Autopllot

Since the day one I got my 588 in 2020 summer, I noticed that the steering was too heavy and in some conditions the forces got so high that the autopilot drive was unable to turn the rudder. This resulted in "No Rudder Response" caution due to the fact that the autopilot computer "asked" the drive to turn the rudder to keep the heading but the forces were too high and the rudder was not moving. This resulted in a sudden and unpredictable disengagement of the autopilot which was an unsafe feature and also a clear design deficiency of the steering system. At the time when the autopilot disengaged the steering forces at the wheel were very high and a lot of power was needed to even manually steer the boat. After checking thoroughly the steering system and rudder (and reading this forum...) I got to understand that the reason for the high forces is in the undersized gearboxes which could be considered as a root cause for the autopilot issues also - although it must be mentioned that the Lewmar drive seemed to be undersized as well...but the forces were just too high for comfortable manual steering.

I tried to get answers and solutions to this serious deficiency for the whole warranty period without any sensible replies from the dealer or factory. As you all might know it is impossible to get any kind of customer service from the factory - actually it is impossible to get even any point of contact at factory to consult about possible issues.   

As the safety is the number one priority for me I decided to replace the critical parts of  Lewmar steering system with the Jefa ones which is to my understanding the system which has been used already in 575 and the latest 588. I have test sailed this summer the system and so far I am very pleased with the performance of the autopilot as well as much lower steering forces when manually steering the boat. 

The costs for the following parts & freight were approximately 9500 euros (ex. VAT).

Mikko

Conclusion: If you really want to install on your initative the lewmar mamba just check the unit manual: it is clearly designed for smaller boats with the major piece made in plastic, even warranty won't apply! 

FYI: with the help/guidance from Arcadia, i had just replaced the lewmar drive unit with the jefa drive unit - not the chain and not the gearboxes. it implied some drilling and a spacer, but nothing "rocket science" or unreasonable. 

My suggestion: simply, don't do this mistake!

Fwiw,

Piero

Jefa was gentle enough to ship it directly to my boat...

If you want an email,  just let me know and I can pm it to you.