Which Tiller pilot?

[mickshep]

New project is a 6.5 ton (approx) 32' sloop with long keel and keel hung rudder, I expect to relaunch her in April/May and sail her back from Holland, A tiller pilot is top of my wish list but someone pointed out that the fact that the hull is steel may cause problems with the unit's in built compass, Any thoughts on this welcomed, also recomendations for make and size of unit, Cheers, Mike

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[Twister_Ken]

Does magnetic interference really matter in most situations. With a tiller pilot I suspect the usual modus operandi is to set the boat on course, hands on, then engage the tiller pilot to hold that course. If the boat wants to change course because of compass error, just tweak the compass around until it holds the course. If you regard the compass not as a compass, but as a heading adjuster, no problem.

In other words, it doesn't matter if the t/p compass doesn't agree with the main steering ompass.

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[mickshep]

Cheers Ken, Usual problem here, total ludite when comes to technology, What I actually meant was, would the steel hull prevent the sensor from working correctly if the boat were pushed off the pre-set course by wind or wave? Mike

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[bedouin]

The obvious (?only?) choice is the RayMarine ST4000. This has a remote fluxgate compass which gives a wider range of mounting options than those with them built in.

While to a large extent the unit can auto-compensate for errors produced by the hull, it may not function properly if installed deep down within the hull. I believe that the Raymarine installation instructions recommend that the compass unit is installed above the hull somewhere. Installing in the hull will certainly lead to a reduction in performance, and may not work at all.

Of course if you intend to use the T/P to steer a GPS course that is much less of an issue

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[vyv_cox]

I am currently installing a Raymarine radar with a fluxgate compass for MARPA. I think the compass unit may be the same one as used in the tiller pilot. Raymarine recommend it to be installed 1 metre up the mast on steel vessels.

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