Inshore boaters - how often do you use your autopilot?

[Murv]

I have a faulty Cetrek 737 on my boat, with repeater on the flybridge.
Although I think it's a minor fault, it is taking up room at the helm which I could better utilise at the moment.

So, I'm thinking or removing the displays, but in a non-destructive manner so that they could be refitted at a later date.
How useful is autohelm? How often do you use yours?
We're never going to do long passages, maybe up to 150nm would be the max and 99.9% of the time it will just be trips of a coupe of Hours or so.
I really can't see that I'll ever need it, any thoughts?

 

[henryf]

Autopilot is very useful.

The big benefit is that it takes pressure off you. Set the auto pilot and all of a sudden you have freed up mental and observational capacity to concentrate on navigation, the boat, passengers, other traffic and so on.

From a navigational point of view you can set a track and there's no danger of drifting off course. Working out the tidal drift takes a lot of mental capacity and if you are trying to avoid specific danger areas the auto pilot ensures you don't end up off course.

In an emergency dropping down to tick over with the AP on let's you deal with the situation without unwittingly being blown or dragged into a dangerous situation.

Setting a track allows you to negotiate local traffic then come back onto your track avoiding hazards. Otherwise you go off course to avoid traffic then find yourself in trouble as you aim for your destination from the new location.

I would say your auto pilot is one of the most important bits of kit you have and an integral part of the chart plotter. It really comes into it's own when the chips are down and you're under pressure.

Henry

 

[oldgit]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

Ahem, autohelms were the work of the devil and just something idle lazy boaters used.
Until that was .....a boat I bought came with a very basic system already fitted.
Just about the best thing since sliced bread especially if you have a boat which tends to need constant correction to hold a course ( did i mention outdrives).
Ashamed to admit (or not) did end up using it up above the lock and in very some confined areas.
Get it up and running at some point you will not regret it,especially on trips to Ipswich.

 

[Murv]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

OK, thanks both, that pretty much backs up what I'd heard from a couple of people.
I shall leave it alone for now then, problem is it's completely obsolete so if it's not a wiring fault it's unlikely to be salvageable.
I'll make room at the helm somewhere else then

 

[rafiki_]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

I use ours pretty much all the time, for all the reasons Henry says.

 

[Billy Blue]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

If you go out by yourself which I do a lot it is absolutely invaluable.

 

[chuzzlewit]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

As an ex raggie and now owning a Merry Fisher with one engine, I'm very jumpy about lobster pots.

 

[thecommander]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

For singlehanded and shorthanded sailors autopilot systems are invaluable but definitely not something to be relied upon.

 

[Billy Blue]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

"As an ex raggie and now owning a Merry Fisher with one engine, I'm very jumpy about lobster pots."
Use of an autopilot allows you to keep a proper (better) lookout and only takes a second to either change course rapidly of come out of it if you need to. Put a route in, put your autopilot to "Track" then you can concentrate on watching out for the lobster pots and worry less about maintaining your course.
"For singlehanded and shorthanded sailors autopilot systems are invaluable but definitely not something to be relied upon."
Every navigational aid is exactly that.... an aid, just as a chartplotter, radar, AIS are.

 

[apollo]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

OK, thanks both, that pretty much backs up what I'd heard from a couple of people.
I shall leave it alone for now then, problem is it's completely obsolete so if it's not a wiring fault it's unlikely to be salvageable.
I'll make room at the helm somewhere else then

PM Sent

 

[Uricanejack]

Re: Inshore boaters do it all the time.

I never use one simply because I don't have one. I think it would come in handy if I did have one. I sail single handed a lot of the time.
I've used them many times in the past. properly used a good tool. Improperly used deadly.