Raymarine S1 Autopilot Install - Ranger 25
The following is a summery of my installation of the Raymarine S1 autopilot in my 09 Ranger 25. I originally planned on installing the S1000 Autopilot from Raymarine, which sells for under a grand. This system is very easy to install however, it only uses the GPS for heading accuracy. After researching almost everything on the market I decided on the Raymarine S1 autopilot. Some of the immediate advantages are the inclusion of a rudder position indicator, combined with a magnetic fluxgate compass for only around $500 more. It soon became obvious, this would be a worthwhile investment since I was originally planning on installing a rudder indicator on my R25, which could cost $300-500. It just made good sense to go with the S1 system since it now provides rudder indication on the supplied ST6002 autopilot Controller, which almost paid for the upgrade to the better system.
Another advantage of the S1 system is the hydraulic pump, since it’s very quiet in operation you can mount it up by the helm and is barely audible when the engine is running.
ELECTRONIC INSTALLATION
The installation is straight-forward, the rudder indicator wire was run up to the helm area and hooked to the computer. Mounting the indicator took a bit of planning. I ended up buying some 90-degree brackets from Lowes and making my own. I included some images should anyone need to come up with a way to mount theirs.
Next, I installed the ST2006 display/controller above the helm in the chart compartment overhead. There is an opening for the right hand wiper, which allowed me to run the wire dressed up against the window frame to the helm, it is almost invisible. I ran this SeaTalk cable to the S1 Computer. Since I now had the SeaTalk cable up in the overhead cabinet, it made an easy SeaTalk connection to mount the transceiver for my remote control SmartController. I mounted the transmitter right in the center of the overhead compartment so it is line of site almost anywhere on the boat to the remote.
Next, I bought a 6ft. 12-gauge extension cord, wacked the ends off and hooked it into the 15 amp breaker on the 12volt power panel for power to the computer. I used the center (ground) as an earth ground to the boats chassis.
After a quick call to Andrew at Ranger to find out which wires to pick up my NMEA 0183 from my Garmin 4212 GPS system, I was now interfaced to the S1 computer as well.
The electronic fluxgate compass took a bit of planning however after about 2 hours, I found a great place to mount it. The compass was mounted all the way forward and mounted to the forward panel, which easily comes out with just two screws. I dressed the cable up against the upper panel and ran it all the way to the helm and made the connection to the S1 computer.
HYDRAULICS
The hydraulics was the most difficult to complete, I ordered 3-6ft lines from Ultraflex to include 2-T’s and 4-elbows.
I began by draining the helm pump and removing the two elbows. Next, believe it or not, I was able to (very carefully) run the three lines out the starboard opening where the power cables exit the helm area. I relocated the Cummins SmartTalk interface, and mounted the pump on the same board which was fiber glassed to the cabinet. Careful planning of the T fittings at the helm was very difficult and must be assembled in a special order or you won’t be able to tighten the lines.
After a few hours, I had everything in place and there I stood with an empty helm pump and maybe 18 feet of empty hoses plumb full of air. After a call to Raymarine – Ultraflex and Ranger, it became evident that all three said I would need a “Power Bleeder” to get all the air from the system. I spent a day calling every marine facility within 100 miles and most had not even heard of a bleeder much less have one.
After an almost sleepless night, I dreamed up a way to use the autopilot pump to bleed the system, by using the autopilot pump and a 12-volt, Gell-Cell, and some hoses. After filling the helm pump with a bottle and hose to monitor the levels -I used the autopilot pump to fill the center hose until I could see the fluid come up to the helm reservoir. I then hooked up the center hose to the auto pump. Next, by powering the pump in short bursts, I was able to fill the port hose to the helm pump by leaving the hose connection loose, to see it bleed. Finally, by reversing the 12-volt line, I was able to fill the other. I now had all three hoses to the auto pump and I continued to bleed both lines of any remaining air.
An important note is to make sure the rudder is centered before you loosen any fittings and do not turn the wheel until the system is bleed of all air in the hoses. As long as the helm was centered, if there is any trapped air, it will reach the helm pump and not be pushed aft to the ram.
