Navpilot 711C - FAP-6112 Rudder Reference Install

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btorcivia3

New member
Good morning all,

I’m installing all new Furuno electronics in my 2012 Cabo 32 Express, and I’m having a little trouble with the rudder reference unit due to space near the tiller arms. The installation manual says the connecting rod must be no shorter than 13.8” which is an issue for me. In the past on the Simrad units I’ve installed I’ve been able to have the connecting rod as short 6” and I’m wondering why Furuno is making the minimum length 13.8”. Thanks!

Ben
 
The larger swing on the RRU arm the more sensitive it is to small rudder movements. While the pilot can still function if the RRU movement is very short in its operational range it won't be nearly as good at sensing changes in boat movement.
 
Got it, but wouldn’t the swing of the lever be dependent on distance on the tiller arm away from the pivot point, not the separation of the RRU from the tiller arm? Meaning, the farther along the tiller away from the rudder post I make my connecting rod attachment, the more motion will be transferred to the RRU, but I’m not sure I see how the distance the RRU is from the tiller arm affects that swing.
 
Yes and no depend on where it is mounted. It also has to do with torque. The arm needs smooth movement and it is less likely to bind or have pressure downwards or upwards placed on it when it has a longer rod. Short rod can allow more pressure sometimes that can break or bind the resistor inside the RRU. There can be no pressure pushing down on the end of the RRU or pulling it upwards. It needs only to be moved left and right smoothing with the rudder. If you can get that, your golden.
 
That makes sense. Unfortunately, I think I'm going to have to either get VERY creative with some kind of mount and likely mount the RRU upside down and potentially facing the opposite direction of the tiller arm or shorten the rod to about 6 or 8 inches and mount it more traditionally. On a positive note, I should be able to get the connecting rod very, very close to level such that there shouldn't be much, if any, upwards or downwards pressure when the tiller arm moves.
 
Mounting the RRU upside down is a good way to go if you can do it. They are more water protected upside down because gravity keeps water out of the moving joint.
 
It might just end up that way... depending on what kind of mount I end up being able to fabricate, but I'm really thinking i might end up with a shorter connecting rod and do my best to make sure there's no vertical pressure on the RRU lever. Now as for drilling the tiller arm... that's going to be a physical challenge to say the least! If only the simrad lf3000 would work with the Furuno processor, but something tells me I'm not that lucky!
 
Simrad RRUs work for frequency and won't work. Most others work off resistance so had it been Ray or ComNav the odds of using it would have been good. You are asking the right questions so I am sure you will get it and it will work well.
 
Crap….must have missed that part in the manual about the length of the rod. The old Ray RRU had about a 7” rod and I replaced with about the same. Will have to monitor how this works, I’ve only done dockside setup and still need to do the sea side.
 
Worked on this a little today. Thanks to my grinder and a spare piece of stainless I was able to add a lever to the top of the rudder post using the cap bolt as the connection point. With that lever facing foreword instead of aft, I was able to mount the rudder reference unit upside down and facing forward with a connecting rod that’s 14.5” long and almost perfectly level so there is minimal vertical pressure on the RRU. A little “Out of the box” thinking really changed this install from a nightmare to very straightforward. Thanks for your help!
 
I’ll take one once I finish the install. Hopefully tomorrow. Today the job that pays me is getting in the way of the job I pay for!
 
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