Tiller Pilot with single battery.

[davidpbo]

Does anyone run something like an ST1000 Tiller Pilot on a 24ft sailing boat with an electric start (Only) outboard and a single battery? I think the battery is 85AH.

Not felt the need for assistance beyond a Tiller Lock before but something to keep us on course for a reasonable time would have been useful whilst cruising on the Firth of Clyde this year.

I only have one battery, it is a trailerable boat so don't want to keep putting weight on.

Battery is charged by modern Yamaha outboard (6A), and occasional connected external battery charger when on shore power. If we carry on with this boat I will probably buy a clip on starter pack as a back up battery anyway.

 

[LiftyK]

It was a while ago but ST1000 with ~45Ah battery and 9HP outboard for charging on a 21’ yacht was no problem at all, crossing The Channel. I did have a good battery monitor and never went below 50% on the longest of sails.

 

[VicS]

I use a Nautech 1000 Autohelm on a 19 ft sailing boat with a 60Ah battery charged ( slightly ) from a ropestart Evinrude outboard and a 5 watt solar panel

The autohelm is in use most of the time. whether sailing or motoring

ITYWF that the manual for the ST1000 gives current consumption figures

 

[johnalison]

I think that a small tiller pilot on a well-balanced boat under sail is usually reckoned to use an average of about 2 amps. It might be that an ST 1000 on a 24-footer will be a little less.

 

[northwind]

Does anyone run something like an ST1000 Tiller Pilot on a 24ft sailing boat with an electric start (Only) outboard and a single battery? I think the battery is 85AH.

Not felt the need for assistance beyond a Tiller Lock before but something to keep us on course for a reasonable time would have been useful whilst cruising on the Firth of Clyde this year.

I only have one battery, it is a trailerable boat so don't want to keep putting weight on.

Battery is charged by modern Yamaha outboard (6A), and occasional connected external battery charger when on shore power. If we carry on with this boat I will probably buy a clip on starter pack as a back up battery anyway.

Use a Solar panel to help with the losses.

 

[shaunksb]

Until last year I had a 24’ boat with a ST 1000, a Tohatsu with 6amp charger and a 20w solar panel.

This worked with a pair of Ritar 50ah golf cart batteries in one battery box. This allowed me not to worry too much about deep discharges and the set up worked for four years with no problems.

Oh and it ran an eberspacher as well.

______________________________

 

[LittleSister]

I think to run a tiller pilot off a single battery on which you are completely dependent to start your engine would be foolhardy, unless you were to fit a low voltage cut-out for the tiller pilot supply.

 

[girlofwight]

Our first boat was single battery and tiller pilot, Moody 29. I carried a battery booster in case of a problem- that was an old style typewriter style one weighing a couple of house bricks. The newer compact ones - lithium- stow more easily!

 

[thinwater]

Yes (Corsair F-24). But if you are going far enough to worry about the battery, add a 50W solar panel with simple regulator forward of the hatch. You'll love it. (I've done much more complicated solar on larger boats, but this is all you need.) I think it was about $75 all in, and my battery is always full.

http://sail-delmarva.blogspot.com/2017/10/super-simple-solar.html

 

[thinwater]

I think to run a tiller pilot off a single battery on which you are completely dependent to start your engine would be foolhardy, unless you were to fit a low voltage cut-out for the tiller pilot supply.

The tiller pilot will do that automatically. The OP can pull-start easily.

 

[William_H]

OP says electric start (only) so presumably needs a battery to get a start. Worth exploring to confirm there is no option for pull start. Often remove the cover and wind a rope around the flywheel. If indeed there is no pull start option then yes you need to ensure you do not flatten the battery at night or from use of auto pilot. I think safest option is still a second battery given that the one battery will die of old age at some time even if he is diligent to not discharge it too much. A jump start pack might be another answer but I would go for a second battery. ol'will

 

[zulloboy]

The power used by your ST will depend very much on how well balanced your sails are and the sea state state, and of course the duration of use. Over many years, I have found the average current draw for the ST2000+ on my 28 foot keel boat to be around .25 - .5A. Before the work I did to fix the weather helm it was a lot more. The ST's will stall when hard over which will greatly increase the current (to several amps), so watch your trim. This stall condition will also eventually cause the the ST to fail (ask me how I know!) Simrad TP's are immune from this because they have built-in stall protection.

