Tiller self steering device- what is best?

Peter I would say the Raymarine ST 1000/2000 auto pilot the least sophistacated unit you could use.
Depending of course on the size of your boat.
the ST is good for up to 33ft.
 
I'd agree with CW either a Raymarine or Navico electronic tiller pilot. Which ever model from their respective ranges is appropriate for your boat.

The majority vote generally is in favour of the Raymarine ones rather than the Navico /Simrad ones, but they are a tad more expensive.

They'll do far more than you ask; they'll steer the boat all day for you, interface with other instruments and practically take the boat where ever you want while you stay at home!

Would not be without mine but maybe you are looking for something more basic.
 
It depends on how 'short term' you are thinking of, the boat and the conditions. Personally I would not like to single-hand without an electric pilot of some kind (the Raymarine tillerpilots are excellent) but many use far simpler arrangements of lines and bungee rubber, if the yacht is balanced. If the sails are properly set and trimmed, with some yachts you can let go of the tiller or lash it. There is plenty of experience from history out there from single-handers, long before the days of electric pilots or wind-vane pilots. There are quite a few on this forum who have experience of non-electric systems...wait a day or so and someone will give you some ideas.
 
Down to budget and personal choice.

Our boat is fitted with Hasler wind vane, about as basic and as old as you can get. But it found it's way from the UK to the USA, West Indies, and back via the Azors and Gib.

Brian
 
As Lemain says, you can get away with just a bungee cord if your sails / rig are balanced and you yacht is on the small side. My version of balanced is when going to wind you can tiller steer with one finger.
On my 24 ft yacht I have used a bungee cord for the last 6 years when going to windward and want to leave the tiller for five or ten minutes. The longest I've left the tiller with the bungee cord attached is 15 minutes with no problems. I reckon I could leave it for longer but I've never really had the reason to.
I hook one side of the bungee cord to latch in the cockpit, wrap anything between 2 to 4 turns around the tiller, and then hook the other side of the bungee to a latch on the other side of the cockpit.
A word of warning here, this only works when beating to wind or just off the wind. If on any other point of sail I just 'Heave to', do what i have to do, then just start sailing again.

When Motoring you can also do the Bungee cord method. Try it before buying any other tiller steering device. A bungee cord should only cost you about a £1.

10mm bungee cord.
 
Another vote here for Raymarine ST2000 (good for 4500kg) but DONT get it wet, or it will self destruct after 10 seconds.
 
From your post you've ruled out all windvanes, but they're all extremely expensive.

So the choice is between a lashed tiller or an electric tiller pilot.

The least expensive will be lashing the tiller, but the most inaccurate.

A cheap all-in-one tillerpilot will do the job providing you never get it wet, I'm biassed toward one of the Raymarine range, but there are many other perfectly adequate makes on the market.
As you don't give details of boat type, weight or length it's impossible to even hazard a guess.

If you want one that won't pack up in the rain, you need a separate control head, separate fluxgate compass and separate actuator, the first two being mounted under cover.

Whatever you do, go for one the next category up for your boat, marketing people are always excessively optimistic.
 
Trouble with any locking device such as Tiller-Mate etc. - as soon as you / others move about the boat - the balance alters and boat sheers / vears as a result. Fine if you want to sit and let it steer for you a short while.

Like others - I prefer the tiller-pilot, in fact so much so that I have 2 on board .... last models of the old Autohelm series before they went Raymarine. AH1000 which became the ST1000 and an AH800 - the base model.

I now use mine more than myself steering, the simple ease of use. I have a wired remote as well that lets me stand just forward of the mast and still control it.

The only thing I miss now - is interface to plotter. Which means that maybe my next purchase for the boat may be a later model - ie the ST1000+ Tillerpilot.
 
Charles - my old Autohelms have been out in all the weathers and still working. It's true that twice my main AH1000 has stopped working after being thoroughly drenched, in fact dunked in water !. But after case opened aired, dried - last time all joints smeared with vaseline - working fine again.

But really it took a lot of abuse for the water to get in.
 
My experience

is entirely the opposite, with original MkII, 1000 and Raymarine 2000ST.

I got thoroughly fed up with shelling out for new PCBs.

Perhaps your single handing not as comprehensive as mine (2500-3500nm pa)?
Or the rain is less wetting where you sail than Western Approaches (Irish Sea, Channel Biscay)?
I do know Irish Sea rain is the only type that runs uphill!!
 
Re: My experience

last time my AH1000 gave up - I had gone through a serious thunderstorm of Gotland plus the heavy rain previous day leaving Sandhamn.

I admit my log is nowhere near your nm's ... and I don't say they are waterproof. Just that mine seem to put up with my lack of care ! I am lucky that I have a Lab Tech who's dab hand at sorting things like this !
 
Re: My experience

I have left my Raymarine 2000+ in the cockpit for nearly six months a year for the past three years, come rain or shine. And it still works.
 
Re: My experience

>>........... is entirely the opposite, with original MkII, 1000 and Raymarine 2000ST.<<<

As is mine to yours!! I've used the old Autohelm 2000 and new Raymarine ST2000+'s for nearly 47K miles of offshore and ocean sailing over the years in all sorts of lumpy weather, and never had a single problem with any of them.

I accept that others on here have, which makes me wonder if it's a variation in manufacture quality (don't really see how it can be) or different degrees of cockpit exposure. Certainly I made a PVC backed fabric cover for use on our first Pond circuit and have used it ever since, so this may well be part of the reason.

I doubt that any cockpit-mounted autoplilot is totally immune, so anything one can do to help protect it from the elements seems a sensible thing to do.

So overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the brand. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

(no connection etc)
 
Many thanks for the above. It is all helpful. To clarify,Peter Robyn has been posted on the Classic Boat forum, 'Newcomer from the Antipodes" which gives some background info. She is 31' LOA; 8'3"beam. I have included a photo. Cheers, Peter [image]
104-0427_IMG.jpg
[/image]
 
Simrad TP10

Got me to the Azores and back despite being asked to work too hard.

I've watched it working under water.

Never missed a beat

P
 
I use an old Autopilot 1000 and have had no problems on a Sadler 29. Very handy to take the tiller while I make a cup of tea, consult the chart, take a leak, prepare to anchor or go alongside, work on deck, play guitar etc. I don't often use it upwind as I prefer to helm myself then.

If I were to need self steering for any length of time (ie a day or two) I would be tempted to look at wind vane to save power and because that steers relative to the wind , not to a compass course.
 
[ QUOTE ]
If I were to need self steering for any length of time (ie a day or two) I would be tempted to look at wind vane to save power and because that steers relative to the wind , not to a compass course.

[/ QUOTE ]

You used to be able to get an optional wind direction sensor add-on for what are now Raymarine autopilots, so that they steered by the wind angle, not the compass.

I'm alarmed by this talk of autopilots being sensitive to rain. It had never occurred to me they would be, and I've always had mine (an AH1000 and a ST200+) out, whatever the weather, pretty much all the time I'm on board. Same on a friend's boat we sailed for years. Never had a problem (except having enough electrical power on a boat with an outboard engine).

Great bit of kit, an absolute boon for single-handing, and a much better helm than me in all but the worst conditions! In fact, for single handing I'd choose it as my third most important bit of kit after a compass and echo sounder.
 
My ST2000 is plugged into wind instruments and GPS, so can steer to the wind or waypoint. I use wind as my default.

I'm another one who has my autopilot out in all weathers. I can only guess there must be a quality control issue given some peoples pack up at the scent of rain and my ploughs on through torrential downpours.
 
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