Wood-Freeman Autopilot?

[stormchaser]

The current owners of lady Linda never use it. At sea trial they didn't really even know HOW toturn it on or use it. It looks like no auto-pilot I've ever seen and we couldnt "figure it out"...It might eb dead...but could also be that we simply didn't know how to make it work. Can anyone give me a primer on how to make it work? And simple things to check if it isn't working? When working, do they work well? All I really need/want an autopilot to do is hold a good steady compass course...

[Pascal]

mine doens't work either, never bothered with it... it's so old it's not worth putting money into it. it's really complicated unit... there are componenets everywhere in the boat.. .well almost! in addition to the pump in the ER, I have some sensors in the VIP Closet and in the ER as well...

[jmccubbin]

In cleaning out everything for the soon to be new owners of Lady Linda, I just found the manuals for it! Maybe that will help! You are correct in that there are parts all over the boat for it....since the boat was always a bay boat we had never needed to use it. If anyone does have any thoughts I got to say, I'm curious myself. But I did find paperwork for it. Just an FYI.

Jim

[Captned]

Most people I know that had them eventually upgraded. Lots of knobs and wires and sensors and god knows what else. Take up a goodly amount of space. I bet some people on this forum still use them, thou....

I bet Yachtsman willie could fix it!

Captned

[spartonboat1]

It's actually a bare bones simple unit. It has two units- a compass with "reed" type relays on top of it. A cable runs from the rudder arms aft to where the compass is located. So you can "chase" from the cable forward to where the compass is. Lift the blue-green can off the compass and there it sits, with the little reed relays exposed. They are sealed, so should not corrode easily.

How it works: As the boat changes direction, the compass turns as well, and the reed relays make or break, as you turn away from your original heading or return to it. The reed relays are "over", i.e. turn on or off very simple good old fashioned diodes, aka, transistors. NO microprocessors and their extremely long life (not) to deal with. Transistors you should be able to get forever. The transistors are housed in a grey box in the engine room about
8"Hx12"Wx8"Deep.

When the reed relay calls the transistor (turns it on), the transistor runs the rudder pumps to turn the rudders and bring the boat back to its original heading. The rudder pumps are probably next to the power (transistor) unit and the pump and motor are mounted on a steel block. When the turning is complete, the reed relay will turn back off, the transistor turns off and the pump stops and the rudder stops amidships. The hydraulic pump setup is standard on all modern autopilots; that much has not changed.

I had a fairly young (to me that would be an early to late 40's) fully ABYC certified tech tell me that they are or seem more gentle that the modern units- no so abrupt. Truth be known a compass will always "work", whereas GPS can go out (the satellites can down too).

So to use the WF unit, turn it on, and "set" the heading, i.e. do nothing. The autopilot assumes you wish to go in a straight line (lol)! The relays assume straight ahead is your desire and are fixed in position. There is a small adjustment on top of the compass so you can fine tune just what "straight ahead" is for your boat. Have someone steer steady as she goes ahead and fine tune the compass.

The relays on top of the compass mechanically align with the heading. When the heading changes, they engage, sending the boat back to the original heading, then they turn off. There are two buttons on the small W-F panel. Press the left black button and it will take/turn you left, while the right button takes/turns you right. This allows minor course changes When you release either button, the AP will return to straight ahead steady as she goes on the new heading. Like I said, simple.

There is still a WF repair and rebuild site out West on the Coast, up north- they answer the phone; another modern shock. Google about WF and a very nice site resiting the history the WF autopilot comes up. She was designed by a sailor, after he fell and broke a leg while single handling, so she will guide a sailboat as well.

Usually, what goes wrong is one of the transistors goes out and does not respond when called by the reed relays.

All I know.

[luckydave215]

I have one on my boat.
While I'm sure it was the original AP, there is a more modern digital Ap installed, and that's the one I usually use.
The Wood Freeman AP still works perfectly though, it's my backup, and in rough conditions it does seem to be gentler on the rudders.
The (numerous) old time tuna clipper captains in San Diego swear by them.

[stormchaser]

In cleaning out everything for the soon to be new owners of Lady Linda, I just found the manuals for it! Maybe that will help! You are correct in that there are parts all over the boat for it....since the boat was always a bay boat we had never needed to use it. If anyone does have any thoughts I got to say, I'm curious myself. But I did find paperwork for it. Just an FYI.

Jim

Thanks Jim! Basecd on what I'm reading...if it doesn't work...I won't be putting any money into fixing it and will jsut put in a new one.

[spartonboat1]

Thanks Jim! Basecd on what I'm reading...if it doesn't work...I won't be putting any money into fixing it and will jsut put in a new one.

If you remove it entirely, then I would be willing to know what the shipping would be and I would take it off your hands. Either post here in the clear, or send a private email.

[Dustoff44]

Call Michael Freeman (253) 606-0043. He is the son of the company founder. Caution he will talk your ears off about anything nautical. The Wood-Freeman autopilot is like the Hatteras strongly built and simple. It will hold a heading very well, that is if it works. Hydraulic pump is enough for a battleship etc. Parts are still available and supported by the original company owners.
IMHO

[the kuz]

FYI. Mike Freeman talked me through the diagnostics and repair of my WF autopilot. Several calls back and forth & about 2 hours of his time. No charge- no parts required, just cleaning contacts and adjustments. Most customer friendly electronics firm I have ever dealt with. Good luck, Bob K