Just Order It
Rex: Just go ahead and order one from Sailnet. I put off buying an autopilot for 20 years. I even built a spring loaded stick that could steer the boat for 20 minutes at a time, but it didn't work for motoring the boat. Last spring I ordered the ST1000 from Sailnet, and can't even begin to imagine sailing without it. We use it all the time, whether it's windy, calm, or if we are motoring. Really if you think about it, it really seems like a more natural way to sail the boat. You decide which way you want the boat to go, then set the autopilot, then you can relax, look around, trim the sails, and just enjoy yourself. You can also go a lot further without getting tired. If you are motoring for 10s of miles, it's great. You can set a course that will take you 20 miles, and end up right where you wanted to be. My sons have taken all this one step further, by having me make the connection (one extra wire) for the GPS to connect into the autopilot. It's a Garmin E-trex Mariner, from West Marine. It gives the autopilot information, so that it can actually sail on a line between 2 waypoints that you program in. This is pretty incredible, when you think about what is actually going on. Your little boat can be steered on a line, guided by satellites in space. My sons still haven't perfected this, but it won't be too long until summer, and they do. Anyhow, you don't need to do this to really enjoy having an autopilot. I made a mount for mine that you might want to see some photos of it before you mount yours. I didn't like the way the Raymarine set-up has something that looks like an escutcheon on the side of the cockpit. If you want to see a photo, send me a message at aadjcamacci@panetwork.com. I'm sorry I don't have the photos on this computer. One more thing, I don't recommend using the remote in the rain too much. The remote is great, really great. You can be anywhere on the boat and steer it, but we had ours out during a thunderstorm last summer and it hasn't quite been the same, even though we sent it back to the factory and had it repaired. This proved to us that once you get used to using the remote, you will never want to sail without it. I mounted the electrical connector inside the starboard coaming compartment, which keeps it out of the rain, and out of sight when we aren't on the boat. (I have covers that cover the coaming compartments). With the mount that I made, there is a little stainless steel socket that you can hardly see when the mount is removed. If you have any other questions, send me a message, or respond within this fourm. I really have given this plenty of thought, but it really added to our enjoyment of our C-22, way more than the $400 that it cost. I haven't been able to convince any of our sailing friends to get one for their C-22s, but that doesn't bother me. Aldo
