Tillerpilot- advice please

[alkira]

Anyone got any experience with the Raymarine ST2000??

Just i was going to get one for motoring in calm seas and wondering if this would be up to the job....boat is 11.5m and 10 tons which is a bit big for this tp but it's only for motoring through calms .
Any advice gratefully received>

 

[Seajet]

I have one and find it very good; OK my boat is 22' and well balanced ( when I get it right ! ) but I tried the AH2000 in quartering seas I knew the previous 1000 couldn't have coped with, and the 2000 did better than I'd dare hope.

They do have a reputation for failing in rain though, so a lot of people make up simple plastic covers.

 

[Spyro]

Should be fine for your intended purpose.

 

[Tranona]

Anyone got any experience with the Raymarine ST2000??

Just i was going to get one for motoring in calm seas and wondering if this would be up to the job....boat is 11.5m and 10 tons which is a bit big for this tp but it's only for motoring through calms .
Any advice gratefully received>

Marginal - even for motoring it is likely struggle as your boat is more than double the recommended displacement. assume you have tiller steering, in which case you would be better going for the tiller version of the Evo.

 

[Kelpie]

Using LOA or weight as a guide isn't all that helpful. It all comes down to the load on the helm, and the speed that is required. It sounds like the OP is not going to be placing big demands on his tillerpilot.
We use a ST1000 on a 33ft 6t boat, and it does just fine, but it is only ever used when motoring in flat water.

 

[rptb1]

They do have a reputation for failing in rain though, so a lot of people make up simple plastic covers.

I was just last night speaking to a friend about this. He's just done a year long cruise (UK, Cape Verde, Brazil, Caribbean, UK) partly using one, and mentioned that it didn't like water. He would poke the mounting post through a bin bag and tie up the other end on the tiller.

I have an ST1000 and I periodically grease all the seals with Vaseline. It hasn't failed yet and it's been pretty wet.

 

[Daydream believer]

If you think about it you might start off steering in flat sea. But at what point will you realistically want to stop using it?
Eventually you will want to use it in a slightly rougher situation and then comes the point where you get disappointed.
So why not bit the bullet, stop trying to cobble a compromise and get a more powerful autopilot straight off
In the end you will have to do it and will have wasted £400-00 or so. You already know ( in your heart)it is not really up to the job
I have a st2000 and it has failed twice so now i use it as a spare and have the evo 100 and that os on a 31 ft boat

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I have an ST2000 on a Moody 31; displacement is about 4.5 tons and when sailing flat, she's pretty well balanced. It's fine for that, but the ST1000 is too light. By analogy I'd suggest that the ST2000 is a bit light for a 10 ton displacement, though as others have said, it does all depend!

 

[alkira]

I have a ST4000 installed already and it won't calibrate and steers ok for a while in flat seas but yu have to watch it. I can't face replacing the ST4000 running all the wires etc so just ordered a TP 32 simrad so i'll give that a test ....i use the windvane when the wind arrives so hopefully the simrad will cope with flat calms.....
thanks for the ideas

 

[wooslehunter]

I have an ST2000+ in a Centaur. It's way over specified for the boat if you just look at the weight. But, it's much faster to respond than the 1000. That's important if you want it respond in a bumpy sea. My boat slews all over the place especially when going down wind. The faster speed of the 2000 helps. Having said that, it's still not fast enough to cope on its own in a bumpy sea.

If all you want is something to steer in flat water, then speed of response is to critical. If you want to use it in bumpy sea, then it is important.

 

[Binman]

The simrad TP10 is suitable for varying sized boats up to 12m. That is what it states in their instructions, this info might help someone out there.

 

[Daydream believer]

The simrad TP10 is suitable for varying sized boats up to 12m. That is what it states in their instructions, this info might help someone out there.

Not according to the manufacturers advertised spec it is not.

 

[Binman]

Hi DayDream. Last night I looked at PDF www.simrad-yachting.com where it states 12m, but having looked at my own manual for the TP 10 this morning it states 10m. Looking at the same information for the TP32, it still includes the TP 10 as 12m, ?

 

[Pleiades]

Raymarine's own spec sheets show the recommended units for boat displacement with a graph showing the models for ordinary use but also their recommendation for what they describe as offshore/extended cruising.
The scale for offshore use showed that none of their tiller pilots were actually recommended for anything much by way of a moderate to heavy displacement offshore cruiser - their very best SPX5 GP super doouper model was rated at only 16,000lbs max displacement.
So the ST2000 is not up to the job - particularly if you intend to put it on something that may occasionally go near water. (Don't ask about their laughably described "waterproofing"!!!). I have numerous examples of their 1000, 2000, 4000 and SPX5 models - all have worked brilliantly for a while but could be relied on to fail regularly. All their tiller pilots are feebly made - tiny plastic cogs and plastic fittings for load bearing applications, poorly designed connection plugs etc but with very clever electronics - great when they work but carry two because one will be back for repair frequently.

 

[Daydream believer]

Hi DayDream. Last night I looked at PDF www.simrad-yachting.com where it states 12m, but having looked at my own manual for the TP 10 this morning it states 10m. Looking at the same information for the TP32, it still includes the TP 10 as 12m, ?

Extract from the simrad web sitebelow

personally i do not think that the TP 10 can handle anything like a 32 ft boat having had one on a 26 ft boat
it was slow & allowed the boat to go off course far too much
In my 31 ft boat the TP 32 burnt out as it could not cope
Ok for motoring but nothing else

TP10 Tillerpilot

Reliable performance autopilot for sailboats with tillers up to 32ft.
SRP £399.00
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TP22 Tillerpilot

Reliable performance autopilot for sailboats with tillers up to 34ft.
SRP £499.00
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TP32 Tillerpilot

Reliable performance autopilot for sailboats with tillers up to 37ft.
SRP £649.00
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[Binman]

Yes I would agree, I looked at the web site first as I was comfy in bed, it wasn't till this morning I got my manual out and found the difference, my boat is only 7m, I haven't had any problems with it yet. I get a sense, that those that do not set it up properly ie its arrangement in the cockpit to tiller, do come unstuck in use, TP's not level, wrong water proof plug. Not fixed securely, not covered against water entry, haven't tried mine to follow a coarse, only when I leave the cockpit, when you take the cover off they are quite straight forward, there are sites that show a service, mine came with my boat last year. I'm lucky to live next door to a electronic expert, he serviced it for me, before I started to use it

 

[JVL]

St2000 on an 8tonne cutter it steers through the vane trim tab so does little work but as the swell builds its struggling to react fast enough shows, on with the vane and the electric jobby goes to bed inside nice and warm cos it don't like nasty wet water!

John