Autopilots - take take take

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MRC

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I know it has been mentioned that its all take take take on this forum in terms of questions. Its just that it is teh best place to get questions answered.

In the past I have had sports boats upto 37ft and aim now looking to spec up a 55ft cruiser style boat. It comes with Raymarine autopilot as standard. Question is do you need an autopilot on a powerboat? If not I will be looking for a refund if not fitted.

I will endevour at some point to add value to the forum.



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An autopilot primarily allows you to take your hands off the wheel. Yeah, you are also sposed to be able to get it to steer to various waypoints but hardlyanyone does this in real life - cos it doesn't mean you can take your eyes off the water dead ahead. So, it's a nice to have, not an absolute necessity. If I had a cruising boat without one, I'd fit one. If I had autopuilot and it stopped working i wd try and get it fixed soonish, but wouldn't abandon a holiday if it failed day 1. So, them fitting one as standard is quite appropriate, and shouldn't trigger your wrath!




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Question is, can you manage without an auto pilot. I use two controls. Auto pilot or engines in marina type places. The wheel gets used maybe once in a weeks cruising. Once went from Stourport way up the Severn to Swansea with hydraulics broke. I'm not sure if wheels are necessary!!

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn
 
Definitely worth having as its dead boring steering manually against a compass course if you're on a longish trip. Also, it is useful to interface the autopilot to the GPS and have the boat track from one waypoint to the next

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Never knew that. I'll have to give it a go. Last boat I had, had no auto pilot. It used to do my head in corecting after every wave for the ninety miles to Dublin. Present boat had everything except auto pilot. I had it fitted emediatly.

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn
 
Seriously , it's an essential bit of kit, for short-handed cruising. However, it is a WORKLOAD MANAGEMENT DEVICE. No more, no less, and you should seek proper advice and/or training on its use.

Used improperly, autohelms have the potential to do great harm.

Used correctly, they are another man on watch.

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Not careing about what ever boat or size youve had. You aint ever been anywhere. Or would not ask the question. Now come back and ask it serriously,

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn
 
I wish I'd known Powerskipers tip about pressing +/-1 +/-10 at same time to do 90 degree turn before. Could have had a lot of fun on Zefenders raggie boat when we did the Cherbourg trip /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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IMHO, if you get one, ask for a control unit with a rotary control, that is, a knob that you can feel clicking like the volume knob on a decent hifi. If you want to turn 20 degrees left, you turn the knob 20 clicks left. Much easier imho than the +1 and + 10 buttons. Robertson, Simrad and new Ramarines have the volume knob, whereas older Raymarine seem only to have the +1 and + 10 buttons

Which 55 footer are you looking at?

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Re: HAYDN reply

The only reason I ask the question is because the only real cruising we have done has been using my dads sail/yacht. This was fitted with raymarine autopilot which we very rarely used, skipper maintained the wheel at all times. Only time it was used was when sailing short handed and only in short bursts. Cocky reply from HAYDN has been noted, he is correct in that we have not cruised using a powerboat hence why we are looking to buy a cruiser and get cruising, hence the question being asked, I didn’t realise you had to be an expert to be on the forum as he obviously is (EXPERT being broken down into two categories, EXPERT=EXSPIRT=the EX being a “has-been” and the SPIRT being a “drip under pressure!!”). New boat is to be built in Poole so that opens me up for more abuse at a guess.

MRC.


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The -1,-10 button thingy is for us raggies, idea is you hit them together and the boat tacks 90'. So you could have had some fun, tacking when he was in the galley, or the heads or something.

IMHO this feature is almost useless though, I always unhook the pilot, tack the boat and wait till we were settled right for wind and waves then hit 'auto' again.

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Re: HAYDN reply

Well he did say he'd had plenty of 37ft sports boats. I did not think sports boats were raggies!!.../forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1> <font color=blue>No one can force me to come here.<font color=red> I'm a volunteer!!.<font color=blue>

Haydn
 
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