Tiller Pilots

[Clyde_Wanderer]

No response on SB, maybe I will get some response here!

Looking at the Raymarine ST 1000+
Seems there is very little info available from any companies selling them, would one need a Seatalk unit to link it up with NMEA or will it communicate directly with NMEA, and what does the "+" signify?
Are there any alternatives, ie other makes with similar or better spec for the samish price.
How happy are you with yours? (ST1000+)
Advice greatly appreciated.
TIA, C_W
__________________
Custom made GRP mouldings for your boat.

 

[MM5AHO]

responded to the other thread before seeing this one..

 

[ianfr]

I have an ST1000+ which talks to my SH180 using NMEA.

Very pleased with it, although for the current boat I will be upgrading to the ST2000.

Keep it dryish and don't over push it.

Regards

Ian

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I have an ST2000 - I'd have thought the ST1000 was a bit undersized for Hummingbird; the ST2000 is at the high end of its range for Capricious. However, it talks "Seatalk" to my chartplotter, and I can use the Chartplotter (a C80) to control it.

ALl the best!

 

[misterg]

responded to the other thread before seeing this one..

Ditto

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Thanks for the replies, sorry for the double post.
I have heard so many bad reports about the Raymarine STs and a mixed opinion on the Simrads.
Seems its a case of taking a chance on one or the other.
The Simrad TP10 can be had considerably than the ST1000+ and apears to be a little more robust though a little fiddly on the controls.
I have seen an ST 1000 pack up during very little stress,(cog jumped out of its seating in the gearbox) and I was shocked at how flemsy it was made.
I am now considering a Simrad TP10, although it got mixed votes in this thread, http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105122&page=2
Are the views still the same today or have they changed.
The ST 2000+ is definatly out of my price range, so its the ST 1000+ or the Simrad TP10.
Which would you go for????????????
C_W

 

[Tranona]

I have had good service out of my ST1000, but it cannot cope with anything above a force 4-5 on a heavy 26 footer. If all you want is something to steer when you are doing the boring motoring bit and in light airs it will be OK. If you want more, save your pennies till you can afford a 2000.

 

[misterg]

TP10 doesn't (or didn't) do NMEA. (The ST1000+ does, as per my reply on the other thread)

Save up for the ST2000+ IMHO.

Andy

 

[doug748]

I am now considering a Simrad TP10, although it got mixed votes in this thread, http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105122&page=2
Are the views still the same today or have they changed.
The ST 2000+ is definatly out of my price range, so its the ST 1000+ or the Simrad TP10.
Which would you go for????????????
C_W

How time wizzies by. I think you will find more recent opinions if you fish around. They are all very much in line, both products are held in pretty low esteem.
I have a TP32 and would not want anything more flimsy for all but the lightest duty. Wish I had bought the built in job from Rayamrine.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Thanks for the replies, sorry for the double post.
I have heard so many bad reports about the Raymarine STs and a mixed opinion on the Simrads.
Seems its a case of taking a chance on one or the other.
The Simrad TP10 can be had considerably than the ST1000+ and apears to be a little more robust though a little fiddly on the controls.
I have seen an ST 1000 pack up during very little stress,(cog jumped out of its seating in the gearbox) and I was shocked at how flemsy it was made.
I am now considering a Simrad TP10, although it got mixed votes in this thread, http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=105122&page=2
Are the views still the same today or have they changed.
The ST 2000+ is definatly out of my price range, so its the ST 1000+ or the Simrad TP10.
Which would you go for????????????
C_W

I think you'll find the bad reports are for the ST1000; the ST2000 has done me good service for several seasons now. Most reports of the ST1000 not performing well seem to be where it has been used on a vessel really too big for it - the maximum displacement quoted for the ST1000 is 2,500 kg, and the maximum displacement for the ST2000 is 4,000 kg. As Capricious (not much bigger than Hummingbird) has a NOMINAL displacement of 4,500 kg (and a lot more, no doubt, with water and gear aboard!), the ST2000 is none too big for her. Unfortunately, the table given on Raymarine's web-site doesn't seem to have a realistic relationship between length and displacement! Looking at the LENGTHs that Raymarine recommend suggests that the ST1000 would be fine for Capricious, but on displacement it is far too light. My experience suggests that you should ignore the lengths quoted and go for the displacement.

I too have heard the horror stories about lack of waterproofing; all I can say is that mine has been subjected to rain and spray for 4 seasons, and shows no signs of misbehaving or of water ingress. Of course, it is stored below decks when not in use, but it spends all the time at sea read to spring into action! The only waterproofing problem I have had is with the plug and socket that connects it to the network - and a spray of Maplins connection cleaner sorted that

We're hoping to be up there in November - perhaps we might see you then?

 

[Scotty_Tradewind]

It's not the size of the vessel that really matters but the load at the tiller.
If you have a set up that suffers from heavy weather helm then the tiller pilot will not like it. A balanced boat with a light helm is always favourable. Don't ask them to do real hard work like steering a rolling boat in a swell, they are not meant for that.

The + for the St 2000+ means that it will 'talk' to a remote.
They don't like green water or sometimes a light splash, therefore a cover of some sort is advisable.

Advise taking 'home' at every opportunity and keeping in a very warm place until required again(airing cupboard etc.)

