[Rhodes22-list] Autopilot

[William E. Wickman]

Art,
I’m glad to answer any questions.  But be prepared, this is a long post as
I got carried away.

I installed the Raymarine ST1000 several weeks before the trip so was not
able to fully test it out before departure.  Not the best idea since one
should never depart on an expedition with untested equipment, but I figured
that if there was a malfunction I could just go back to manual steering.
Fortunately it worked like a charm.  I also got the S100 handheld remote.
The remote is quite cool with a real “wow” factor when you play with it and
show it off to your friends.  You can literally sit on the bow of your
boat, feet dangling over the edge, and steer.  And, hey, if you fall
overboard you can turn the boat around to come back to get you (as long as
you do so before the boat gets too far away). :)   But all that said, I
think they are over priced right now.  I got mine for a really good price
on eBay, but still feel like I paid more than the functionality you get on
a small boat.  It is awfully fun to play with and show off though!

Installation was fairly straightforward.  I did have to buy two extension
rods and mounting bracket for the tiller which added to the cost.  I
elected to install so that the autopilot rod connected on the bottom side
of the tiller with the mounting socket directly into the gunwale.  This
configuration worked out really well.  The trickiest part was making
accurate measurements for the location of the tiller bracket and socket.
One pleasant surprise was that when I drilled my hole in the gunwale, the
fiberglass was so thick that virtually none of the mounting socket
protruded through the fiberglass.  I didn’t have to install a backing
plate.  These boats are built really well.  I mounted the S100 transmitter
for the handheld remote inside the cabin down low on the bulkhead just to
the right of the galley cabinet.

For wiring, I decided to install the tillerpilot plug inside the cockpit
cubby instead of in drilling a big hole in the seatback directly below the
autopilot.  I really hate to drill holes in fiberglass if I can avoid it.
So, I removed the piece of plastic that is screwed in front of the top
shelf part of the cubby hole (you know, the little secret shelf) and made
it into a wiring panel of sorts.  In addition to the autopilot plug, I
wanted a 12v socket in the cockpit so it would be more convenient to plug
in my GPS, spotlight, MP3 player, etc.  So I also installed a quality 12v
socket along side the autopilot plug.  I also made a cutout for an RS232
port that I planned to use to connect my older model GPS into the
Autopilot.  I later abandoned the RS232 port idea and opted to direct wire
a power/data plug for my Garmin GPS. It made for fewer wire connections and
much easier hookup to the GPS.  (I kept the RS232 plug that I had made and
could install it if needed with my old GPS unit in a pinch).  Anyway, the
whole installation turned out pretty neat with everything tucked well
inside the cubby and protected from weather and clumsy crew.  In addition
to running the 12v wiring from my circuit panel in the cabin to the cubby,
and wiring the Garmin power/data adapter, I had to wire up the remote
control transmitter to 12v and data to the autopilot (it is actually just
one data wire).  Raymarine’s instructions were pretty straightforward, but
I had to diagram it all out for myself since I was adding in some extras.
I came off the same 12v circuit breaker for the remote transmitter, the
autopilot and 12v socket for simplicity purposes and so that the whole
system could be shut down with the flip of one switch. I’m probably making
it sound more complicated than it was.  I can take a picture and post is
anyone cares to see.

In the sea trials of the Bahamas, the tillerpilot performed flawlessly.
Only when the rudder had kicked up slightly and was having trouble turning
the boat, or when I accidentally knocked the pilot off the tiller, or when
I activated a waypoint that was waaaay off from the current heading, did
the pilot over-range (run in or out past its stop point).  But for the
entire trip through all sorts of sea states, the tillerpilot never had a
problem keeping us on course.  It operated hour after hour in the hot sun,
and in the driving rain.  My overall impression is that it is a pretty
rugged piece of equipment.

The S100 performed extremely well also.  Sometimes it would take a few
seconds to find and sync with the tiller pilot when everything was turned
on, but the delay never was remotely an issue (no pun intended).  The only
problem that I encountered was that following a very heavy downpour when
everything got soaked, moisture formed on the inside of the LCD display of
the remote.  It still operated but was very difficult to read.  Two days
later, the display faded out and I was unable to use the remote on the last
day of the trip.  I was spoiled and missed it.  And here is my plug for
customer service at Raymarine.  When I got home I emailed them about the
problem and they promptly replied to send it into their warranty repair
service center.  Three days later a brand new unit was waiting on my
doorstep.  I also found Raymarine very helpful and quick to respond when I
emailed their tech support with some questions regarding the installation
and operation of the tiller pilot.

Power consumption was minimal during operation, and the pilot could operate
all day with minimal drawdown on my batteries.  The pilot and remote system
drew a constant 0.1 amp when in standby mode due, I guess, to the LCD
display on the tiller pilot and the transmitter for the remote.  The
handheld unit runs on two AA batteries that I had to change one time during
the trip which surprised me, but I used that remote a lot.

In summary, I will repeat what others have said.  An autopilot is wonderful
to have if you are making long passages or single handing.  Going out just
a few hours, you might have limited use for one although there is a lot to
be said for being able to focus on your spouse or date instead of having to
keep your hand on the tiller…

Bill W.