Maurice & Heather,

Your problem sounds to me like you have a failing clutch in the drive unit. When these Raymarine clutches begin to fail they will let go after working file for hours. As the failing clutch slips, the autopilot and clutch work harder, increasing the heat of the clutch and the drive unit...and it fails and off course you go. The 7000 head unit should give an alarm at this point.

The clutch can be replaced (not rebuilt). Raymarine or a Raymarine dealer can do this for you, or you can order the clutch and give it a go.

Remember the clutch is always 12 volts. Most Raymarine computers have either a switch that selects 12 or 24 volts for the clutch, or the later models have a clutch fuse that is inserted into either the 12v or the 24v slot. Unfortunately, if you select 24 volts for the clutch at the computer, the fuse will not blow, and the clutch will work for up to 200 hours at 24 volts before becoming toast.

Hope this helps your situation.

Regards,

Bill, s/v BeBe, SM2k, #387
Currently Langkawi, Malaysia
Blog: http://www.svbebe.com