My 505 DD2 autopilot upgrade

I must say, it's been a pleasure (so far) working with Jefa, wonderful technical support. They have answered many technical questions before I committed to the purchase, and the person I'm talking to, Klaus, is clearly an expert. I appreciate that they have gone to the trouble of engineering this 505 specific solution, they didn't have to do that, and will probably only sell 2 or 3 units because of it. I do think that they shouldn't have allowed Hanse to use the DD1. They, reading the subtext, blame Hanse, and Hanse is primarily responsible for what they put on the boat. But I don't think Jefa should have engineered this solution, made build cards for Hanse, and sold them a bunch of DD1 if they didn't think it was up to the task. All these breakages make Jefa look bad too, which is a shame, because they seem to make really good kit. And now there are many 505 customers with broken autopilots, and in my case, going to great expense and trouble to remedy the situation.

1) There is some damage to the top of the reduction gearbox output shaft. I don’t anticipate that this will be a problem, but I thought I’d bring it to your attention. My only concern is that it might indicate that the gearbox experienced an impact before it got to me. The box was not damaged, so it may have happened before it was shipped.

2) I’m concerned that there might be a missing part. The reduction gearbox input shaft has keyways cut for two keys. There are two complimentary keyways in the drive unit output. However, there seems to be only one key in the shaft. Is one missing? I’ve attached pictures.

3) Page 4 of the included drive unit instructions warns that I may have to configure my autopilot unit to output the correct clutch voltage, but it does not specify what that voltage is.

4) Why is the mounting plate so oversize compared to the reduction gearbox? Is it to spread the load? Does the mounting plate need to be secured to the deck other than the 8 through-bolts supplied? 

5) For this application, is it crucial I stop the rudder at 36º as indicated on page 4 of the drive unit instructions? My rudder currently has stops at 41º and works fine with the existing DD1, and does not cam over the DD1 draglink. 

The new DD2 is supposed to mount upside down to the bottom of the deck. Unfortunately, in my case the underside of the deck is a lumpy mess, very uneven, encapsulating the aluminum reinforcing plates for the DD1 autopilot. I decided it had to go as it would cause the DD2 to hang too low, and without a flat even base, so I spent a terrible day on my back in the locker cutting, grinding and sanding. 

Fiberglass work. Not easy on bottom of a horizontal surface. The underside of the deck is still lumpy, but far more fair and flat than it was previously. I think it is good enough to move forward when it cures.

The reinforcing plate supplied by Jefa did not quite fit in the space where the old DD1 lived. It was maybe 40mm too long in the fwd/aft direction. I presume the 505 that it was originally made for was a little different in this area. I don't have a jigsaw on board yet, so I used a hacksaw and an oscillating saw to cut about 60mm of that aft edge of the plate. It wasn't a hard job, but it took me about an hour of cutting because I didn't have the proper tools. Such is the cruising life. That's San Diego in the background where we are doing last preparations before we head to Mexico in a few days.

Looks great.