Autopilot Uses
Eric, Autopilots can be purchased for either tiller or wheel steering. For tiller boats, (I sail an O'Day 26), you have two choices, Raytheon ST1000, and Simrad TP10. Both units are good, low battery drain, and have auto-tack. This is a function of pressing one or two buttons, and it will steer the boat through a 100 degree tack. I chose the Raytheon ST1000 because it has an LED readout on the unit of the degree course heading, which you can compare with your compass or GPS. Both units will accept inputs from your GPS for waypoint and route navagation. The unit mounts to the Gunnel of your boat and attaches to your tiller with a pin epoxied to it. You might have to purchase an extension or two to get the mounting correct, over all, they are very simple to install, takes about 2 hours. The best uses I have found for mine are when I singlehand, which is most of the time, there is extra time to go forward to raise or lower the sails, and on the long runs, it takes care of the tiller duties while I take care of other business. Only one word of caution, if your boat is on autopilot and you happen to do the ultimate screw up and fall overboard, your boat is just as content as before to keep on going in a straight line, with or without you. So take a little extra precaution if you are alone. Ben Allen Montgomery, AL "Latte Dah" O 26
