Tiller Pilots - Which ones to buy?

DangerousPirate

DangerousPirate

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I want to replace my fubar AH800 with a different Tiller Pilot, but I know these Raymarine ones are not very good, they are absolutely not waterproof and need some workarounds like clingfoil or similar to keep dry (which I think is ridiculous for a marine gadget). They're also quite expensive for what they are and do qualitywise. Looking at a ST2000, generally.
But the reason why I opened the thread is to ask about alternatives, like lesser known brands that are worth trying? Heard about Pelagic, and despite good-looking products (that actually seem to withstand water. RI-DI-CU-LOUS) they're almost twice as expensive. Good to know, might be worth it in the future at some point, but for now I just look for affordability. Is there no chinese knockoff or something local, british, from a small factory?

Let me know, if you know something.
 
As an aside, I’ve had a very long life on my AH2000 thanks to it living in a canvas and plastic cover obtained from eBay. Simple and well made, it keeps water out.
 
I like my TP22. The pelagic RAM is a cheap Chinese model used for window awnings amongst other things. I bought one to check it out with the idea to use it with a Standard Pilot Computer but haven’t seen the need as the TP keeps going strong.
 
DangerousPirate said:
I want to replace my fubar AH800 with a different Tiller Pilot, but I know these Raymarine ones are not very good, they are absolutely not waterproof and need some workarounds like clingfoil or similar to keep dry (which I think is ridiculous for a marine gadget). They're also quite expensive for what they are and do qualitywise. Looking at a ST2000, generally.
But the reason why I opened the thread is to ask about alternatives, like lesser known brands that are worth trying? Heard about Pelagic, and despite good-looking products (that actually seem to withstand water. RI-DI-CU-LOUS) they're almost twice as expensive. Good to know, might be worth it in the future at some point, but for now I just look for affordability. Is there no chinese knockoff or something local, british, from a small factory?

Let me know, if you know something.
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Agree with the others that the Raymarine tillerpilot is very durable, providing you make a waterproof jacket for it.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
I have the AH800 and AH1000 models before Raymarine took them over ......... they are decades old and still trucking on ....

I have the wired remote as well ... still trucking on ....

I never cover or wrap in anything - I strongly believe that putting in a sleeve or cover can actually increase the risk of moisture damage. Both my 800 and 1000 have been in rain .... rough seas with spray into cockpit .... only once can I recall one of them failing to work ... swapped over to other unit ... failed one into cabin and opened up ... air dried .... worked fine again.

I do think sometimes about opening cases and applying a vaseline style non setting sealant to the red gasket ... but its only a thought as that red gasket can be a real pain to get back in position properly for re-assembly.

Given they are antiques ... I have replaced the power plug in the cockpit .... replaced the data / remote connector in both .... the AH1000 had one of its electronic components replaced from a 'spares and repair' AH1000 I picked up of eBay ...

I do occasionally look to replace with a later ST1000 - purely to get the Chart Plotter link capability - but not for any other reason.

I think asking which one to replace with - is just open to totally biased answers based on what people use themselves. I do not think any brand is better than the others ... as they all basically work with similar internals.
 
Refueler said:
I never cover or wrap in anything - I strongly believe that putting in a sleeve or cover can actually increase the risk of moisture damage. Both my 800 and 1000 have been in rain .... rough seas with spray into cockpit .... only once can I recall one of them failing to work ... swapped over to other unit ... failed one into cabin and opened up ... air dried .... worked fine again.
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And over 40k miles with mine in Scottish dreich weather, always with a cover, and no water ingress ever, so I believe that your belief about a cover encouraging water ingress is incorrect. Fresh water ingress you may get away with if quick remedial action is applied, but if salt water gets in and on the circuit board it's a death sentence sooner or later. If salt water gets on the PCB & power is not removed quickly it's terminal in minutes or hours.
 
AngusMcDoon said:
And over 40k miles with mine in Scottish dreich weather, always with a cover, and no water ingress ever, so I believe that your belief about a cover encouraging water ingress is incorrect. Fresh water ingress you may get away with if quick remedial action is applied, but if salt water gets in and on the circuit board it's a death sentence sooner or later. If salt water gets on the PCB & power is not removed quickly it's terminal in minutes or hours.
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The failure was approaching Gotland years ago and we hit a thunder storm with torrential rain ..... so the tiny bit of moisture found inside was rain based fresh ...

I agree with your salt water comment etc. - but you make an assumption which is incorrect. I did not say 'encouraging water ingress' ....

My comment used the word MOISTURE for good reason. Many items suffer from retention of moisture under covers because free air movement is prevented ...
You can take a box from a warm humid atmosphere ... move it to a colder location and have moisture deposited / detected ... but if the box is open and air is free to move - that seldom occurs. Just a simple matter.

If anyone is really worried about water / moisture damage to an item ... a simple purchase of Corrosion X spray puts paid to it ... open up case - give all a spray of Corr. X ... close up and forget about it.

Having a cover for 40k miles and no problem is same as saying I've had a rope cutter on my prop for 40k miles and not had a rope problem. Its one of those things that only hits you when something happens.
I can only wonder about how many miles my two uncovered 800 and 1000 have done in the decades they have been working. The board failure in the 1000 had nothing to do with water ... as the guy said - there was no sign of anything to cause it and was most likely age !! I gave him my 800 to check just to be sure !!
 
vyv_cox said:
My only reason for using a cover, which we do always, is to reflect sunlight away from the unit, in Greece. I cannot guess why it is made in black plastic that in baking sunshine becomes too hot to touch.
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I think TBH .. a simple 'throw over' cover would not be a bad idea ... but I'm definitely not a believer in an all over cover .... seen too many items when covers taken off and the item under ... UGH !!
 
Some of the aftermarket TP covers for sale on eBay have a nice seal around ram/arm. My cover doesn’t and I would recommend avoiding the seal-less ones - just an extra layer of defence.
 
Refueler said:
My comment used the word MOISTURE for good reason. Many items suffer from retention of moisture under covers because free air movement is prevented ...
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I didn't fit mine when I obtained it & left it there for 20 years. I'd put it on at the start of a voyage when I fitted the tiller pilot & take it off at the end when I took the tiller pilot off. There was no build up of moisture or gunk under the cover. And never an incidence of water ingress, unlike your experience, despite two decades of use in one of the wettest environments in Europe.

Tiller pilots are far too stealable to fit & forget for those of us who dont keep our boat at the end of our garden.
 
As you have discovered there are really only 2 choices - ST 2000 or TP32. The Pelagic and EV 100 are completely different animals and well over twice the price.

The main reason why there is no competition and the designs are old is because demand is small and declining. As suggested by others both can be reliable if looked after (and a vast improvement over your 800). I have just bought an ST 2000, although my boat really needs an EV, but for my type of use I can't justify the cost.

I think this is the best current price hudsonmarine.co.uk/products/raymarine-st2000-plus-cockpit-tiller-autopilot-maximum-displacement-4-500-kg-a12005
 
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