Value of an Autopilot

CABLE STEERING AUTOPILOT

I Installed a raymarine spx-5r auto pilot.
The install was simple.
I use it constantly especially for fishing.
I keep a close lookout for boats and flotsam but the AP lets the boat troll while I tend lines. You have to keep a head up all the time but its very helpful.
The spx-5r is used in steering wheel applications with cable steering.
In heavy seas I will often steer by hand \Chris
 
I have a Raymarine S1000 on Miss Pam. What do you guys have and your experience with the different products available?
 
starcrafttom":1gs8ryyo said:
Two Fine subject.
1) ...You have to set the reaction rate much higher but that only takes a second. Get to know your system and you will find far ...
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Interesting. I think you directed that statement at my comments, Tom. If you did, do you think a faster reaction rate will make a difference in the situation I described? Perhaps so. I'll give it a try. It never really crossed my mind to set a higher reaction rate as it already seems to be responsive, but perhaps not quick enough?

By the way, my autopilot is a Raymarine S1000, which I like very much. On the down side, I have to disengage the autopilot to regain control of steering, unlike the Garmin. However, the Raymarine is 150 percent less expensive then the Garmin counterpart, and it was designed to work with my hydraulic steering unit. Like I said -- it works great.

Thanks,
Rich :teeth
 
Rich,

As Tom suggests, knowing when & how to adjust the  Raymarine s1000 auto pilot is critical to good performance.  I  make many adjustments for differing sea conditions & boat speed.   Also my s1000,  purchased in 2004 with Baystar hydraulic steering doesn't  have to be turned turned off to make a steering correction.   The steering wheel easily overrides the electric pump allowing for emergency maneuvering or simple course change while engaged.

Jay 
 
yes it was. And not picking on you but I find that a lot of people in general set up eletronics once and then never play with them again. They just turn them on and off. As an example, my very good friend cliff has a very nice( when he bought it) depth/fish finder. It has lot of functions that he will never use that he could use because hes scared to adjust it. He had some one else set it 12 years ago, no really 12 years ago, and has not changed the settings since.

If you go into the auto pilots rate of turn and its sensitivity settings you can change them very easily. I like to set then slow and loose for just cruising on flat water. If you set it to high is will do the waltz as you go and never settle in. Just back and forth, back and forth. But those same fast rapid setting are just what you want when you are fishing or in rough water. If you have it set on high the auto pilot will start to turn into a quartering wave as you climb it and turn back the other way as you drop down the back side. Its faster then I am and will not get off cousre or ware you out. Give it a try it should really work well for you. I miss not having it in the 27.
 
Oh as for turning the unit off> Just add a cut out button. It will turn the unit off at a push of the botton. But you have the s1000 which has a over ride. just grab the whelel and spin it fast and the boat will turn for 2 to 3 second before going back to coarse. It was called a dodge function. Raymarine did not explain it or cheerlead the function much and a lot of people are unaware of it.
 
That's all you need. It is a kit. The black cylinder in the picture is the pump. It comes with all the fittings and I think the fluid used to top off and bleed the system as part of the install.
 
Pete in NY":1lptmufg said:
That's all you need. It is a kit. The black cylinder in the picture is the pump. It comes with all the fittings and I think the fluid used to top off and bleed the system as part of the install.
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Thanks a LOT! Hopefully now I'll have it installed before my trip next week.
 
I don't have one, but it sure looks like the way to go. Doesn't it worry you that you turn your back to put the kettle on or take a wizz, then bang, you found the only log around for a 100 miles?

Martin.
 
I used one going around the entire coast of Florida and loved it. I don't plan on using it while going over 6kts.
 
If you are using a handheld remote for control of your autopilot, make sure you carry replacement batteries. It's a sad day :( when your favorite boat toy does not function. In four years the batteries are the only thing that failed. We use it a lot. Every time we use the boat.
D.D.
 
bridma":295p66oj said:
I don't have one, but it sure looks like the way to go. Doesn't it worry you that you turn your back to put the kettle on or take a wizz, then bang, you found the only log around for a 100 miles?

Martin.
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I've had two, one on a 22 and one on my first TC255. Both had wireless handheld controls. It's used primarily to maintain a course, it doesn't take the place of watching for things in the water. I wouldn't use it where things like that existed, over 6 knots if I had to leave the helm for over 25 seconds or so, first making sure my course was clear of obstructions. It's a great stress reliever in trying to maintain a course for a long period of time.

Charlie
 
Charlie, when there are things in the water is when you should use the autopilot. When we took Our Journey up to Alaska, using the autopilot allowed us to keep a good lookout for logs, seaweed, whales and most importantly fishing nets.

One corollary is that you have to slow down to where you can react if you see danger. Met a powerboat in Port Hardy getting the outdrive replaced because they were going too fast to see what was ahead. Saw them 2 weeks later, making up for lost time, going like stink. They didn't learn.

That's the great point about an autopilot. It steers the boat whilst you navigate and keep a lookout. It can even compensate for current. And, to a point it does that steering better than a human can, cause it's always on the job and it's mind doesn't wander.

On Journey On, when the swells get too large and the boat starts sliding around, that's when I have to hand steer.

Boris
 
In our years of cruising, especially along the Inside Passage and the Pacific NW, we saw the results of folks who did not heed your admonitions, Boris. Some set an autopilot, and went below to have breakfast. Others, set the auto to read a book.

Used properly, an autopilot is great -- it allows you to watch for sunken logs, and scan the radar or gps charts -- but if your mind wanders, or you use it to fix a drink or meal and your eyes are off the water, like you say, Boris, it is a DANGER. Use with discretion.
 
As I and others have noted before, if you've ever had to maintain a course and a lookout in a dense fog, you will really understand the value of an autopilot.
 
"That's the great point about an autopilot. It steers the boat whilst you navigate and keep a lookout. It can even compensate for current. And, to a point it does that steering better than a human can, cause it's always on the job and it's mind doesn't wander. "

Yes, properly integrated with a chart plotter, it can steer a route, notifying you of waypoints and programmed turns, asking permission to make them when the time comes, all the time making corrections for currents and wind effects, especially important at hull speed!

I didn't mean not to use it when some stuff is in the water but, if your course is filled with a lot of obstructions, etc., you should have the helm in your hands, not constantly overriding the AP.

Charlie
 
And, Bill, hopefully slow speed and a good radar and marine radio
 
El and Bill":2w5giq3c said:
And, Bill, hopefully slow speed and a good radar and marine radio
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Absolutely! And the window open and ears alert!

There are more than enough things to watch for and pay attention to in the fog or dark without having to try to follow a line on your GPS or maintain a compass heading at the same time. Just as an experiment, everyone should try to maintain a heading manually at about 5 knots with a little wind and a little cross current. Then imagine doing it in the dark or in the fog when you have no visual frame of reference out the window. If you can stay on course without significant steering correction, over-correction, and over-over-correction (and miss that log in the water) you're a better man than I!

Having a crew adds extra eyes and ears and can be a big plus. I have been the guy on the foredeck with the flashlight on a boat trying to find a harbor entrance (Blaine, no less) in the dark. It was a sailboat. The auxiliary engine had died in the Straits of Georgia. It was 40 years ago. No GPS, of course. We were young and stupid. but we made it without damage or injury. But that's another story ... I've wandered a bit. Guess I forgot to turn the auto pilot on. :lol:
 
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