EV-100 is in the shopping cart

markwbird · Jan 17, 2019

I have it. It's a bit more fragile than I would like. Northing else out there in the price range so . . .

Head Sail · Jan 17, 2019

I have had one for 3 years. Still working just fine. I did not purchase the rudder reference unit. Don't seem too need it for long passages in relatively protected waters. Go to the Raymarine website for online support. I'd recommend a Raymarine chartplotter to go with it. Other chartplotters will work but you may need a signal converter to SeatalkNG.

BarryL · Jan 17, 2019

Hey,
I installed the EV100 kit on my boat back in 2014. the kit includes the drive unit, the course computer, the display / control unit, and some wiring. The install if fairly simple. If you have a NMEA2000 or Seatalk NG network it's super to get all the instruments and devices talking.

Here is my brief review of the unit as installed on my C&C 110.
Pros:
-Affordable. I paid around $1100. The unit goes on sale all the time. I'm sure it will be around that price on Defender when they have their big spring sale.
-Relatively easy to install (especially as compared to a below deck pilot - which I'm sure would work better).
-Easy to integrate with other electronics (I have connected mine to a Garmin plotter, A B&G plotter, a Simrad VHF)
-The display unit is super cool. You can select from various screens. I use screen for general use, another when racing (I can use the pilot when racing single or double handed) and a third when cruising to a destination.
-Fully featured - you can go to a heading, steer to a wind angle (if connected to a wind instrument), a waypoint, or follow a route. It will autotack.
Cons:
-Performance is good but not great. For motoring in calm seas it's fantastic. For sailing in moderate conditions it works very well. For sailing UPWIND in big air it works fine too. For sailing downwind in good breeze / or if the seas are up the performance suffers. Not that I am not complaining. I don't expect a wheel pilot to work well in big seas downwind.
-The pilot can be loud. The wheel tends to squeak which can get annoying.
-And the biggest con is that the lever to engage the pilot WILL eventually tend to unlock. This is a common problem that seems to happen to everyone. I (like many people) use a small bungy cord to keep the lever down.

All in all I am happy with my unit and I do recommend it.

Barry

Head Sail · Jan 17, 2019

Another problem you may face is with the B&G, you won't be able to update EV-100 firmware as updates are released. You will have to remove and send to a Raymarine dealer to update.

jssailem · Jan 17, 2019

With Barry and Head Sail.
Been using it since 2016. Great in motoring and moderate seas. Used it in 15-18 knots 4-5 foot seas off the port stern. It was working, and decided to disconnect and hand steer. I expect the unit to be replaced in another 5 years based on motor wear. May be wrong and can baby it for a bit longer.
Down wind or in heavy seas, I’m going to attach a windvane.

I have sailed upwind in 13 to 15 knots and the autopilot worked great once the boat sail plan was trimmed and balanced.

If you only want a single unit, suggest on a boat more than 16000 displacement you go with a linear or hydraulic unit.

FastOlson · Jan 18, 2019

http://cptautopilot.com
If you can (through medication or meditation) free your self from the perceived need to digitalize everything about sailing your boat....... this company gets good reviews. It is sort of a one-trick pony, but a very very strong pony.

Full disclosure: we have a larger Lowrance plotter with digital radar, but have never had a need to try to connect our Raymarine AP to it. There is a lot of stuff to avoid in our river and quite a bit also off the Washington coast in the summer, so a sharp lookout is needed.
As a matter of fact on most of the coastal deliveries I have done the helm is *not* linked to an AP, altho everyone has one and uses it a lot.

