Just bought a 1989 Catalina 30 which does not have an auto-pilot. Any recommendations on good ones, or ones to stay away from?
Auto-pilot?
- Thread starter captain_verwey
- Start date
Raymarine EV-100
I got the Raymarine EV-100 and it does the job. Wheel pilot. Inexpensive. Works quite well. Easy to use. Drive mechanism and clutch are a little bit fragile (plastic). Installation instructions are absurdly bad but I got through it as the installation is quite easy. Overall, very happy.
I got the Raymarine EV-100 and it does the job. Wheel pilot. Inexpensive. Works quite well. Easy to use. Drive mechanism and clutch are a little bit fragile (plastic). Installation instructions are absurdly bad but I got through it as the installation is quite easy. Overall, very happy.
do you have a wheel or a tiller?.... and how do you want to use it?.... for a wheel, if you only want straight line "compass" steering, there is one that may be better than all the rest, CPT.
if you want a below deck or hydraulic unit, or one that is programmable and can be connected to all the other electronics on the boat, then you will pay substantially more for those features and that kind of confusion
....
we have an older autohelm 3000 that gives us a good straight line compass course and could optionally be connected to vane steering. I cannot imagine the need to have any other features, but it is very easy to imagine the level of complexity it would add of having it linked to my gps and radar.... and I dont want complex.
I will admit that linking the electronics together offers benefits, but they are only beneficial/useful if you actually need/use them.... otherwise its only something else to learn how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong, or you change out a component.
without question or debate, an autopilot is the very best upgrade you can make to your boat... and im also a follower of the KISS philosophy, which im sure you've heard of
if you want a below deck or hydraulic unit, or one that is programmable and can be connected to all the other electronics on the boat, then you will pay substantially more for those features and that kind of confusion
.... we have an older autohelm 3000 that gives us a good straight line compass course and could optionally be connected to vane steering. I cannot imagine the need to have any other features, but it is very easy to imagine the level of complexity it would add of having it linked to my gps and radar.... and I dont want complex.
I will admit that linking the electronics together offers benefits, but they are only beneficial/useful if you actually need/use them.... otherwise its only something else to learn how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong, or you change out a component.
without question or debate, an autopilot is the very best upgrade you can make to your boat... and im also a follower of the KISS philosophy, which im sure you've heard of
I too am a follower of KISS!! It's a wheel not tiller, and i'd be looking at straight line compass steering only. Never heard of CPT so i will google it. I have heard of the EV-100 mentioned earlier. Thanks so much for the input!do you have a wheel or a tiller?.... and how do you want to use it?.... for a wheel, if you only want straight line "compass" steering, there is one that may be better than all the rest, CPT.
if you want a below deck or hydraulic unit, or one that is programmable and can be connected to all the other electronics on the boat, then you will pay substantially more for those features and that kind of confusion
we have an older autohelm 3000 that gives us a good straight line compass course and could optionally be connected to vane steering. I cannot imagine the need to have any other features, but it is very easy to imagine the level of complexity it would add of having it linked to my gps and radar.... and I dont want complex.
I will admit that linking the electronics together offers benefits, but they are only beneficial/useful if you actually need/use them.... otherwise its only something else to learn how to troubleshoot when something goes wrong, or you change out a component.
without question or debate, an autopilot is the very best upgrade you can make to your boat... and im also a follower of the KISS philosophy, which im sure you've heard of
I had the CPT wheel pilot on my Columbia 36, bought by a PO in 1986. Finally crapped out last year! I doubt you'd get a Raymarine to last that long (never been a fan of them). The CPT is a real beast, very powerful, but not pretty. I'm saving pennies now to replace it. They have a core replacement pack to upgrade the works but save the mounts and wheel, for a considerable savings. Once you've made longer trips with an AP, you won't want to go without one.
I have an EV100 Wheel pilot on my Hunter 30 but just can't it to steer a straight course. It snakes down the course even in racing or precision mode. I have attempted to resolve the issue on the P70 controller but to no avail. I also think that maybe it is worse on some bearings but that is hard to tell just by looking at my wake. Any suggestions much appreciated.
You guys know, without the rudder reference, especially down wind the boat will wander up to 30 degrees trying to keep up. I have been playing with the settings and have gotten it to finally track straight.
Set it on Performance mode, instead of Cruising. Change from Sailboat fast to Sailboat slow turn. Wandering stopped and it still tacks plenty fast enough.
Set it on Performance mode, instead of Cruising. Change from Sailboat fast to Sailboat slow turn. Wandering stopped and it still tacks plenty fast enough.
i have a raymarine 4000 series which does a moderate job of keeping a course in smooth water, nothing more nor less. anything more severe than smooth water or following a preset course - there's a warning in small print near the end of the user's manual - and it's anybody's guess. there's a reason the edo autopilot on my beechcraft cost more than a good catalina30. also there's a reason there's no american or asian sailboat autopilots