They do open up fairly easily but if under warranty then you may lose support.
I have spent an hour with my old one opened up under a hand drier in a toilet block to get it back to life. Once salt water is in there then they need a thorough wipe out with baby wipes or a spirit that will wash and dry easily - but only in a real desperate emergency!

 

[Seajet]

I had an early Autohelm 1000 ( black rather than grey, no LCD ) which worked extremely well on my 22' boat.

I became concerned about the lack of spares available, so got a modern 2000.

That lasted 30 seconds !

The replacement seems to work very well indeed, I've tried it in a quartering sea which I knew the 1000 wouldn't have handled, and it perfomed beyond expectations.

I had tossed up A/H - Simrad, but on looking at figures and controls I decided to stay Autohelm; not sure what Simrad are like at back-up but Autohelm seems to be very poor, changing stories as to why bits aren't available every 5 minutes...

The 2000 is absolutely excellent and I agree with those saying 'save up for one', but after the experience of the first one expiring just on being tried on the mooring, I don't trust it to keep going; though that's a healthy attitude towards all autopilots, sadly !

 

[V1701]

I bought my TP22 about 6 months ago, at that time the TP10 wasn't capable of receiving information from a plotter. I'm happy with the TP22 on an Albin Vega, it's mechanically easily up to the job, waterproof so far (had quite a lot of salt water over it and rinsing it after use with fresh water). They are claimed to have been immersion tested so if they pack up due to water ingress within guarantee period I would have though that you'd be able to get another one FOC...

 

[Cariadco]

Simrad vs Autohelm??

I had a Simrad on my old Beneteau 390. It travelled back to the UK (Simrad workshop) more than I did. Rubbish.
I think it was the 3000 version.

I've an ST7000 on my current boat, although much bigger than the simrad, I think Autohelm's brilliant.

 

[V1701]

I had a Simrad on my old Beneteau 390. It travelled back to the UK (Simrad workshop) more than I did. Rubbish.
I think it was the 3000 version.

I've an ST7000 on my current boat, although much bigger than the simrad, I think Autohelm's brilliant.

I think the OP needs to consider information on the current models of tiller pilot...

 

[Spyro]

I had a TP10 on my previous boat and was not impressed with it. Lock to lock time was very slow which meant it was slow to react. It also didn't last long, needed two new drive belts in 3 years. Now have a ST2000+ used it for 3 seasons and find it excellent.
I think you would regret buying a TP10 for your size of boat. I don't have mine linked up with NMEA but I don't find it a problem. I'm never that far from the tiller for very long to need it.

 

[Stu Jackson]

Before I bought an AP I used John Lechter's self steering for small boats lines to a mainsheet. What I learned was that ANY self steering requires a balanced boat. What the sheet to tiller system taught me was how to learn to trim sails properly. What I also found out was that sailing upwind closehauled was the EASIEST on the AP. On a Catalina (Jaguar) 25 footer.

I bought a lightweight Navico tillerpilot and it worked just fine, but for anything going from a broad reach to a run it would get overpowered due to wave action, not wind.

That's still true today with autopilots. Only the beefiest ones can handle it and require additional components to work properly in those conditions.

You have to balance your sails and balance your expectations, as well as balance your pocketbook.

Good luck.

PS - with APs, bigger is better.

 

[samwise]

We have two ST2000+ APs chiefly because our original unit failed us on our way down to the Med in 2006 and it was cheaper for us to order a new one and get it shipped from UK than to pay the eye watering repair charges in Spain.

In the event, we sent it to Raymarine when we returned to UK and they could find nothing wrong, said it was a calibration problem.

Five years on they are doing Ok, but I have found that if you need to split the casing to fix something, make sure that it seals really tight - ideally wipe some silicone grease around the gasket before tightening down.

There was a lot of rain in the Baltic this season and it waterlogged our No1 AP comprehensively, but it was ok when it dried out and we used the back up in the interim.

Another point is to beware fitting cockpit, speakers in or near the transom. If the AP unit is too close the speaker magnet will derange it comprehensively. We fitted a pair of proper marine speakers which I though were supposed to be shielded, they weren't. I had to buy some special shielding from the US and shape it to cover the magnet.

 

[RobF]

I looked at several Tiller Pilots before going for the ST2000. I spoke with MES in Bristol who said they sell quite a few of these devices but rarely get them back so they must be reasonably watertight. I've bought a sheet of sprayhood window material that I wrap around mine if it's going to be wet but thus far haven't had any problems at all with it.

Not only will the ST2000+ handle bigger loads, it's also got a much faster response time. It's probably an overkill for my boat (20foot, 1400KG) but I thought it was worth the extra cash and is more likely to be useful if I trade up.

I echo Sam's advice about mounting. My tiller pilot used to be mounted above my outboard which was mounted in a well inside the cockpit. The strong magnets in the alternator on the outboard meant that the Tiller pilot didn't work at all. My solution was to transom mount the outboard - which I appreciate is not to everyone's preference (although it is my preference).

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

Thanks everyone for your replies.
I guess I will have to save a little longer and go for the ST2000+.
HB does suffer from bad weatherhelm which would soon make mince meat of a smaller unit, although I dont (or cant) use an autohelm if sailing in a hefty blow unless well reefed and part genoa as otherwise I can barely hold her by hand not alone use an ah.

Will probably be in Millport every wk end Paul maybe catch up with you for a pint.
C_W