[travlin-easy]

One of the items on this year's bucket list is an auto-pilot. I looked on the internet at the EV100 by Ray Marine, which is rated for boats to 16,000 pounds. Though I've never had my boat weighed, all the spec sheets I've read put it between 12,000 and 14,500 pounds. So, the EV100 should be within range.

Also looked at the Ray Marine SPX5, which is rated at 16,500 pounds.

Both appear to be nearly identical is specifications, and installation seems fairly easy.

The only negative thing I've read was about plastic gears, which I've never been a big fan of.

Does anyone here have any first hand information on either of these units used with a heavy, old tub of a sailboat such as my Morgan 33 OI, especially offshore and in heacvy, following sea conditions?

Thanks in advance,

Gary

 

[ReefMagnet]

Can't really help you with the specifics of the Raymarine wheel pilots, but I'll add my $0.02 anyway. My boat is very similar to the OI 33 in specs and it is fitted with an ancient Autohelm 3000 wheel pilot that is about 30 years old. I have got an underdeck autopilot system tucked away ready to install, but the truth is I'm in no rush because I've found the old wheel pilot works surprising well in all but the most extreme conditions. In fact, if I'd known how good the wheel pilot works (it didn't work too well when we first purchased the boat because the gearbox needed servicing) I'd more than likely have just saved a fistful of cash and a lot of (yet to come) installation effort and just replaced it, most probably with an EV100.

The plastic gears would worry me a little bit in the long term, as the weight of the boat if you include passengers and cargo is up towards the specified limits of the device. There can be a lot of load on the wheel pilot, especially if the sail plan is unbalanced. But, I guess if the design is ok then maybe this isn't a problem.

 

[BarryL]

Hey,

If you are looking for an inexpensive (hah!) autopilot there are only two choices. The Raymarine EVO 100 (I don't know if you can still buy the XPS 5, and why would you since the EVO is better, but that's another story) or the CPT pilot (CPT Autopilot Inc.)

Last year I bought and installed the EVO100. It is on sale this weekend at Defender for under $1300. It was relatively easy to install and has worked well.

My boat has a generous sail plan and I am still getting used to it. The AP does a great job under power, and in moderate wind conditions. In heavy wind it works less well and in high winds and following seas it does not work well at all. I need to do a better job of trimming the sails in those conditions but I don't really trust the AP in those conditions anyway. If you really will be sailing like that I think you will need a below decks pilot.

For me, I wasn't willing to spend the money for a below decks pilot.

I can't comment on the durability of the EVO unit yet, since I've only used it for one season.

It was VERY easy to integrate with the rest of my electronics (garmin plotter, Raymarine wind, speed, depth). I can steer to a heading, to a wind angle, or to a waypoint.

Barry

 

[capttb]

Gary, For about the last ten years Ray has used the gray Mark II wheel drive so I don't really think there is a difference in capacity, maybe they just decided to change the rating.

 

[travlin-easy]

Thanks for the input everyone. At this point, the CPT really looks great and the reviews have all been excellent. It's a bit more than the Ray Marine systems, but the ease of installation, and rugged, reliability make it more appealing than the EV100.

More to come, but at this juncture, the CPT may be on the boat in a few short weeks. After that, I'll be installing the 3G Radar, followed by the Honda 2100. I guess all this stuff is why I'm still working my ass off at age 74.

Gary

 

[MikeOReilly]

Hi Gary, glad to see you're getting an auto. Will make a huge difference, I'm sure.

As you know, my primary self steering gear is a windvane, but we also have a Raymarine SPX5-GP, which was the highest-rated above deck tiller pilot on the market. It is rated for 16,500# boat, and ours boat is 30,000#. We only use it when we can't use the vane, which is usually when there's little or no wind and light seas. Most often this means we are motoring, but not always. So far it has performed flawlessly.

We are very careful to keep the the boat well balanced when under sail on auto, but this is critical for our vane as well, so that's no big deal.

 

[travlin-easy]

The more I read about the CPT Autopilot, the more I like it. This is a very simple system that is built very well, very rugged, easy to install, and at $1,895, the price is right. I'm amazed that I had not heard of it earlier.

Thanks again,

Gary

 

[Faster]

SNer erps has been a proponent and user of the CPT for quite a while now.. perhaps not as 'sexy' as the RM stuff, but from what I hear it's rugged and works well.

Simrad also made (makes?) a wheel pilot that appears a bit more robust than RM stuff, but perhaps they're not available anymore.