Has anyone had a problem with there tiller pilot sudenly deciding to go hard to port for no reason.last night i was sailing to pancake creek running at 5 knots and it went to hard port.got boat back on course engaged tiller pilot same thing. Turned it off and back on same thing, decided to go back to bundaberg as we were only 3 hrs into the sail.did the same thing heading back. Will probably send it away now as i dont trust it was great all the way from sydney and its only 4 months old.

Thats a bummer. I think they're hit b miss these things. Ive got a tp22. Also only a few months old. Dont exepct it to last long. About 3 weeks ago a piece inside dislodged itself. Whitworths were about as usefull as tits on a bull. Call navico direct and get them to sort it. Theyre super helpful. You will have to send it to sydney though and dont worry if you dont have receipt as the serial number will suffice.

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oldboyracer said..
Has anyone had a problem with there tiller pilot sudenly deciding to go hard to port for no reason.last night i was sailing to pancake creek running at 5 knots and it went to hard port.got boat back on course engaged tiller pilot same thing. Turned it off and back on same thing, decided to go back to bundaberg as we were only 3 hrs into the sail.did the same thing heading back. Will probably send it away now as i dont trust it was great all the way from sydney and its only 4 months old.

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oldboyracer said..
Has anyone had a problem with there tiller pilot sudenly deciding to go hard to port for no reason.last night i was sailing to pancake creek running at 5 knots and it went to hard port.got boat back on course engaged tiller pilot same thing. Turned it off and back on same thing, decided to go back to bundaberg as we were only 3 hrs into the sail.did the same thing heading back. Will probably send it away now as i dont trust it was great all the way from sydney and its only 4 months old.

Probably needs recalibrating. Check online with the companies manuals on how to do this. Usually is fairly simple and involves motoring in a couple of slow circles.

i just looked at the track it's over about a mile so that decided my fate last night. Will just hang around here till it's sorted then continue on. I only took a pic of the receipt when I was back in Sydney last week just in case.


I'm pretty sure I didn't put that course in ??

Yes I thought about recalibration but it shouldn't really need it once it's been done and in the conditions I had last night there was no way I could redo it. will send it away to get checked over to give me peace of mind.

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oldboyracer said..
Yes I thought about recalibration but it shouldn't really need it once it's been done and in the conditions I had last night there was no way I could redo it. will send it away to get checked over to give me peace of mind.

You got a manual? ? Id try recalibration first. If you want a service manual i can email it to you.
Recalibration might be all you need. If it were me id be trying anything else before sending away as this will be up to 2 weeks before you get it back.

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oldboyracer said..
Has anyone had a problem with there tiller pilot sudenly deciding to go hard to port for no reason.last night i was sailing to pancake creek running at 5 knots and it went to hard port.got boat back on course engaged tiller pilot same thing. Turned it off and back on same thing, decided to go back to bundaberg as we were only 3 hrs into the sail.did the same thing heading back. Will probably send it away now as i dont trust it was great all the way from sydney and its only 4 months old.

had the same thing happen when sailing to hobart 2 years ago no problems brisbane to storm bay motoring in rain last 30 mile pilot started turning to port had to do the last part standing in rain with engine running YUK
thought i could fix it but no stuffed somwhere in the board bought a new one while in pittwater on way home which was good as we motored most of the way from there to southport in no wind

A sudden event like this is indicative of some sort of intermittent fault in the electronics, which is unlikely to be solved by recalibration. It could also be due to interference from something electrical/electronic/magnetic being brought near the TP (although if that was the case it should resume its proper course once the cause was removed).

The wiring and connector to the fluxgate compass in TP's is extremely fragile and could be a cause. I've personally seen two go faulty, and fixed mine by a swap from another burnt-out TP. If you trust yourself, opening the TP up then unplugging the compass and cleaning the connectors with electronic spray solvent might help, but be warned of the fragility of the wiring. If you search you should be able to find the service manual on line which will help if you're going to disassemble it.

If it works fine in manual mode, there's a good (but not 100%) the compass is the culprit.

Cheers, Graeme

I've had a TP32 for about 10 years. It has been through hell and it still works a treat. Ask Cisco what it suffered on the 2015 Lord Howe trip.
Make sure you didn't have it set to Nav and it tried to get to a way point. They have a circle of error on waypoints of about 200 metres so if it is within that distance it will go hard over to get to the waypoint.
Check the plugs are secure and no water has got in, and the wiring at your switch panel.
Otherwise ring the Navico people, in Belrose I think, and they will help you analyse the problem over the phone. I did that with a radar I once had.

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MorningBird said..
Ask Cisco what it suffered on the 2015 Lord Howe trip.

Yes it got banged about more than George Foreman by Muhammad Ali!!

Good thing is navico are keen as to help.
Anyone needs a service manual in pdf i can send.

Thanks for all the input, it's not connected to my plotter so no way points to go to. Sent it off to get looked at and will see what happens the guy I spoke to at navico said he hadn't heard of one suddenly needing recalibrating during use. Looks like I hang around Bundaberg for a while , I don't think I would trust it without getting it looked at but that's just me.

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oldboyracer said..
Thanks for all the input, it's not connected to my plotter so no way points to go to. Sent it off to get looked at and will see what happens the guy I spoke to at navico said he hadn't heard of one suddenly needing recalibrating during use. Looks like I hang around Bundaberg for a while , I don't think I would trust it without getting it looked at but that's just me.

We'll be there if no mutiny in a few days . Lets have a beer and we'll cook you dinner??
Wasn't going to go right into bundy though. Where are you

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oldboyracer said..

When you will recieve it back and put it back in service, cover it with large enough plastic bag to cover full extension lenght, why?, sea spray fallen on the sharft will evaporate and salt cristals will gouge wiper seal, moisture around compass ball will accumulate. Between Sydney and Gladstone I experience death of two of them, first 1000 was write off, second 2000 was waranty repaired. It was on same brand boat you are sailing.

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Twohull said..

oldboyracer said..

When you will recieve it back and put it back in service, cover it with large enough plastic bag to cover full extension lenght, why?, sea spray fallen on the sharft will evaporate and salt cristals will gouge wiper seal, moisture around compass ball will accumulate. Between Sydney and Gladstone I experience death of two of them, first 1000 was write off, second 2000 was waranty repaired. It was on same brand boat you are sailing.

Haven't had that problem with the Sinrad TP32. The seals might be different.

We are at port Bundaberg Marina , was anchored just down from here before but decided to have some ammenities for a while

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oldboyracer said..
Thanks for all the input, it's not connected to my plotter so no way points to go to. Sent it off to get looked at and will see what happens the guy I spoke to at navico said he hadn't heard of one suddenly needing recalibrating during use. Looks like I hang around Bundaberg for a while , I don't think I would trust it without getting it looked at but that's just me.

If you are in Bundaberg why have you not sent me a PM to make contact??

Logistic support to fellow Seabreezers is given freely by me.