Autopilots 101

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MrJim

MrJim

Senior Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2015
Messages
206
Location
USA
Vessel Name
Irish Miss
Vessel Make
Mainship 30 Pilot Rum Runner Classic
I know nothing about autopilots other than I used them a few times on some sailboats I've chartered. Although an autopilot is on my list of "must-haves" on my next boat, the boat I'm probably going to buy doesn't have one. The boat is a Mainship Pilot 30 with hydraulic Seastar steering. Intended use is for offshore fishing/trolling at 3 to 6 knots, and for some general ICW cruising.

Can anyone give me an idea of what it would take (cost, ease of installation) to install one? Are they relatively easy to install for someone with average amateur boat maintenance abilities, or should I have a pro do the installation (preferred)? Any recommendations on brand/model? Nothing extravagant please, I just want a good basic system that will hold a steady course while I bait a hook or mix a cocktail (keeping my eyes on the road ahead, of course!). Although, the ability to enter waypoints would be a nice extra.

Thanks!
 
There are two types of autopilots that could work with your boat. The cheapest by far is a helm mounted autopilot like this one- Raymarine SPX-5R Helm Mount Fixed Pilot. Pricing is given here- http://www.amazon.com/Raymarine-SPX-5-P70R-Auto-Pilot/dp/B005QXMMZC

In mounts to the wheel hub on your Pilot and moves the wheel which in turn steers the boat- well duh! They don't have a great deal of power so are recommended for boats up to 30 and less than 7,700 lbs. The Pilot 30 is heavier than this but if all you are using it is trawling at low speed it should work.

Installation is straightforward and a decent DIY should be able to do it.

The other type is a more conventional "below deck" unit as shown here- Raymarine Evolution EV-200 Power Vessel Hydraulic Autopilot - Special Package . It consists of several parts: a display indicator on the dash, a course computer mounted in some dry place below, a fluxgate compass that provides course data, a hydraulic pump that is plumbed in parallel with the Pilot's helm hydraulic pump and a rudder indicator.

Installation is more complicated, mostly in locating the hydraulic pump and plumbing it into the existing system. The other components are pretty straight forward. One way to do it is to have a boat mechanic install the hydraulic pump and you do all of the other installation work.

David
 
I have not followed the brands over the years, but here's a few items I would use for shopping:

Get one that has the remote mounted pump. Avoid things that turn the wheel.
Get one that has rudder angle shown on display. I find that very handy on single screws.
Get one that has a rudder angle detector that actually mounts near the rudder and measures the angle directly. Some units use "virtual" angle measurement to make it easier to mount to outboards, that is not that good and unnecessary on an inboard.
I think all have capability to link to a chartplotter for "NAV" function, but I find I don't use it. Just being able to hold heading is good enough. Tweaking heading periodically to stay on course is not a big deal, someone has to be on watch anyway.

Don't go cheap!!! A good AP will make the boat a pleasure to run. A crappy AP will annoy you more than you can imagine.

I run a relatively high end but dated Simrad AP 35, it works great but would not recommend it now as it is obsolete. Coupled to a low end Furuno 1650 plotter, could not be happier. Laptop serves as primary plotter, but not connected to AP.

Also not sure who owns simrad now and when corporate ownership shuffles, support is often lost. Still a very popular brand, but others such as raymarine may be a better supported brand- but don't take my word on it, do some more research on brands.
 
:thumb::thumb::thumb: on the Sitex 80 Costs about 2 boat dollars and one or two days to install. Good unit and you can buy a second station. Uses octopus pump good for teleflex seastar steering and connects NMEA 0183 to a GPS chartplotter. The compass can be used as a heading sensor for GPS and radar.
 
Last edited:
Oooh... 2 boat dollars sounds expensive! :eek:
 
I had a 1999 Pilot 30 that had a NavCom 1001 AP. Never had one second of trouble with that auto pilot.
 

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Codger2 said:
I had a 1999 Pilot 30 that had a NavCom 1001 AP. Never had one second of trouble with that auto pilot.
Click to expand...

Walt, is that you in the cockpit?
 
I just priced a Garmin and it was 4 boat dollars installed
 
I actually thought 2 Bucks was pretty cheap for a COMPLETE system. Couldn't touch a Simrad for that.
 
mbevins said:
I actually thought 2 Bucks was pretty cheap for a COMPLETE system. Couldn't touch a Simrad for that.
Click to expand...

Actually, the current Simrad AP24, which is a fully featured system with an MSRP of $3,385 can be had at a discount for around $2,550. I was amazed that it is so affordable.

Simrad Ap2403 Autopilot System

This is a good unit with a rudder angle sensor, true rate-compass and full steering features including no-drift steering, etc., etc.

It pays to shop around, regardless of the brand. :thumb:
 
LarryM said:
Actually, the current Simrad AP24, which is a fully featured system with an MSRP of $3,385 can be had at a discount for around $2,550. I was amazed that it is so affordable.

Simrad Ap2403 Autopilot System

This is a good unit with a rudder angle sensor, true rate-compass and full steering features including no-drift steering, etc., etc.

It pays to shop around, regardless of the brand. :thumb:
Click to expand...


