AUTOHELM QUESTIONS

[Bob23]

Any Autohelm users out there in CompacLand? I'm thinking about buying one...probably the 2000 because I believe in overkill but I've read mizxed reviews. So my next logical move was to tap into the expanse of wisdom, knowledge and experience here. What say ye?
Bob23...thanks in advance

[Shawn]

I have the Raymarine 2000+, very handy to have. A few details on the installation are at:

http://cpyoa.geekworkshosting.com/forum/index.php?topic=2753.0

I also have it tied into my GPS. It can steer by internal compass, follow a track on a GPS and if you have a compatible wind instrument it can keep you at the same relative position to the wind. I have to write some software to get my NASA wind meter talking with the tiller pilot.

Shawn

[NateD]

I've got an ST1000 on my 23 and it is one of my favorite things on the boat. The 1000 does a great job handling the boat, I don't know what the price difference is between the 1000 and the 2000, but I've been pretty happy with the 1000.

[rogerschwake]

  I have a Simrad tiller pilot on my SunCat and it works great. The Simrad has a few more adjustments than the Raymarine. Had a Simrad on a CP 27 and all the Raymarine owners that sailed with me were impressed with the way the Simrad handled the boat. The Simrad is a little more money witch I think is worth it. If you haven't sailed with a autopilot you will be surprised how much you will use it. I used it to keep the boat on course will raising and lowering sails and just cleaning up the mess on deck. It also gives you time to trim and reef your sails especially when your single handing. Get one, you will love it.

[brackish]

Bob, I have an ST-1000.  It is one of the most useful and the best boat bucks I've spent.  I singlehand a lot and the tiller pilot makes that very easy to do. It was easy to install, is easy to set up and, while I'm sure it is a big power user, it has never been too much for my battery reserve. 

If I'm going out by myself, I usually set it up before I leave the dock, takes a minute to set it, plug it in.  I leave it detached from the tiller and on standby when I don't need it. It is great for steering under power while I am setting the sails and also when I am taking them down, putting the covers on so when I get back to my dock, I don't have all that to do.  Point the boat in the direction you want to go, put the rod over the ball on the tiller and hit auto, and it takes over.  Mine is also hooked to my GPS, however, I've never used that feature.  With regard to using it while sailing, I've found it great on a run or broad to beam reach no matter the wind conditions. On a close reach it is fine with steady winds but it is not that great in gusty or shifting wind conditions, the reaction time is not as good as a human helmsman.  I don't know if the other models would be better with that.

If you go for it, I searched the world over, and Ultimate Passage had the very best delivered price on mine.  There are also some old threads on the forum about installation and, of course, you can ask here and get help.

Mine, doing its thing.

[skip1930]

Brackish, our CPYOA sailor posted a photo of a 'ST 1000' something working, and boy I was surprised of how straight the wake was.

Is the boat sailing in a straight line? Just look behind you.

My usual concern is Power Consumption and when does it Run Out? Maybe a solar cell is in use ... usually no generator.

Side Bar: Our boat club recently enjoyed a very fine meal at the yacht club and later our District Commander and her husband re-lived their trip with a Power Point presentation highlighting their trip on an Ocean Alexander 46 from the upper Mississippi River in Minnesota down to the Illinois River, and back up the sewage canal through the Asian carp electric 'stops' to Chicago and on to Door County.

The thing that struck me was these two never stopped talking about all the electronics and radar and using her smart phone to navigate [in a river?] in use on the boat. And all the 'hassle' of finding a marina and a dock with some electricity they could plug into overnight, and the ability to 'communicate' with barge traffic and other boats. And how the entire trip was made with no paper charts. I forget the total miles traveled but they spent $27,300 on fuel, food, and dock rentals.

Come on people ... me and the parents made a trip in our houseboat down to New Orleans and back in 1968 from Starved Rock on the Illinois River. Navigation was page by page paper charts and one VHS radio that we hardly turned on except to talk lock masters. When it came time to tie up for the night we ran the bow up on some muddy beach and ran the spring lines. We stopped from time to time at a town for ice and food and a marina for gasoline. We ran far more miles with no generator and had two alternator charged batteries with a selector switch with one solely used for engine starting. I remember dad saying we averaged one gallon to a mile. Of course none at the dinner agreed with me. They were all bedazzled with the glow of electronics.

All I could think of silently was the woosification of America and now boating.

Sailing is more fun when done with less.

skip.

" Incandescent lights use more power than the tillerpilot. "
How true. What about all the other consumables?
I'm thinking a 90 amp-hour battery hardly ever gives 90 amps for an hour.

I agree when using consumables my deep cell battery usually pooped out about mid-day on Sunday during a three day cruise.

[Shawn]

"My usual concern is Power Consumption and when does it Run Out? "

When active their consumption is rated at 0.5 to 1.5amp depending upon boat trim, loading and conditions. If one has a 90 amp/hour battery you could run the autopilot between 30 and 90 hours before hitting 50% discharge. Incandescent lights use more power than the tillerpilot.