It will also vary depending on point of sail. Many boats will "sail themselves" on a broad reach (ie little work needed to hold course so bugger-all current draw) , while most boats will need a heap of helm action in a following sea (ie heaps of current draw). And buy yourself a voltmeter. If you wait for the TP to cut out on low voltage as suggested you're already in trouble.

So there's your precisely specified piece of string.

Cheers, Graeme

 

[LittleSister]

Does anyone run something like an ST1000 Tiller Pilot on a 24ft sailing boat with an electric start (Only) outboard and a single battery? I think the battery is 85AH.

I think to run a tiller pilot off a single battery on which you are completely dependent to start your engine would be foolhardy, unless you were to fit a low voltage cut-out for the tiller pilot supply.

The tiller pilot will do that automatically. The OP can pull-start easily.

 

[Stemar]

I had similar setup originally on Jissel, except it was an inboard diesel with a dynastart with, shall we say, a limited charging capacity. Knowing what I know now and the technology around now, I would have fitted as much solar power as I comfortably could with a twin battery solar controller, VSR and a separate starter battery. You could do the whole thing for change from a couple of hundred pounds, possibly quite a bit of change. If the budget's really tight, you could use a headlamp relay for less than a fiver - it's what I've got because I was broke and VSRs were a good bit dearer when I set things up.

I now have a better engine with proper alternator and the above solar setup, and it's a wonderful thing to step aboard knowing that both batteries are fully charged when shore power is unavailable.

 

[davidpbo]

The tiller pilot will do that automatically. The OP can pull-start easily.

No I can't. I have to remove engine cover, flywheel cover and use a rope. No recoil start line fitted.

 

[TernVI]

If you're concerned by it, then fit another battery or get a Lithium jump start pack.
Personally, I think relying on a single battery is asking for trouble. OTOH, a boat with sails is not always 'relying' on the engine.

The autopilot will use more on a bad day, so problems will happen when you're least well placed to laugh them off.

Some solar is always a good idea, but doesn't address the issue.
You might well find a discarded car battery that's perfectly capable of starting the outboard, or a motorbike battery, but a new, plain ordinary car battery is probably good value for peace of mind.

When you cost up all the split charging and wiring, carrying a Lithium pack you charge at home might look economic?

 

[fredrussell]

No I can't. I have to remove engine cover, flywheel cover and use a rope. No recoil start line fitted.

Hang on, doesn’t that mean you CAN start it by hand??? Just because no recoil line fitted, that doesn’t mean you can’t just wrap a line around flywheel and pull. It’s what Neolithic man did on most seagull outboards I believe?

 

[TC Tuckton]

Hang on, doesn’t that mean you CAN start it by hand??? Just because no recoil line fitted, that doesn’t mean you can’t just wrap a line around flywheel and pull. It’s what Neolithic man did on most seagull outboards I believe?

I thought Seagulls were Bronze Age technology.

 

[VicS]

I thought Seagulls were Bronze Age technology.

the "bronze age" Seagulls were from 1967 to 1977

 

[andsarkit]

A long time ago I sailed about 1.5k miles with a single battery powering an autohelm and just a little wind generator giving about 0.5A. I would run the engine about once a week to allow the dynastart to put some charge into the battery. No other electronics apart from a Lokata RDF used an hour or so every day. The Vire engine would easily start with a cord around the flywheel so I was never concerned about a flat battery. The power problem solved itself when the autohelm died and I sailed the remainder of the voyage with trimmed sails and a lashed tiller.
I would not recommend doing the same now but it shows that it is quite possible to get around with a single battery and limited charging. I would be happier with a small 50W solar panel and a recoil starter if that could be fitted alongside the electric start.