie it has no idea what the wind is doing.

 

[NATBF]

Thanks, @alemon74 -- that is very helpful.

It has been suggested to me that one can level up a CPT performance by using the CPT drive unit with a Pelagic controller. Pelagic says nobody they know of has tried this. In any case, in theory the Pelagic controller would steer better downwind (isn't that what they're known for?), and their controller supports rudder sensors, which would solve the overdriving rudder-limit issue.

CPT turns out not to sell the drive units separately, so I have been thinking of installing the CPT system, then shifting to the Pelagic controller if I was unhappy with the CPT's.

 

[alemon74]

Thanks, @alemon74 -- that is very helpful.

It has been suggested to me that one can level up a CPT performance by using the CPT drive unit with a Pelagic controller. Pelagic says nobody they know of has tried this. In any case, in theory the Pelagic controller would steer better downwind (isn't that what they're known for?), and their controller supports rudder sensors, which would solve the overdriving rudder-limit issue.

CPT turns out not to sell the drive units separately, so I have been thinking of installing the CPT system, then shifting to the Pelagic controller if I was unhappy with the CPT's.

Interesting, I often thought that a smarter cpt would be a cool product.