Ask Captain Baker
Putting the right marine electronics on your boat and learning to use them can really enhance your boating experience. Captain Ralph Baker is very knowable at installing and using Chart plotters, GPS, Radar, Fish finders, Auto Pilots, as well as Marine Weather and stereo with satellite radio.
Captain Baker is a 100 ton captain and has navigated boats in many parts of the World. He has transited the Panama Canal a number of times, and delivered boats and ships to South America, the Pacific coast of both Americas and the Caribbean .
Ask Captain Baker your question and he’ll give you an answer.
Reviving Discontinued Autopilot
Question
I have an old Raymarine Autopilot that has been discontinued and no longer works, is there an easy way to revive it?
Answer
Garmin just introduced the ideal Autopilot upgrade for those of you with older Raymarine, Simrad or other Manufacturer Discontinued autopilots.
The Garmin GHP 12 was designed to work with various drive units sold by Garmin for Sailboats and Displacement Powerboats. The latest update to the GHP 12 allows it to be configured to operate OTHER manufactures Reversible motor steering pumps for the afore mentioned boats as well as planning inboards and outboard equipped vessels. Since the pump is usually half of the cost of a new Autopilot, considerable savings can be achieved by retaining your present working steering pump and the associated plumbing and just replacing the Core Pack.
The GHP 12 Core Pack includes the Course Computer Unit, (CCU), which includes the Gyro stabilized Compass and the main logic computer. The core pack also includes the Electronic Control Unit, (ECU) which controls the motor operation. Additional devices in the Core Pack are the Alarm Buzzer,
NMEA 0183 cable for connection to certain Chart plotters, NMEA 2000 buss connectors and cables for connection to Garmin Chartplotter. Also, The GHC 10 Display.
“Auto Guidance” is available when used with a Garmin G2 chart equipped chart plotter.
“G” control in turns is controlled by either tachometer connections to the engines or GPS data.
Garmin’s Patented “ Shadow Drive “ is optionally available with the GHP 12.
Use of a Rudder Reference Indicator is required. If you are replacing a Raymarine “S” series or a Raytheon autopilot the existing properly functioning RRI can be used.
We can advise you on the suitability of the RRI that you may have on your existing autopilot.
Contact R J Marine for more information on this product
Holes in My Dash
Question
If I am replacing old equipment what will I do with the holes from the old equipment when you get done installing new Electronics?
Answer
We can make your console look great and have no holes. There are several techniques we use. To fit a new equipment unit in the location where old equipment was removed we will often install a pad of Starboard large enough to cover the old space and mount the new equipment on that pad. For consoles where multiple equipment units were removed we may recover the complete console face with Starboard and rearrange existing gauges and equipment that are to remain on the vessel, then mount the new equipment.