Well I stand corrected, HOP ON THAT DEAL!!!
 
dwhatty said:
Walt, is that you in the cockpit?
Click to expand...
The guy is a friend...the other person is me. (snicker)

That's the guy and his wife that bought the boat from me.
 
Last edited:
If two boat bucks is too expensive try five feet of 3/8" braided line. $10.00. Enough time to bait your hooks.
 
On sailboats and others with mechanical steering , driving the wheel works just fine.

With hyd steering the unit will "loose it" after a while as the wheel pump is not precise Left/Right and the center will shift.

On some boats its over an hour , so no big deal, on others its only minuets , a big PIA.
 
About 6 months ago I had the new Garmin autopilot installed on my 24 ft Mako. I use it a lot for both cruising and offshore trolling. It has been flawless, and its perfomance improves as it "learns" the boat.

My invoice says its a GHC 20 with a GHP 10ECU and a GHP10 CCU. Whatever that means. I also needed the 2.1L autopilot pump.

It was about $4,000 installed here in the Keys.
 
I installed a ComNav 1420 autopilot on my boat with hydraulic steering. Installation was straightforward, tedious but not technically taxing. Love it. Holds course for hours at a time in all kinds of seas. I do not have it coupled with any other unit. I just wanted a simple system that would hold a course. After researching the archives here, I made my decision based on members from both coasts who said that this was the autopilot that local fishermen use. That's good enough for me. Unit with pump was $1,400 from Defender. I highly recommend it.
 
Garmin has little experience with autopilots compared to others mentioned that have decades. Also Garmin obsoletes their products very quickly and they are not shy about doing it; which may be OK for a GPS but not for a AP which should last as long as the boat.
 
Brooksie said:
Garmin obsoletes their products very quickly and they are not shy about doing it; which may be OK for a GPS but not for a AP which should last as long as the boat.
Click to expand...

Garmin would argue with you that the products you are calling obsolete are discontinued....not obsolete. Garmin does support and repair discontinued products. BE FAIR.:flowers:
 
obthomas said:
Garmin would argue with you that the products you are calling obsolete are discontinued....not obsolete. Garmin does support and repair discontinued products. BE FAIR.:flowers:
Click to expand...

I think he is being fair.

Furuno had the best reputation for supporting legacy systems....

I sat in a factory training session where the Furuno instructor winced and said that may not happen as much in the future.

That was back in 2003.

No manufacturer support equipment forever....Garmin is the new kid on the block and hell bent on taking over...no telling what they may or may not do.

Being fair is hard to do in a rapidly changing marine electronics world....personal experience isn't the 10 commandments...but it is all you have to go on.

Simrad used to be a go to, top of the line manufacturer...when was the last time 99 out of 100 Simrad customers raved about their products?
 
Ski in NC said:
I have not followed the brands over the years, but here's a few items I would use for shopping:

Get one that has the remote mounted pump. Avoid things that turn the wheel.
Get one that has rudder angle shown on display. I find that very handy on single screws.
Get one that has a rudder angle detector that actually mounts near the rudder and measures the angle directly. Some units use "virtual" angle measurement to make it easier to mount to outboards, that is not that good and unnecessary on an inboard.
I think all have capability to link to a chartplotter for "NAV" function, but I find I don't use it. Just being able to hold heading is good enough. Tweaking heading periodically to stay on course is not a big deal, someone has to be on watch anyway.

Don't go cheap!!! A good AP will make the boat a pleasure to run. A crappy AP will annoy you more than you can imagine.

I run a relatively high end but dated Simrad AP 35, it works great but would not recommend it now as it is obsolete. Coupled to a low end Furuno 1650 plotter, could not be happier. Laptop serves as primary plotter, but not connected to AP.

Also not sure who owns simrad now and when corporate ownership shuffles, support is often lost. Still a very popular brand, but others such as raymarine may be a better supported brand- but don't take my word on it, do some more research on brands.
Click to expand...

:thumb::thumb:

Couldn't have said it better
 
obthomas said:
Garmin would argue with you that the products you are calling obsolete are discontinued....not obsolete. Garmin does support and repair discontinued products. BE FAIR.:flowers:
Click to expand...

I guess what I was trying to say is that an AP is not a GPS (what Garmin is used to making and discontinuing) it is a part of your boat and should not go legacy, obsolete, discontinued, whatever they call it, like a GPS.
 
Look at my earlier posts... I recommended a Sitex AP.

The point I was making with Garmin is that Garmin continues to support and repair discontinued products. Is this equipment then obsolete?
 
Codger2 said:
The guy is a friend...the other person is me. (snicker)

That's the guy and his wife that bought the boat from me.
Click to expand...
Wonder how often buyer and seller become or remain friends? A couple in our Club are friends with the couple who bought their last boat, it says a lot about the sale and the people.
 
BruceK said:
Wonder how often buyer and seller become or remain friends? A couple in our Club are friends with the couple who bought their last boat, it says a lot about the sale and the people.
Click to expand...

And the boat.
 
When you rate a manufacture one thing to consider is how long do they stand behind their product?
Garmin......2 Years
Furuno......2 Years
Raymarine.......3 Years
Now before you get your tighty whities in a knot, I have heard so much about Furuno that I would seriously consider their product for my trawler. But I do find the warranty issue interesting.
 
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