Shawn

[peterg]

Bob, I think that the ST1000+ would be way more than adequate on your 23. I used one back in the 90's on the first 19 that we had, and granted that Athena was lighter than our 23's, but it responded quickly and smoothly in many miles of sailing at Round Valley and Barnegat Bay in all conditions. Never ran out of battery, either. Am about to order up the 1000+ for the mighty Beagle 3. I enjoy being a purist at times, but an autopilot makes life easier when single-handing in snotty conditions and getting sails down and stowed, not to mention driving the boat when I want to go below and get hydration, take a leak, whatever. Go for it!

[Shawn]

"I'm thinking a 90 amp-hour battery hardly ever gives 90 amps for an hour."

Because you are supposed to only draw them down 50%. Given that you have about 45 amp/hours to work with.

45 / 1.5amp (worse case draw from the tiller pilot) = 30 hours of run time
45 / 0.5 amp (best case draw from active tiller pilot) = 90 hours of run time

That is assuming no other loads (unlikely) and no sources recharging the battery. In my case I have solar (about 2amps / hour) and my Sailpro which can put back up to 5amps per hour.

"I agree when using consumables my battery usually pooped out about mid-day on Sunday during a three day cruise."

Are you still using starting batteries in your boat? They can't be draw down nearly as far as a true deep cycle battery. If one specs their house battery based on CCAs they have bought the wrong battery for this application.

Shawn

[Bob23]

WOW!!!
  Thank you...thank you...thank you! All you guys are great! I only posted my question yesterday and I'm overwhelmed at the replies. Very informative and enlightening. And I agree with Skip also- I like manual sailing, bike riding, etc. The more user input, the better. I'm gonna get an Autohelm because it will really come in handy while motoring so I don't have to keep my hand on the tiller and constantly adjust. And of course, raising sails will be easier, too.
  So far, I've resisted an autohelm of any kind except to lash the tiller with a bungee cord. ( I didn't just say that, did I???) So logically my first step was to seek input from you guys. You have helped me make my decision.
  Again, many thanks to you all! I'll raise my glass of Guiness in your honor!
Bob23

[MacGyver]

Bob23, I have installed many of them, and really enjoy the customers praises of the handiness of the auto helms. Even the wheel mounted ones, people say how well it helps them for just a bunch of different reasons (listed by those above also!) and frankly I hope to one day get.

I have found they are helpful really even on small boats.

Have fun with it, and report back with its usefulness, maybe I can get my wife to let me get one! LOL

Mac 

[skip1930]

" Are you still using starting batteries in your boat? They can't be draw down nearly as far as a true deep cycle battery. If one specs their house battery based on CCAs they have bought the wrong battery for this application. "

No it's a deep cycle.

Yes. Good point --> Not only is the foiled rudder great ... BUT because it is a balanced rudder with a portion of the rudder ahead of the pivot point much less effort [some rudder under the boat] is required on the tiller. I said before it's like power steering on your tiller.

This sucks up less juice to move the tiller. Good deal.

[Norm]

Bob 23, I have the ST1000 on my C23 and it works great!  I have a foiled rudder that makes for easy steering.  I also have the same Tohatsu that you have and it keeps my batt fully charged.

[Bob23]

Well, to explore this topic further: Anyone have any input on Autohelm vs. Simrad? From what I can misunderstand, the AH is not waterproof while the Simrad is. Is this correct? Intalling anything on the exterior of a sailboat that is not waterproof is like painting the interior of an expensive house without a dropcloth...inviting disaster. Ok, maybe that's a poor analogy but it's the best I have.
Thanks, mates.
Bob23

[Jon898]

Supposedly the Simrad has encapsulated electronics and the Autohelm does not.  Surprisingly, neither manufacturer seems to indicate the water resistance rating of their gear.  I'd expect to see IPX-6 or better for anything exposed in a boat cockpit (Protected against heavy seas - Water projected at all angles through a 12.5mm nozzle at a flow rate of 100 liters/min at a pressure of 100kN/m2 for 3 minutes from a distance of 3 meters.).  The fact that neither one boasts about this implies that it's probably no better than IPX-4 or IPX-5 (splashproof or all-angle water jet protected respectively).

If you google-search for the subject of each machine and waterproofing, there seem to be equal anecdotes of water-related failures for each brand.  Here's one thread of many with discussion of both:  http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?132703-Raymarine-Tillerpilot-not-very-waterproof .  A lot of people seem to fashion some kind of Sunbrella wrap to provide additional protection and to keep the sun off and coat the shaft with silicone grease.

I had an autohelm 3000 on a previous boat and did not have a problem (other than noticing that the sun made the dark enclosure very hot), but the encapsulation for the Simrad would make me tend to that one slightly.