Autopilot TC255 Needed?

[jritsema]

Me again, the newbie TC255 guy. Boat is sans autopilot. Always had them on my sailboats and made sense when at 6 knots for hours. Does it make sense to have autopilot on a boat traveling at 25 MPH for 2-3 hours max. Seems that things can happen so fast at that speed that hand steering works best? Any TC owners who don't have and why? And of those who have it, how much is it used, even in open water?
Thanks for the thoughts,
Jeff

[Will-C]

For a boat that travels and even fishing trips auto pilots are handy to have. We like them especially for manatee zones or other low speed piloting as on canals and other no wake areas. I'm a Garmin guy and I think they are one of the best. Make sure to get whose ever brand you decide on with a remote control. On a quartering sea they can save you a lot of wheeling around. Must have for us. Safe Travels
D.D.

[Gene Morris]

Of course you don't have to have it but, once you start using it, you will wonder what you did without it. We have had AP on boat since purchase. It comes in very handy for a number of applications. First and foremost it is invaluable while fishing, trolling for salmon and especially when trolling for tuna. On a long run to the tuna grounds, 30 to 70 nm, it saves time and gas $ by holding boat on course when I'm distracted. This also applies when cruising on a long stretch between waypoints. My AP computer quit last year and I miss it terribly, since Simrad doesn't make that particular AP and no other computer will interphase with my system I need a whole new system, which I will get before our Alaska trip this year. A friend has the Garmin AP in his Tomcat and that seems like a very good unit.

Gene

[hardee]

[jritsema]

Thanks for the replies. I am not surprised by the responses, but still appreciate them very much. AP was invaluable over many years on a sailboat.
Now I can have Beth read your responses, and hopefully, she will say " OK , dear, I understand".

[hardee]

[rogerbum]

I have a TC255 with an autopilot. At high speed (>=25kt), I tend not to use it as one needs to react quickly to logs or debris in the water and we have a lot of that out here in the Pacific NW - especially early in the year and after large rains. At lower speeds, I use it all the time. It's especially useful at low speeds in the fog or at night when it difficult to steer a straight course without visual references. As I fish (A LOT), it's almost always used when fishing. It keeps a straight course while I'm trolling or can be programmed to do spirals or zig-zags or circles and I've used all of those modes at one time or another while fishing. As others have said, once you have one, you won't want to do without again.

[BTDT]

I like to use my AP in both displacement and on-plane cruising. I find it less tiring and I get to enjoy the scenery and conversations more. I especially like it when encountering significant quartering headwinds or following seas.

I didn't fully realize how helpful/cool it was until I lost it on a return trip.

[gulfcoast john]

We don't have an AP yet, or even radar. Of all the TC255 owners who post here, we and one other couple may be the only ones who chose this boat as the perfect expedition quality, tow anywhere without a permit, crusing pocket yacht. We don't fish, and we don't cruise at night or in fog if we can help it so far. We never have long legs at idle speed. We're seldom out of sight of land. We're on the opposite end of the scale of challenging boating areas like Roger and Harvey, and so far we like it that way. As our skills advance we plan to try all that, except fishing which so far we don't find to be fun or cost-effective. Eileen does all displacement driving and at cruise whenever I ask or want a break. If I were incapacitated, she can run the boat. At this stage neither of us can justify the extra complexity and expense of an AP ($4k installed?). I would not use it at cruising speeds in our areas even if I had it, and we're at cruising speeds (on the lower end for MPG) 90% of engine hours, and the rest anchoring at beaches or around the marina. However, I acknowledge that 100% of experienced boaters who have an autopilot like it (or love it) and would not give it up once they have it. We would rather have the $4k in the retirement fund for now, where it will grow, as opposed to on the helm, where it will depreciate in a most depressing manner, like everything else on an expensive boat. But we love it. By far the best upgrade we did was a near-custom Marc Grove (Wefing's) Float On trailer with EOH brakes and DirecLink controller. But it took 2 years and thousands of miles and some unpleasant experiences (and $10,000) to figure that out.
I would take Harvey's comment quite seriously...if you and Beth boat together, get some serious engine hours under your belts together with each driving and it will become obvious to you both what you really need, and what you don't. The hardware/software gets better every year, so there's no downside to waiting a year or 2 for the New Best AP. Agree with Dave the Garmin suites are cool and new Reactor AP sure seems sweet. Share what you decide and why. Post some photos of your awesome ride, and outfitting is fun, enjoy..but don't be rushed!
Best,
John

[jritsema]

Thanks for your feedback John. I, too, do not fish, nor need to push the limits in fog, following seas, or nighttime navigation as I did for years aboard my sailboats. Under those conditions, often single handling, AP was invaluable, as was radar. We are going to chiefly cruise with this boat and helm-share as you do, mostly destination reaches at moderate planing speeds, 3-4 hours at a stretch, max. AP would be nice but I don't doubt I can do without and probably best to test the need first. Same goes for radar for now.
By the way, are you from Michigan- transit our waters? I sail out of Muskegon.
Jeff

[rogerbum]

I guess I speak pretty much from a Pacific NW perspective but out here, if you don't boat in some fog, you don't boat often. Also, even on days that look really nice and that have great forecasts, fog can roll in unexpectedly. So for me, that's where the AP (and radar) become invaluable. It's not really pushing limits here, it's just normal boating. For those in the midwest, things are admittedly very different.

[BTDT]

[kevin ware]

Jeff:

We purchased our TC 6 years ago with auto pilot already installed, and at the time I thought it a bit superfluous, even though the seller, an old sail boat guy, assured me otherwise. But he was right, and I changed my mind within a month of ownership.

Actually, we found to our surprise that with a fast small boat like the TC, needs the AP even more than our previous, larger displacement vessels, including a Nordhavn 46.

Having the TC on AP doing 25 knots does not mean you can stop looking outside. But it does mean you can use two hands to hold a coffee cup, eat a sandwich, adjust the GPS or unfold a chart, and have the boat still track a straight line. Very handy indeed.

I would most definitely install one if not already on the boat.

Kevin Ware

[gulfcoast john]

Jeff,
For federal boat registration, MI is Mississippi.
Surely you didn't think that different agencies of the same federal govt would use the same abbreviations for the same states...how quaint.
That snide remark will probably get me audited again...but it was worth it!
PS when Florida boaters look and say, 'wow, how long did it take you to get here?' Eileen says, 'about 2 hours and 25 minutes, but we have a very fast diesel truck'. Heh heh.
Best from aboard the Navy Lodge, NAS JAX, to Hontoon tomorrow,
John

[starcrafttom]

I often hear or read that people , who do not have auto pilots, are worried about "grabbing the wheel in time" . Modern auto pilots do not require you to turn them off to turn the wheel. the function goes by different names on different brands but at anytime you have the auto pilot engaged you can just grab the wheel and turn in and the boat will turn until you let go , then the auto pilot with reengage and go back to its heading or course. No buttons to push in that instant that you see a log.