So far, all the dockside commissioning went smoothly, it has been blowing 24-40 mph here on the lake so I have not been able to sea trial the system yet. However, the S1 sees the waypoints and sitting on the lift it looks pretty happy.
If anyone is interested I’ll post some notes on the sea trial.
Regards
Original helm hookup
New helm set-up with “T” fittings and return line
Galvanized bracket was picked up at Loews
By joining the two brackets it allowed me to have the ball link centered right on the pivot point. Second bracket is for mounting the rudder indicator.
This image shows the indicator mounted – note I bent in some angel to adjust to overcome the transom angle.
This image shows the rudder indicator mounted on a plywood support clear of the cylinder.
This image show the finished set-up – note I used the 2nd locking nut on the ram to secure my bracket, however the picup point is still centered over the input.
The fluxgate compass is mounted all the way forward away from any metallic items and generally hidden by a few throw pillows in the bunk.
The S1 computer is mounted to the starboard side rug with just one half of a Velcro strip which adheres to the rug.
This is my bleeding set-up after the system was bleed. While not show in image I used a quart of oil and a plastic hose to fill lines.
Use caution when reaching in this area on the starboard side when pulling cables etc. – the A/C power panel is hidden from view by the cables and for some reason there is no shielding to contain the terminals or in the event of a short or fire.
The is the Cummins Smart terminal block that was removed to allow the pump to mount on the intended mounting area.
This is the completed pump installation with the lines running up into the helm area. The S1 pump is very quiet in operation and is barely heard with the engine running.
I opted for the SmartController which provides numerous pages of information and the best part is it allows me to control the R25 from the forward or rear decks.
The transiver for the wireless remote is mounted forward in the chart cabinet. I powered the transiever off the SeaTalk cable going to the ST2006 controller.
The Raymarine ST2006 Controller was mounted over the helm in the chart cabinet. As shown in the lower portion, the ST2006 display controller doubles for a rudder indicator. It also allows you to engage auto or tracking functions and or steer the boat using the -/+1 & -/+10 keys.
The following is a summery of my installation of the Raymarine S1 autopilot in my 09 Ranger 25. I originally planned on installing the S1000 Autopilot from Raymarine, which sells for under a grand. This system is very easy to install however, it only uses the GPS for heading accuracy. After researching almost everything on the market I decided on the Raymarine S1 autopilot. Some of the immediate advantages are the inclusion of a rudder position indicator, combined with a magnetic fluxgate compass for only around $500 more. It soon became obvious, this would be a worthwhile investment since I was originally planning on installing a rudder indicator on my R25, which could cost $300-500. It just made good sense to go with the S1 system since it now provides rudder indication on the supplied ST6002 autopilot Controller, which almost paid for the upgrade to the better system.
Another advantage of the S1 system is the hydraulic pump, since it’s very quiet in operation you can mount it up by the helm and is barely audible when the engine is running.
ELECTRONIC INSTALLATION
The installation is straight-forward, the rudder indicator wire was run up to the helm area and hooked to the computer. Mounting the indicator took a bit of planning. I ended up buying some 90-degree brackets from Lowes and making my own. I included some images should anyone need to come up with a way to mount theirs.
Next, I installed the ST2006 display/controller above the helm in the chart compartment overhead. There is an opening for the right hand wiper, which allowed me to run the wire dressed up against the window frame to the helm, it is almost invisible. I ran this SeaTalk cable to the S1 Computer. Since I now had the SeaTalk cable up in the overhead cabinet, it made an easy SeaTalk connection to mount the transceiver for my remote control SmartController. I mounted the transmitter right in the center of the overhead compartment so it is line of site almost anywhere on the boat to the remote.
Next, I bought a 6ft. 12-gauge extension cord, wacked the ends off and hooked it into the 15 amp breaker on the 12volt power panel for power to the computer. I used the center (ground) as an earth ground to the boats chassis.
After a quick call to Andrew at Ranger to find out which wires to pick up my NMEA 0183 from my Garmin 4212 GPS system, I was now interfaced to the S1 computer as well.
