Since I purchased my sailboat, I experienced random turns (actually u-turns) while the auto-pilot was engaged. I could go several months with no problems and then experience multiple random turns in a single day. Two weeks ago, when leaving Avalon harbor, I engaged the auto-pilot (auto mode) and the boat veered right and would not keep a straight course. I restarted the navigation system, and it did the same thing. I looked at the MFD and saw that the boat icon was spinning in circles leading me to think this was a magnetic interference issue. I had my guests remove anything magnetic from the aft cabins since the Fluxgate compass is located between the two cabins. The boat icon kept spinning. I was at a loss. Then surprisingly, my son's friend yelled, "I know what it is". He went below and brought back a small 2" x 2" souvenir refrigerator magnet he had purchase the day before. I had him take it to the front of the boat. The boat icon stopped spinning and auto-pilot worked again. Since I have had the boat, the aft cabins have been my storage space for tools, drills, polishers, etc. I no longer keep tools near the fluxgate compass. I would never have believed a small refrigerator magnet could have had that much effect on the fluxgate compass.
I hope this helps someone.
I hope this helps someone.
