Once again, I refer rudder sensor mounting inquiries to my recent article at [URL="http://www.c36ia.com/node/1335"]http://www.c36ia.com/node/1335[/URL] which shows a pretty much ideal way to do it. Sure, there are alternatives as a search on this forum will elicit, but the method I used (and that is well described/photographed in the article) is relatively easy to do, keeps the sensor protected from stored items, keeps it out of sight, and takes up no space in the lazarette. I cannot imagine that the steering quadrant on any model of C36 - old or new - would be any different than the current Mk IIs, so the application should work for you. The article describes installing a below-deck autopilot, but whether below-deck or wheel-mounted autopilot, the rudder sensor is the same.

Larry, Just purchased a S1 Wheel AP but the sensor is exactly the same and really like the ease of your installation. I have a few questions and hopefully you will not mind as I am just in the planning stages. Since you did not align the pivot point of the sensor arm with the center line (rotating axis) of the quadrant - was there any basis for you location of the quadrant ball joint e.g. a certain distance from the axis point of the quadrant etc. Second question, I have a MK I and the aft cabin is a bit different configuration. What wire run did you select from the lazerette to the final mounting in the cabinet? I have been looking at the empty space between the liner and the hull that forms the backrest along the starboard settee that I can access from my aft hanging locker. I cannot remember if you have the same hanging locker. It looks like your picture is from the forward aft cabin locker that we do not have. Third - I have a holding tank where you mounted your compass. Do you think there would be an issue with mounting to the bulkhead that is between the sink and the fuel tank?

Thats all for now, really appreciate all your effort in documenting the install.

Sincere Regards, Mark

Mark,
The MkI and MkII are laid out differently in many aspects. Fuel tanks and holding tanks are two differences. You might want to do a search of the old forums. I just did and came up with a bunch of hits:
[url]http://catalina36.org/eve/forums?a=search&reqWords=mount+compass[/url]
The link to the old forums is on the home page. One reply was to mount the compass just inboard of the holding tank, in almost the exact location that Larry mounted his. Hope this helps.

Mark,

1. The quadrant attach point (ie, the ball) must be a certain distance out from the center of the rudder post. Check your instruction manual for that dimension. Don't drill any holes yet, as you want to make sure everything lines up first.

2. With the rudder amidships, and with the sensor arm perpendicularity to the attach rod frozen (see blue tape photo in my article), and with the sensor arm frozen (more blue tape) in its mid-range, select the location for the sensor that will allow the rod to attach to the ball and maintain the desired relationships without interfering with anything else. Note that the angle formed by the attach rod relative to the sensor arm must be 90 degrees, AND the angle formed by the attach rod relative to the *radius on which the attach ball is located on the quadrant* must be 90 degrees. (I hope this makes sense to a reader.) You don't need to measure this stuff with a micrometer, as a reasonable attempt at perpendicularity will suffice.

3. Mount the ball in the concavity of the quadrant as I did, using a small plywood spacer to ensure the ball extends "above the rim" of the quadrant. Another concern is avoiding drilling through the structural "ridges" that are cast into the quadrant; they are in slightly different locations on the above side versus the underside of the quadrant (visible in my photos).

4. Select the proper spacer for use beneath the sensor that will maintain the parallelity of the sensor arm plane relative to the quadrant. For my boat, this accidentally and blessedly turned out to be a simple piece of 2x4. I expect your boat will be the same. When you mount this piece of wood, be careful not to drill through your cockpit sole, or to use too long a screw and have that pop through to your cockpit...it would be easy to do. After the wood spacer is screwed into place, make sure the sensor arm is still frozen in mid-range, and screw the sensor to the wood spacer. Attach the ball, route the wiring, close everything up.

The wire route from beneath the binnacle to the nav station area is via the lazarette to the space behind the aft cabin backrest, starboard, as you describe. In my boat, Catalina glassed in a couple PVC pipes (cheap Home Depot stuff) to act as a conduit. If you don't have the PVC pipes, then please make sure that all wiring running through that area has TOUGH protection on it, as there will be tons of sharp fiberglass and resin shards back there.

As to the compass location, I can't say on your model. I think Tom's insight is more appropriate. Generally, compass amidships is better, lower is better, but of course, with no magnetic materials nearby is essential.

I hope this is useful to you.

Larry and Tom, Thanks for all the help - I beleive I am ready to begin - the old threads are also a great help. Now Tom - I think you are using the old site and searching the archive. I tried to do the same on this new site and did not have any luck. What am I missing about the forum search?

Regards, Mark