The electronic fluxgate compass took a bit of planning however after about 2 hours, I found a great place to mount it. The compass was mounted all the way forward and mounted to the forward panel, which easily comes out with just two screws. I dressed the cable up against the upper panel and ran it all the way to the helm and made the connection to the S1 computer.
HYDRAULICS
The hydraulics was the most difficult to complete, I ordered 3-6ft lines from Ultraflex to include 2-T’s and 4-elbows.
I began by draining the helm pump and removing the two elbows. Next, believe it or not, I was able to (very carefully) run the three lines out the starboard opening where the power cables exit the helm area. I relocated the Cummins SmartTalk interface, and mounted the pump on the same board which was fiber glassed to the cabinet. Careful planning of the T fittings at the helm was very difficult and must be assembled in a special order or you won’t be able to tighten the lines.
After a few hours, I had everything in place and there I stood with an empty helm pump and maybe 18 feet of empty hoses plumb full of air. After a call to Raymarine – Ultraflex and Ranger, it became evident that all three said I would need a “Power Bleeder” to get all the air from the system. I spent a day calling every marine facility within 100 miles and most had not even heard of a bleeder much less have one.
After an almost sleepless night, I dreamed up a way to use the autopilot pump to bleed the system, by using the autopilot pump and a 12-volt, Gell-Cell, and some hoses. After filling the helm pump with a bottle and hose to monitor the levels -I used the autopilot pump to fill the center hose until I could see the fluid come up to the helm reservoir. I then hooked up the center hose to the auto pump. Next, by powering the pump in short bursts, I was able to fill the port hose to the helm pump by leaving the hose connection loose, to see it bleed. Finally, by reversing the 12-volt line, I was able to fill the other. I now had all three hoses to the auto pump and I continued to bleed both lines of any remaining air.
An important note is to make sure the rudder is centered before you loosen any fittings and do not turn the wheel until the system is bleed of all air in the hoses. As long as the helm was centered, if there is any trapped air, it will reach the helm pump and not be pushed aft to the ram.
So far, all the dockside commissioning went smoothly, it has been blowing 24-40 mph here on the lake so I have not been able to sea trial the system yet. However, the S1 sees the waypoints and sitting on the lift it looks pretty happy.
If anyone is interested I’ll post some notes on the sea trial.
Regards
Original helm hookup
New helm set-up with “T” fittings and return line
Galvanized bracket was picked up at Loews
By joining the two brackets it allowed me to have the ball link centered right on the pivot point. Second bracket is for mounting the rudder indicator.
This image shows the indicator mounted – note I bent in some angel to adjust to overcome the transom angle.
This image shows the rudder indicator mounted on a plywood support clear of the cylinder.
This image show the finished set-up – note I used the 2nd locking nut on the ram to secure my bracket, however the picup point is still centered over the input.
The fluxgate compass is mounted all the way forward away from any metallic items and generally hidden by a few throw pillows in the bunk.
The S1 computer is mounted to the starboard side rug with just one half of a Velcro strip which adheres to the rug.
This is my bleeding set-up after the system was bleed. While not show in image I used a quart of oil and a plastic hose to fill lines.
Use caution when reaching in this area on the starboard side when pulling cables etc. – the A/C power panel is hidden from view by the cables and for some reason there is no shielding to contain the terminals or in the event of a short or fire.
The is the Cummins Smart terminal block that was removed to allow the pump to mount on the intended mounting area.
This is the completed pump installation with the lines running up into the helm area. The S1 pump is very quiet in operation and is barely heard with the engine running.
I opted for the SmartController which provides numerous pages of information and the best part is it allows me to control the R25 from the forward or rear decks.
The transiver for the wireless remote is mounted forward in the chart cabinet. I powered the transiever off the SeaTalk cable going to the ST2006 controller.
The Raymarine ST2006 Controller was mounted over the helm in the chart cabinet. As shown in the lower portion, the ST2006 display controller doubles for a rudder indicator. It also allows you to engage auto or tracking functions and or steer the boat using the -/+1 & -/+10 keys.
