Raytheon ST1000+ tillerpilot
I have one of these on my H23 and it works fairly well. However, it took me a while to figure it all out. Here's what I found. Although advertised for boats up to 10,000 lb., the ST1000 was initially overpowered by my 2,300 lb boat. The problem was poor sail trim (I had lots of weather helm). Before engaging the pilot, the sails must be trimmed and balanced to make the helm as light as possible. The lighter the helm, the less the pilot has to work. This reduces curret draw significantly. I burned up a bunch of 15A fuses figuring this one out. The internal compass may not calibrate the first time out. My first attempt was 29 degrees off. Keep trying till you get it. Of course, if all you want is for the pilot to hold a steady course, set the course manually and then hit the "Auto" button. The ST1000 has lots of neat features. However, since it only has six buttons, you have to remember several two-button combinations that need to be pushed to activate some functions. I guess that's why they laminated the quick instruction card, so you can keep it handy. The remote is not wireless. You have to pull its umbilical cord along with you. I solved this one by installing the socket for the remote on a small panel inside the main hatch instead of next to the tillerpilot. This shortened the cord by about a third but it's still long enough for me hang over the bow pulpit with the remote in hand (great for gunkholing!). The remote has to be wired to the tillerpilot with SeaTalk cable, which is NOT supplied with either device. The manual cited "because installations vary" as the reason. That's fair. However, when I tried buying the cable I learned that the only way to get it was to buy a premade jumper for about $30, then cut off and discard the connectors, which don't fit either device anyway. I ended up buying ten feet of marine-grade, two-conductor AWG 18, shielded wire at a local military surplus store for 12 cents a foot. OK, so the color-coding wasn't right, but it's amazing what you can do with some masking tape and a Sharpie laundry marker. If you shop around, you may be able to find an ST1000+ with the remote included for about $400. Good luck. Peter H23 "Raven"
