Looking at all the pros and cons with the idea of eventually buying one for my Hunter 25.5. Does anyone have experience with this unit. I will be doing a lot of solo sailing and could use some help with steering while trimming sails etc.
Raymarine ST1000 Plus Marine Auto Tack Tiller Pilot
- Thread starter twodzusfittings
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I installed an ST 1000 on my 23.5 about five years ago and since then continue to wonder how I ever got along without it.
I do single-hand a lot and it is great for both sailing and motoring. It allows you to go forward and tend to the jib,raise/lower sails etc. plus go down below and have a meal, or get out of the weather.
I have the wired remote and can steer from anywhere onboard.
Installation was about 4 hours because I fussed about where and how to place the fitting connection on the tiller, so I made a bracket out of a piece of scrap stainless steel and used hose clamps to attach it to the tiller. Works great, no holes to drill on the tiller. The wiring was a bit awkward as I had to lie on my back under the rear berth to attach the wiring to the socket supplied by Raymarine. Here are a few photos showing the installed unit; note the first mate snoozing while "Ray" steers the boat.
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Well I bought my boat and it came with one new still in the box. I Used the boat a few times before I installed it. After I installed it it was so nice not being tied to the tiller all the time. I didn't have to stop to use the head, make a cup, it's cold and rainy a lot where I sail so nice to get out of the weather. Now for the con of it. Now for my problem you will find many that have performed flawless. About the fifth time I used it it started oscillating back and forth.I had to send it in to Raymarine. They said it had water damage. It cost $250 to get it fixed. They said it was to old to warranty even though it hadn't been used. Well I got it back and I could not get into any calibration modes. Now I should of called and told them but I didn't Well I only used the boat 3 times last season Memorial day weekend, 4th of July, and labor day. Well third day out on Labor day trip it started oscillating again. Sent it in the said the circuit board was fried and $225 to fix. I complained and they said they would check and get back to me. Well that was Wednesday and didn't hear back. Well I am not going to pay to have it repaired again. I will be buying a Simrad as theirs are waterproof. Maybe I just got a lemon I do not know as like I said you will find many more that are happy with them then my experience. Greg.
I use the ST1000 on my C-27 without difficulty. The unit is pretty hardy and seems to handle the load easily. Its really convenient when tacking. If you tap the 10* button 4 times it will automatically turn 40* while you work the sheets.
It's suppose to interface with the Garmin GPS waypoints, but i haven't figured that one out yet.
I have read up on it quite extensively. Regarding the moisture, one user made a canvas pouch with a window, so there is merit to the moisture issue. Stripped gears was mentioned extensively in the reviews. On overall ratings the Simrad was slightly under the Raymarine. The ST2000 would be an option and could be transferred to a bigger boat perhaps in the future,perhaps with beefier gears it might fair better. Let's see what the Admiral has to say!
Fopr years, I was after electronic manufactures to make the owners manuals more user friendly as many were greek to me to include some company reps.
As for the board being fried, there is not enough information because if it happenned twice, I would suggest the owner have his wiring checked out by a yard. as for stripped gears, I wonder if the installation or rather binding had anything to do with stripping of the gears. I have seen that happen in the past but I am not sure as each case needs to be checked out in depth.
At this point I may step on some toes but when a manufacturer warranties a device for a specfic period of time from date of purchase and the purchaser waits too long unitl after the warranty period to complain, then the fault rests with the purchaser. A good point are new cars. It specifies gennerally miles but limited to a specific time. Therefore, donot fault the manufactuer when you buy something and wait too long when it is out of warranty to complain wanting it covered under warranty. When I purchase a model train enigne, I will test run it at home immediately if something is amiss, then I contact the manufactuerer immediately. I know what the warranty is when I purchase the unit.
Crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
As for the board being fried, there is not enough information because if it happenned twice, I would suggest the owner have his wiring checked out by a yard. as for stripped gears, I wonder if the installation or rather binding had anything to do with stripping of the gears. I have seen that happen in the past but I am not sure as each case needs to be checked out in depth.
At this point I may step on some toes but when a manufacturer warranties a device for a specfic period of time from date of purchase and the purchaser waits too long unitl after the warranty period to complain, then the fault rests with the purchaser. A good point are new cars. It specifies gennerally miles but limited to a specific time. Therefore, donot fault the manufactuer when you buy something and wait too long when it is out of warranty to complain wanting it covered under warranty. When I purchase a model train enigne, I will test run it at home immediately if something is amiss, then I contact the manufactuerer immediately. I know what the warranty is when I purchase the unit.
Crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
I hear what your saying Dave, but in many cases it is not always possible to check if something works for quite a while. Over the holidays I have received many little electronic gifts for the boat. It will be still one 30-45 days before thay can be tested if they truly work and sixty days have already lapsed. I cannot say for sure what happened in Geehaw's case, but as he says it could be a lemon. Happens once in a while. Raymarine has a very clear and precise instruction book and really easy to understand. I found it on line whilst researching the autopilot. I am quite handy with tools and think out of the box a lot, so if I follow them I should have a pretty high success rate. Now I need the admiral to open up the treasure chests and spend some of that plunder! Foot note: the desription on both the 1000 and the 2000 both say a water tight casing.
Crazy Dave I agree with you on the warranty. They have no way of knowing if it was in use or sitting in the box. Just stating the fact because it is frustrating. I have no idea how old it is. Previous owner said it was there when he bought it.
As for sealed case mine has two what appear to be vent holes on the bottom. Maybe they changed that though. Greg
As for sealed case mine has two what appear to be vent holes on the bottom. Maybe they changed that though. Greg
I've had both the ST1000,(Capri-18) and now the ST2000. Both worked well, but I went the extra mile with the ST2000 on our C-22 because of the faster response time. In a following sea, the ST1000 just couldn't keep up, even in the tight course mode. The ST2000 solved that problem, and only in the roughest following sea condition do I have to take over. Also, the ST2000 uses re-circulating balls, less friction means faster response possibly, and it probably uses less current. Also, if you have a West Marine near you their insurance policy is well worth it. If it goes bad, they give you a new one in the box. No mailing back to the manufacture and waiting. Also check the internet. They honor other's prices including shipping
Don
Don
Had an ST1000 tiller pilot on our 240 and it worked pretty well for the short time I had it. No water issues, no stripped gears, the install was straight forward and setting it up was pretty intuitive.
As far as delayed warranty I'd agree with those who said to test it well while it's warrantied, but what about those sailboat c-mas gifts(tough one). I always do a burn in on new electronics and it recently revealed a bad circuit board that failed after only 50 hrs on a $2000 flat screen. It was an easy return in the 1st week rather than a major bummer out of warranty.
The idea of extended insurance on electronics is probably a good one considering the environment that we expect this fussy stuff to perform in.
Go for it. Mike
As far as delayed warranty I'd agree with those who said to test it well while it's warrantied, but what about those sailboat c-mas gifts(tough one). I always do a burn in on new electronics and it recently revealed a bad circuit board that failed after only 50 hrs on a $2000 flat screen. It was an easy return in the 1st week rather than a major bummer out of warranty.
The idea of extended insurance on electronics is probably a good one considering the environment that we expect this fussy stuff to perform in.
Go for it. Mike
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