Autopilot options for Tomcat 255

joechiro30 · Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 10:45 pm Post subject: Autopilot options for Tomcat 255

I am considering autopilot for my Tomcat. I have twin Suzuki’s that use hydraulic steering. I have a garmin 3210 as a chartplotter with radar. I use a lowrance HDS 9 gen2 as a second chartplotter and use it with sonar.
I have been looking into the simrad AP 44 with a remote control option.
What options have others used on the tomcat and how do you function?

joechiro30 · Posted: Fri Jan 18, 2019 11:24 pm Post subject:

I would like to use the pilot to keep a course while trolling for salmon and use remote control to steer from the cock pit

cmetzenberg · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:26 am Post subject:

I have a raymarine auto pilot. It works great. The remote control was NFG when i bought the boat and I haven't desired a replacement. The autopilot does create a bit more wear on the steering seals. I've had to replace the center rod on one. Seastar told me that running in autopilot increases the wear as the autopilot works much harder to stay on course than a human. This wear could probably be reduced by lowering the gain.

joechiro30 · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 12:36 am Post subject:

Avidmagnum12 · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 11:34 am Post subject:

Look at the Garmin GHP Reactor 40 Hydraulic Autopilot with SmartPump and shadow drive. I installed one on my CD-25 a month ago. I plan on using it for Lake Trout and salmon on Lake Superior this summer. I’m very impressed with the slow speed steering. Of course it also works well at cruising speed. It’s a great tool for fishing and holding a heading in fog.

colbysmith · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 3:13 pm Post subject:

I had the RayMarine EV100 and it didn't do so good at trolling speeds. I replaced it with the Garmin Reactor 40 and hope I experience the same as Tom has once we tow the boat out of the snow! Colby

dgeorges · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 4:35 pm Post subject:

Have been using a Lowrance Outboard Autopilot in conjunction with my HDS Gen 2 Touch 9 for three seasons with great success (as you know, the HDS 2 is similar to your HDS 3).

Have trolled thousands of hours after salmonids and char on the great lakes with no complaints on this AP and the sonar unit. Here are some tips from a previous C Brats post from a while back:

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?p=284445&sid=848f63cd10cf919243d9cc3c2a550814

As far as I am concerned, this AP is the best only because it does one thing very well that some of the other AP's do not: it works well with the sonar unit at SLOW trolling speeds (<1 mile per hour) . Also, you have a myriad of features that some of the other AP's typically used don't have. My favorite? The zig zag feature within the "patterns" sub setting that allows you to set your stern to move back and forth in the water (without losing your course), thus activating your down rigger sets to rise/fall and speed up/slow down. On calm days, this is a game changer and gets you strikes that would have never happened.

You can control this AP right from the screen of your HDS 3 by adding a third window to your display, no additional visible hardware is needed on your helm. The GPS antennae is mounted on your roof, and the NAC 1 computer is installed somewhere under your helm or under your seat.

I could go on, but read the in's and out's of the topic I listed above and you'll an earful.

Good luck, and PM me if you have any specific questions or want to talk over the phone.

Cheers,

D

dgeorges · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 4:38 pm Post subject:

And yes, your new hardware, including your pump will work seamlessly with your existing hydraulic steering system.

thataway · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 6:06 pm Post subject:

I wonder how well a pilot which works well on a 16 foot boat, with a 50 hp outboard would translate to a 27 foot boat with 300 HP? That would be my concern with the Lowrance--although I agree it is a great pilot for many boats.

The Lowrance pump is 0.8 liters. The Garmin pump, I believe is, 2.1 Liter, variable displacement (Smart pump). As I have opined in the posts about auto pilots, it is better to have too large a pump than too small a pump!

Slow speed trolling can be the test of an auto pilot--and what you want is best for the size of boat you own.

cmetzenberg · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 8:26 pm Post subject:

dgeorges · Posted: Sat Jan 19, 2019 9:57 pm Post subject:

cmetsenberg is correct: autopilots (AP's) cause the hydraulic system to work extremely hard. I have sat on various boats and watched in amazement as the motor takes wide swings back and forth for hours trying to keep the motor on the track or course set by the Navigator. I always wondered if their was a better way.

Well, there is:

https://unclenormsmarineproducts.com/collections/frontpage/products/orca-performance-fin

This trolling fin was invented by a guy up in the Pacific Northwest to help a motor get more efficient thrust out of his motors when back trolling and/or normal trolling, and they work great on my boat.

I have been running this fin since 2014, and have found the fin to completely change the way my motor works. I see very little movement of the motor from side to side trying to keep the boat on course. Even in good chop and low waves, the AP and sonar unit do a much better job of working together with the fin in place.

I would suspect that with the hydraulics working less with the fin in place, the wear and tear on the seals and hoses is less. After four hard seasons of fishing with this gear, I have no issues with the Lowrance outboard AP, or the Baystar hydraulics; I believe thanks in part to the trolling fin.