LeslieTroyer · Jan 18, 2019

No converter needed - just a different device cable. Also not many firmware updates in last year and half for the AP. And you can do what @jssailem did and fin a friend with RM CP to update the firmware

njlarry · Jan 20, 2019

Hi Dave,
I installed one 5 yrs ago in my 34 so maybe I can make it a little easier for you.
The biggest difficulty for me was getting the cables run in the pedestal steering rail. The cables have plugs that can't be removed and with all the other cables it kept jamming so I finally removed all the othet cables first, ran the rm cable then re ran the orginal cables as they did not have bulky connectors.
I put the evo sensor in the corner cabinet under the sink to keep it 3 feet way from the engine and keel. It required the purchase of an extra long expensive rm cable. I would not do it that way again. I have heard that the sensor would also work very well mounted on the vertical wood board just in front of the fuel tank. That would greatly simplify your cable runs.
The unit works very well and 80 to 90 percent of the time we have it engaged while cruising. It is very noisy but that would be fixed by a more expensive rudder mounted system . I too used a bungee cord to keep the wheel unit lever engaged but found it just needed a tightening of the adjustment knob to fix.
I do not have it connected to my lowrance chart plotter mostly because I don't know how but also don't understand why there is a need to. When cruising I steer the boat to the next buoy, when the course line points to it I hit the auto button on the evo control display and all's well .
The unit has been a great addition and needed no maintenance. I do wish it was less noisy, had smaller or removable connectors and much better installation instructions . Some of the paper work it came with was for the old st version so don't let it throw you.
Good luck .

BarryL · Jan 21, 2019

Hello,
It's not that big a deal to have the plotter and AP connected. If you have your wind instrument connected to the plotter and the AP connected as well then you can sail to a wind angle and also to a way point and it can also follow a route. If I'm just out for a day sail, and I have guests, I will frequently set the AP to sail at 60AWA. I can then set the sails appropriately and then sit back and relax (and keep a good lookout). The AP will keep the boat at the same wind angle so the sails will stay trimmed. When it's time to head back I can tack over and be pretty much be on the correct course back home.

Regarding sailing to a way point, as Larry mentioned, you can sort of the same thing by having the plotter display the course to the way point and then have set the waypoint to the same course. However, if a current sets you off course the AP can't compensate. If the AP is being routed by the plotter then it will. Again, not a big deal, but it's pretty easy to connect the AP to the plotter. Following a route is handle when we do relatively long deliveries before a race or heading home after a race. With just two people on board for a delivery, it's nice to set the AP to follow a route. Then one person keeps watch while the other can relax.

The Evo100 requires a NMEA 2000 / Seatalk NG network, so why not just add one more cable and tie the two together? If you have Raymarine plotter you have other advantages too - the plotter can work as the AP control head.

Barry

LeslieTroyer · Jan 21, 2019

The anvantage to setting waypoints is the AP then accounts for set and drift, you sail a straight line. It you just set (and keep resetting ) a compass course then you’ll steer a curved course (unless you accounted for current and set).

jssailem · Jan 21, 2019

Ok... Here is the question as a Physics problem.

Three swimmers, who swim equally fast, have a race across a river. There is a moderate current in the?
Three swimmers, who swim equally fast, have a race across a river. There is a moderate current in the river so each swimmer tries a different tactic.
· Swimmer A swims somewhat upstream in order to maintain a path straight across.
· Swimmer B swims directly across the river getting swept downstream a short distance.
· Swimmer C swims somewhat downstream to get the highest total speed of all three.
Which swimmer wins?
Choose one answer.
a. Swimmer A.
b. Swimmer B.
c. Swimmer C.
d. They reach the opposite bank at the same time. A tie.

justsomeguy · Jan 21, 2019

jssailem said:
b. Swimmer B.

B.

jssailem · Jan 21, 2019

http://www.oceannavigator.com/January-February-2003/Finding-set-and-drift/

Best Answer: All the swimmers have to do is cross the water. So you can ignore the flow of the water by thinking about this relative to the water itself. From the point of view of the water, swimmer B goes straight across, A & C both go at an angle and so take a longer path. Swimmer B takes the shortest path and will get across first.

justsomeguy · Jan 21, 2019

What do I win?