[svHyLyte]

Wow. Thats quite awesome. Would make a great spare AP to keep safe in case of lightning strike, or primary AP failure, will look into the windvane thing. The sad part is, I had a chance to buy one of these brand new for $100, I passed it up because I do not have a tiller.

We would all love to see photos, but I doubt it will look much different then what we picture in our heads. Does it plug into a cigarette lighter? where is the compass located?

On the newer TillerPilots, the compass is a small FluxGate that is right in the body of the Pilot itself. We don't use Cigarette Lighter adapters as they are too prone to failure. Instead we have a number of Perko 2-Prong power outlets, one in the cockpit and another in the chain locker at the bow that allow us to plug in the Pilot, our Search Light, the power inflator for our dinghy etc. and other gear about the boat. E.g.

 

[svHyLyte]

good stuff, but again what is lock to lock on youre steering system?

I think this is great for quick turn wheel systems say, 1.5 to 2 turns.

Mine is 1.75 turns...

thanks again hylyte

Our wheel is just shy of 2 turns lock-to-lock but underway, even in big seas, we rarely move the wheel more than 1/4 turn in either direction, if that, so long as the sails are reasonably balanced. Balanced, most all boats will come up and fall off rhythmically with the seas by themselves if one holds the rudder steady and doesn't "chase" the compass, a tendency most novice drivers have to learn to overcome.

FWIW...

 

[christian.hess]

yup

good stuff...

where have you used your system? what kind of conditions? I know my old tiller pilot on a outboard hung rudder would get overloaded all the time in certain conditions...

downwind it was decent but anything upwnind or forward of the beam it was a no go in any seas...and wind over 15knots...and it was an easily balanced boat sail wise...

it would often go max throw on the arm and beep like crazy as the boat was getting hit by the waves...

my question is of course knowing what your boat had wheel turn wise and maybe where and how you use it more than if it works or not...which obviously it does!

in any case thanks for the pics...

hijack over jajaja

op Id get some backup of backups of backups buying cheap st3000,4000 pilots and the like since you can cannibalise parts and have redundancy in the systems

I briefly used a 4000 on my old boat an islander 34...I wish I would of ripped it off and kept it instead of selling it with the boat...it was a great cheap wheel pilot for sub 20knot weather.