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Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 7:33 am
by tuned
Still boat building....as always. Working on steering and a bit of pre planning will help keep me from backtracking , which i hate. I am just installing SeaStar hydraulic along with a power assist pump. I couldn't use engine mounted power assist because of space issues in the tube, so i went with electric pump instead. I am researching into autopilots and am somewhat serious about the Raymarine S1000system. Fairly cheap and will plug into my NMEA2000 data backbone which i already have installed.
Has anyone got any experience with one of these?
Re: Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 1:48 pm
by HandymanHerb
Does it have a get me to the dock I'm to drunk to drive feature
Re: Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Sun Oct 21, 2012 5:36 pm
by tuned
HandymanHerb wrote:Does it have a get me to the dock I'm to drunk to drive feature
Funny you should ask, Herb. As a matter of fact it DOES. Problem is that at the point where I am too drunk to drive, I am also too drunk to program
Re: Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 2:09 pm
by BobG
tuned wrote:Problem is that at the point where I am too drunk to drive, I am also too drunk to program
That's why I'm a PROFESSIONAL programmer! I can code while blotto! And it even WORKS!!!
Re: Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Mon Oct 22, 2012 6:02 pm
by Bamaman
Tuned:
My new Bennington has SeaStar steering, and it steers great until taking very tight curves between 30 and 40 mph. At lower speeds, it's very easy to turn the steering wheel. We don't often see SeaStar on less than 150 hp motors on this forum.
I don't know how your boat is going to be used, but SeaStar with power steering is a seriously expensive proposition @ $3K+.
I've never seen autopilot on a pontoon boat, as few pontoons are used in long distance travel in open waters.
Good luck with your construction project. I too never quit building projects.
Re: Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 2:45 am
by tuned
BobG wrote:tuned wrote:Problem is that at the point where I am too drunk to drive, I am also too drunk to program
That's why I'm a PROFESSIONAL programmer! I can code while blotto! And it even WORKS!!!
You must have learned your craft with bottle in hand. That's why it works.
Reminds me of going to college in the 70s. Studying all day and night with a fattie in hand, the only way I was going to pass the exam was to go to testing in the same condition
Re: Raymarine autopilot?
Posted: Tue Oct 23, 2012 3:04 am
by tuned
Bamaman wrote:Tuned:
My new Bennington has SeaStar steering, and it steers great until taking very tight curves between 30 and 40 mph. At lower speeds, it's very easy to turn the steering wheel. We don't often see SeaStar on less than 150 hp motors on this forum.
I will be rated at 330HP 
I don't know how your boat is going to be used, but SeaStar with power steering is a seriously expensive proposition @ $3K+.
I had no choice. I will be pushing too much power to use manual steering. Cable steering will not fit in any way. I lucked out and got a used Seastar Power Assist pump for about $250 (god bless Bidnapper). Hopefully I won't have to rebuild the pump any time soon. All other components will be new. Helm and cylinder about $900. So only a little over a grand when I do my own install (without autopilot)
I've never seen autopilot on a pontoon boat, as few pontoons are used in long distance travel in open waters.
Although I WILL use it on 30 mile runs on the big lake, for the most part the autopilot will just be an expensive toy. There is something very cool about being able to sit on the foredeck at trolling speeds, beer in one hand and wireless remote steering in the other. It also will come in very handy for night running...holding a perfect GPS line when I can hardly see shore as a reference...allowing me to concentrate on keeping watch (I use a night vision monocular)
Good luck with your construction project. I too never quit building projects.
It is the only way to calm my feversih mind 