Ok. Have a friend that is looking for info on a good auto pilot for his boat. 22 Pro line I/o center console. You guys were so good on downriggers I sort of told him you guys would have it figured out in no time
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Red Ferrari: Autopilots come is lots of different configurations and prices. As an entry-level unit Autohelms Sport Pilot series is affordable, at under $1000. I had one on my 28ft with twin 351s, and I think it was overmatched in this boat. It didn't hold real well when trolling toward the wind. In a smaller boat it might do fine. I had mine removed and moved up to a Raymarine 5000 series. My main piece of advice to someone buying an autopilot for the first time: Talk to some people who are experts- let them know all the details of power and steering--not all units will fit all boats. Most important---BUY THE BEST UNIT YOU CAN AFFORD!!!! You will not be happy if you are fishing alone, trolling into the wind on autopilot while fighting a fresh 25 lber, and the autopilot goes into standby mode, and the boat starts to do a "180" just as you are reaching for the net. One of the nice things about an autopilot is that you can fish alone and set line-fight and land fish- and drink your coffee with confidence that the boat will continue to go where you have pointed it. Once you fish a boat with an autopilot, you'll wonder how you ever managed without one. Dave--The Candyman
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Depending on whether the boat has hydraulic or mechanical steering the right answer will vary dramatically. If it is mechanical options are limited. I would suggest staying away from the Raymarine Sportpilot or Sportpilot+, as it just does not get the job done. I would point you toward the Simrad AP14, which is a much better unit at a comparable price.
If the boat has hydraulic steering there are many more options. Simrad units like the AP11 are generally viewed as the industry standard as they perform very well and are reliable. I believe you will find that unit in the neighborhood of $2000-$2500, depending on if you get the upgraded compass (which I would suggest). If that is too steep in price, I would then suggest the new line of Raymarine autopilots. They were redesigned for last year (2004) and were dramatically improved. You can get into a pilot from Ray four around $1500.
Let me know if I can be of any further assistance in the search, as finding the proper autopilot can be the difference between frustration and relaxation on the water. Hope this helps.
Tim Verdict - Ludington
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Tim & Dave, I will get a hold of my buddy, and find out what his exact thoughts are, I don't quite know what he ahs going. you both are very informative and nothing less than what I would expect from fellow educated anglers, " nine mile joe" are you looking ? Bob
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Why do you say the Simrad is a better unit than the RayMarine?
I am also looking for an auto pilot and I was looking at the Raymarine not sure which model. The guy at boaters world told me that they are almost identical in operation, but the Raymarine is bigger and easier to mount than the Simrad. The simrad you need to pull out the whole steering mechinism. I called raymarine today and a guy there had told me that they are coming out with a new model that does away with the gyro thing that needs to mounted into the middle of the boat and the thing that is mounted on the transom. He did not know when it is going to be on shelf, but he did say in the near furture.
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I've been on boats with and used both Simrad and Raymarine autopilots. From my experience, stays on course slightly better than a comparable Ray unit. More importantly however, the Simrad (Robertson) technology has proven itself to be the standard in reliability. The Raymarine units are generally up to the task, and since they are a bit cheaper provide a reasonable alternative to Simrad, but as they are simply not as reliable. In fact, a charter captain friend of mine became so frustrated with his Raymarine autopilot that he smashed the display in. I'm certainly not advocating that response to a less than cooperative autopilot, but it illustrates the point that Raymarine autopilots simply do not always work as advertised. Hopefully, that helps.
Tim Verdict - Ludington
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Darrell: The unit I have is a Raymarine ST5000. I bought it at West Marine during the winter at just a little over $1200 on sale (plus $500 for installation). I have a 28ft Slickcraft with 2x351s, and it does a very nice job with my boat. Slicks have a hydraulic-assist steering system. I have a friend who has a 31ft SeaRay with 2x454s who also has a Raymarine ST5000 and his also works great. It's a very high-quality system for well under $2000 installed. It does have a fluxgate compass (the gyro thingy), and a digital compass that mounts on the dash. Dave--The Candyman
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hi i did alot of research on autopilots so heres my 2 cents the sportpilot will work on your boat .the most important thing is to make sure you run through the calabration . i have a penn yan with a flybridge so the sport pilot would not work .the raymarine 5000 is the best unit if you have the money .do lots and lots of research i ended up with a raymarine 4000 manual for a sailboat because of the 2 steering wheel system them i had to modify the steering to the back of the steering gearbox. you are going to spend anywhere from 900 to 1500 dependeing on what you want hope this helps. julius
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I have a Raymarine Sport Pilot on a 2655 I-O , it worked ok for first couple of years { after sending it back when it was new twice} , but it is 4 years old now and the clutch in the control head seems to slip and has a hard time holding course , will just start beeeping and turn off , has been calibrated many times. I would spend the extra money and go with the ST 5000/6000 or the Simarad unit. Both are better quality than the sport pilot in my opinion. Am dissapointed in the Sport Pilot and Raymarine , as I have a lot of Raymarine on the boat and even with the past problems I had with the unit and the history of others they would not look at it unless I send 275.00 dollars for diag. and repair. I am not going to spend good money after bad , I will probably get the better Simarad this year.
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