Thanks. Good Advice.

Terry Cobb (Mirage) cut his tube (up high) and clamped on both his rudder sensor and drive ram arms to the rudder post. He installed a seal. He did it a year or two ago and has had no probems except needing to cut a keyway in the post to prevent the ram arm from slipping under load. Below deck puts all that equipment out of harms way and the elements. As you know he is currently on his way to Hawaii in the Double-Handed Pac Cup.

I have decided to install my sensor on-deck just abeam (starboard) of the rudder post. I am also installing both a sunshade cover (sun & water) and a cage (physical) over it for protection. I am still planning on doing the Single-Handed Transpac in 2010 and will have pleanty of time to evaluate the installation.

George

:: I would not recommend putting holes in the rudder post
:: tube below deck. You'd need to add a lip-seal if you did
:: this, which would likely require some fabrication, and
:: also make sure the tube is still well supported. Plus,
:: there is no quadrant, so you'd have to figure out how to
:: attack the feedback sensor to the rudder post in an
:: easily removable way.
::
:: If your autopilot drive is mounted above deck, you may
:: be able to mount the rudder senser directly to the drive
:: ram. B&G autopilots sell a rudder sensor intended to be
:: mounted on the ram--perhaps Raymarine does as well...
::

:: --brendan

::
::
:: :: I am installing a Raymarine rotary rudder position
:: :: reference sensor on TAZ!!. Has anyone done this? Do I
:: :: dare open up (high up) the rudder post housing below
:: :: decks?