I am currently sailing up the east coast on a triton 24 and just broke my tiller pilot. Really annoying and a bit of a shame as its a tp32 simrad which is supposed to steer bigger boats... The ball screw assembly failed and they are balls everywhere in the case. So basically just need that part and its ready to go but..
Called the tech support and they said they cannot do anything without proof of purchase... I bought it secondhand, and they cannot get me the part... (this pilot is still manufactured but anyway).
So here I am trying my luck with you guys, would you have:
1) A damaged tp32
2 Any other (cheap) tiller pilot for me

In the meantime will try the tricks with the sheet to boom and others but I can sense some pretty long and tiring days ahead of me...
Cheers
gael

If the balls have just escaped from the ball screw and you still have all of them you can repack the unit. Watch a couple of youtube videos on how to do it first. First requirement is a nice quiet room with adequate padding on the walls! It's a bugger of a job and can break the average man. If your planning on sailing offshore carry a couple of spare units and toss them as they fail.

Try a search on the Trailersailer Place forum for a bloke called islandmarty. He got a bunch of broken TP32's from somewhere in the US. I don't know him personally, but it might be worth asking if he has a mechanism he can sell you.

Cheers, Graeme

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cazou34 said..
I am currently sailing up the east coast on a triton 24 and just broke my tiller pilot. Really annoying and a bit of a shame as its a tp32 simrad which is supposed to steer bigger boats... The ball screw assembly failed and they are balls everywhere in the case. So basically just need that part and its ready to go but..
Called the tech support and they said they cannot do anything without proof of purchase... I bought it secondhand, and they cannot get me the part... (this pilot is still manufactured but anyway).
So here I am trying my luck with you guys, would you have:
1) A damaged tp32
2 Any other (cheap) tiller pilot for me

In the meantime will try the tricks with the sheet to boom and others but I can sense some pretty long and tiring days ahead of me...
Cheers
gael

Hey mate, try what others have said first. On another note what's your story. Sounds interesting sailing up the east coast in triton 24. Do you reckon they are a tough boat? Are they easy to sail? If you planned the trip again would you go with a different design?
Well I probably just bombarded you with a thousand questions. I now have a reputation to uphold.
Regards,
Mick

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Ramona said..
If the balls have just escaped from the ball screw and you still have all of them you can repack the unit. Watch a couple of youtube videos on how to do it first. First requirement is a nice quiet room with adequate padding on the walls! It's a bugger of a job and can break the average man. If your planning on sailing offshore carry a couple of spare units and toss them as they fail.

Will have another look see if i can fix it myself but seems that the part is broken. We might have hit something its strange it was an easy ride, sub meter swell on a reach and suddenly the boat turned 90 degrees, then the pilot would do a ratling noise before i stopped it.

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wongaga said..
Try a search on the Trailersailer Place forum for a bloke called islandmarty. He got a bunch of broken TP32's from somewhere in the US. I don't know him personally, but it might be worth asking if he has a mechanism he can sell you.

Cheers, Graeme

will try that thks

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Shanty1 said..

cazou34 said..
I am currently sailing up the east coast on a triton 24 and just broke my tiller pilot. Really annoying and a bit of a shame as its a tp32 simrad which is supposed to steer bigger boats... The ball screw assembly failed and they are balls everywhere in the case. So basically just need that part and its ready to go but..
Called the tech support and they said they cannot do anything without proof of purchase... I bought it secondhand, and they cannot get me the part... (this pilot is still manufactured but anyway).
So here I am trying my luck with you guys, would you have:
1) A damaged tp32
2 Any other (cheap) tiller pilot for me

In the meantime will try the tricks with the sheet to boom and others but I can sense some pretty long and tiring days ahead of me...
Cheers
gael

Hey mate, try what others have said first. On another note what's your story. Sounds interesting sailing up the east coast in triton 24. Do you reckon they are a tough boat? Are they easy to sail? If you planned the trip again would you go with a different design?
Well I probably just bombarded you with a thousand questions. I now have a reputation to uphold.
Regards,
Mick

We left last month from port hacking with my gf after having spent the summer refitting the boat in Jervis Bay and are now in fraser isld. All went smooth , the triton is a great boat. heard about a guy who circumnavigated with that. Guess the only real weakness is the little rudder. We have hank on sails and outboard so all really simple and not many things to break (except this bugg** pilot). I will try posting some videos soon. cheers

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cazou34 said..

Shanty1 said..

cazou34 said..
I am currently sailing up the east coast on a triton 24 and just broke my tiller pilot. Really annoying and a bit of a shame as its a tp32 simrad which is supposed to steer bigger boats... The ball screw assembly failed and they are balls everywhere in the case. So basically just need that part and its ready to go but..
Called the tech support and they said they cannot do anything without proof of purchase... I bought it secondhand, and they cannot get me the part... (this pilot is still manufactured but anyway).
So here I am trying my luck with you guys, would you have:
1) A damaged tp32
2 Any other (cheap) tiller pilot for me

In the meantime will try the tricks with the sheet to boom and others but I can sense some pretty long and tiring days ahead of me...
Cheers
gael

Hey mate, try what others have said first. On another note what's your story. Sounds interesting sailing up the east coast in triton 24. Do you reckon they are a tough boat? Are they easy to sail? If you planned the trip again would you go with a different design?
Well I probably just bombarded you with a thousand questions. I now have a reputation to uphold.
Regards,
Mick

We left last month from port hacking with my gf after having spent the summer refitting the boat in Jervis Bay and are now in fraser isld. All went smooth , the triton is a great boat. heard about a guy who circumnavigated with that. Guess the only real weakness is the little rudder. We have hank on sails and outboard so all really simple and not many things to break (except this bugg** pilot). I will try posting some videos soon. cheers

Sounds like a great adventure, will have to see if I can find a story on triton circumnavigation. Was looking at either a Top Hat or a Triton to teach myself how to sail then sail to Thursday island. Or maybe across the gulf from Brisbane, Then non-stop it back to Gladstone. I thought the Top Hat would be more
suited but you never know.

An unfortunate experience. I bought a TP32 in 2009 for MB and it is still going strong.
Mine has been in some horrible conditions, been sat on, fallen on, under sea water and everything imaginable. I replaced the little drive belt a few years ago, that's all.
Yours may well have been very much on its way out when you got it. A new one is $1200 at Whitworths.

Here is a link to Islandmarty's (Marcel's) post on his Simrad autopilot

www.trailersailerplace.com.au/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=14749&p=182437&hilit=simrad

Gary

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cazou34 said..

Ramona said..

Will have another look see if i can fix it myself but seems that the part is broken. We might have hit something its strange it was an easy ride, sub meter swell on a reach and suddenly the boat turned 90 degrees, then the pilot would do a ratling noise before i stopped it.

The ball nut screw is how all tiller pilots work and it is critical the nut has the right amount of ball bearings in it at all times. Probably wear on the nut and the ball bearings are too small. If you wanted to mess about with it yourself you could get it going fairly cheaply but don't ever consider paying to get it repaired. Cheaper to buy a new one or better still buy or build a windvane self steering unit.

Last resort.

www.google.com/search?q=simrad+tppk22

The drive assembly contains the ball screw, see p38 www.jgtech.com/pdf/TP10_Service.pdf

Scott.

last resort buy a tp 22 rated at 5 tonnes. pretty sure it should just plug in to your socket you have. ill be buying another as a spare ($650 i think) keep the tp 32. iyll be fixable. also get into sheet to tiller. basic and works :)