[fmueller]

We are toying with adding a tiller pilot type auto pilot this year to make single handing a bit easier. We sail a 30 ft Dufour Arpege which has hank on sails so going forward to raise the jib when solo and without an AP can be tricky.

But we are just day/weekend sailors with a 40 year old boat and don't want to break the bank for this small convenience either.

I just saw an old AP for sale at a local marine consignment place, which they say works, but I can't find any information about it anywhere on line so I have no idea what it is. What size boat was it made for? how does it work? or whatever.

The listing says it is "Cruising Design C20 Auto Pilot", and the photo confirms as much:
Marine Consignment of Coastal Maine, LLC - Cruising Desing C20 tiller auto pilot with remote Cruising Design ISS2218

but typing that into google, the only hit I get is that listing...which isn't very helpful.

Anyone have any idea what this is and what its specs might be? I suppose especially regarding the displacement of boat it was made for?

Is it madness to think this (maybe 30 year old AP) could be useful for steering our boat for 5 minutes at a time as I go forward to set the sail in calm coastal waters?

thanks for the help

 

[capt jgwinks]

Is that maybe the same Cruising Design that makes the flexible furler and performance propeller? A call to them on Monday might answer the question. There's nothing about AP's on their website now, but they may have had one years ago. If it still works, it still works. Most things were made a lot more reliable back then.
607-749-4599

 

[celenoglu]

I used age vise similar maybe older autopilot for a long period of time. It was functioning excellent. New autopilots are all automatic, you are only able to give a direction. My old one was a little manual, there were two knobs (I do not remember the exact names), with which you can control a better keeping of the route, it took some time but I was happy with it.

 

[PaulinVictoria]

You could also just use a couple of bungee cords, or a tiller-tamer type device. Simple and works fine if you just want to run to the pointy end and back.