Autopilot for PNW usage, really needed or not

Here is me again. I am moving from a sailboat to a power boat of 36-38 ft length. My main cruising ground is Pacific North West mainly between islands and practically always in sight of land. I am looking at trips from 10-100 miles so 1.25 to 12.5 hours at average 8 knots of speed. On my 38ft sailboat I was usually on autopilot sailing, motor sailing or motoring especially when single handing it. It is very nice piece of gear especially when single handling the boat as without it, it gets tiring to steer he boat constantly. In fact I could not imagine not having an autopilot on a sailboat On a twin powered boat with smaller rudders and lesser underwater volume/depth (compared to the sailboat) do you need to constantly steer/correct the boat's course to get her going straight? Do most PNW trawler boats have and use autopilots? At least when having to go to the loo while single handling or when admiral is bronzing on the bow?

I need an autopilot, but I never leave the helm unattended while under way.

Last boat had an autopilot, new boat doesn't. I will be getting another one. Makes island hopping the San Juans more fun. (In my opinion).

Seems to be 2 schools of thought....

Can't live without one because occasionally leaving the helm is invariably going to happen and they ultimately reduce fatigue and for many are almost a safety necessity...

The other camp is no one leaves the helm and staring into space is the ultimate safety tool....and they must be able to always rotate someone to the helm or hold it forever (or have a portable handy).

I will admit that I might change my tune if I were boating the Pacific Northwest all the time and experienced what some TFers have noted about deadheads. My experience is while deadheads are a constant issue and in some areas certainly too thick to leave the helm much....I still think an autopilot is invaluable for a lot of reasons especially if cruising with only one or two experienced helmspersons.

psneeld said:

I will admit that I might change my tune if I were boating the Pacific Northwest all the time and experienced what some TFers have noted about deadheads. .

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No deadheads here in Florida (so far as I know), but what we do have are zillions of crab traps. So it is usually necessary to keep a sharp eye out when using the autopilot (unless far off shore, of course).

Brico said:

Do most PNW trawler boats have and use autopilots?

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Quite simply, yes. Once into the 36' range I would say 95 %.

"Otto" drives the boat all the time, it steers better than we do but we are always at the helm enjoying the scenery.

This is our first boat with an auto pilot. We really appreciate it, it helps reduce fatigue while cruising is what I have found to be true. No more constant helm adjustments. We still stay by the helm but mostly keep watch for debris and traffic. For us it makes a 6 hour cruise feel more like 3 hours.

Would you want to drive for 8 hours on the freeway without cruise control? a auto pilot in my opinion is 500% more valuable in keeping the skipper fresh and able to scan for traffic, boat systems than needing to steer a accurate course ( especially at night, rough weather, fog, rain etc.).. and yes I do actually cruise in the dark in the PNW.

I would never own a boat without one.. if it didn't have one it would be at the top of the lift of upgrades. I rarely travel more than a couple miles without using the pilot.

Happy New Year,

HOLLYWOOD

My boat (as well as all of yours', no doubt) is always under cruise control except for the moments for adjusting throttle or transmission. I'm usually using the autopilot so to make like a lookout and move away from the wheel to get varying views.

being in the PACNW and all its hazards (like our hazards are really different, geez)

I've had boats both with and without an autopilot.

that said, i will never have a boat without an autopilot again.

As far as leaving the helm...

I see no issue when cruising at displacement speeds with occasionally going to the head (quickly), or grabbing a drink from the fridge.

At 8 knots things generally do not happen so quickly as to make this a real hazard, of course depending on conditions, traffic, etc...

Don't leave home without it.

I'm like Hollywood. I rarely travel without using the AP.

We always use the autopilot. It's a necessity, so we also have a backup.

Ditto the above sentiments.

ksanders said:

At 8 knots things generally do not happen so quickly as to make this a real hazard, of course depending on conditions, traffic, etc...

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I've had multiple occasions going at cruise (six-knot) speed when kayaks suddenly appear about 10 seconds away. (Kayakers often cross the Carquinez Strait between Benicia and Port Costa.) So, I usually throttle to idle and even into neutral if going to the head and no one else is in the pilothouse.

Kayakers at East Brother Island at the southwest end of San Pablo Bay:

Otto von Pilot is a welcome friend on our boat!

Did someone mention Otto?

We have F.R.E.D. who drives the boat, Cooper.

Freaking (<- NOT the real use of the F-word)
Remarkable
Electronic
Device

Si-Tex SP-70 (self-installed)

Kayakers are like crab pots... they pop up as soon as nobody is watching. I use our AP until I have to negotiate tight channels. But we always keep a watch on the bridge.

Dave

magicbus said:

Kayakers are like crab pots... they pop up as soon as nobody is watching. I use our AP until I have to negotiate tight channels. But we always keep a watch on the bridge.

Dave

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not exactly... the kayakers make a deeper thunk than the pot buoys..

HOLLYWOOD

Thank you all guys. I figured, the autopilot to be widely used gadget. Keeping sharp lookout at the helm for traffic and inevitable logs in PNW is a must. The issue with deadheads is that damn things are barely visible and sometimes just under the surface, so no matter how well you look, you may hit one. I'd enjoy the night cruises in summer but because of logs i try not to go out after dark. Further north in Desolation sound it gets better as few logging booms pass by.

Speedbumps (Kayaks) require constant vigilance, as they can disappear into the wave patterns while still close enough to present a hazard.
I rely on my autopilot, especially for longer passages.

to a power boat of 36-38 ft length. at average 8 knots

With the fuel burn required to operate 8K in that sized boat an autopilot would be a very minor expense.

6K might be 1/2 to 1/3 the fuel bill.

AP are a big help on any size boat .

The slower the boat the more important the autopilot. I rarely will drive mine by hand buy a autopilot with a dial in the control head and life is more enjoyable.

For me it is a safety issue in bad weather or a very rare night voyage. With the autopilot, I can focus on sensors and looking out and not on maintaining a straight course with no decent visual references. I am scanning the radar for targets, the chart plotter for course and AIS targets, the sounder for depth, and outside for things that will hurt. It's kinda of hard to drive a straight line and do all those things.

Tom

I am with the majority of others here, voting for an autopilot. There is plenty to do at the helm that is far more critical to safety besides making constant course corrections. Plus, I never leave the helm without my admiral taking over.

Most definite yes. Garmin with wireless controller is one of the best upgrades we've done.

If you have a good radar and also an auto pilot connected to the GPS by NMEO2000, you can rest a little.