Auto pilot ?

[Fishjay]

Looking for proper auto pilot set up for my 27' c dory fishin boat. I have an old autohelm with some issues with the drive belts slipping off electric motor internally. Pain to remove and fix time and time again so I want to upgrade to a new unit the other main issue is that I have hydrolic steering and 95% of the time I shut down main engine while trolling and run my 15 hp kicker with that said no hydro pump running with big engine off any thoughts out there in units that I can install to ease auto pilot in steering or will it always struggle with a stiff helm

[SeaCatMich]

Are you sure you have hydraulic steering? Generally hydraulic steering does not require the engine to be running and is completely independent of it. With hydraulic you should have a fill spot on the top of your steering wheel hub to be able to add hydraulic fluid.

An almost direct replacement for your Autohelm is the Raymarine SPX-5R and actually is its direct descendant. Like the Autohem it mounts under the steering wheel to the steering hub and turns the wheel for you to keep on course. Much better unit than the Autohelm/SportPiot series though. It will work with any steering system -- if you can turn the wheel it will do it for you. It is actually a rotary steering system and not truly a hydraulic system. For hydraulic steering a rudder reference transducer to measure/report the position of the rudder is needed -- and from my experience, I recommend it for any steering system for best performance and especially when trolling.

A true hydraulic auto pilot is going to insert a hydraulic steering pump into the hydraulic hoses you currently have and the pump is going to move the hydraulic fluid instead of your boat's steering wheel. They are not difficult to install but doing the hydraulic hose fittings may take some special tools and it is a tedious job. When I had mine installed I had it done because of my dual outboards with a steering ram on each. Raymarine, Simrad, Garmin, SiTex all make very good true hydraulic steering autopilot systems. Prices are going to start in the $2000 range and go up from there.

If you have power assisted steering then one option I know of is to implement a Raymarine mechanical drive unit (http://raymarine.com/view/?id=579&collectionid=30&col=5915). These work with most of their control heads and basically take the place of the power assist steering when the engine is off. You would then connect the kicker to the main engine with a control rod (EZ steer or similar). Cost is going to be pricey though.

I don't know much about them but there is also something called an octopus drive that I believe can be used on power assist steering boats. I believe that the Garmin APs support this and maybe the Simrad and SiTex.

Another option would be to install a remote steering system for your kicker. The downside is that it will only control the boat's direction when using the kicker (trolling) and not when cruising with the main engine. The deluxe unit on the market is the Garmin TR-1 but there are also the Control King and Panther Electro Steer. You can even add remote trolling throttle controls to them that make fine tuning the speed/rpms on the kicker very precise.

[Fishjay]

Thanks for reply SeaCat. Boat does have hydro steering with two helms one in pilot house and one on deck. Each independent of one another I only drive from deck when trolling I am wondering is their an elect pump that can run fluid pressure and then have servo distributed steering like most boats. Just not much a fan of listening to another auto helm type whirl of the wheel back and fourth.

[1mainiac]

If you have HYD steering any system on the market will do what you want as they all require a pump installed along with valving and fittings. My personal choice would be the Gamin unit However you can even go ala cart with a Octipus pump and there are many combinations that will drive it. Si Tex and some of the older tech systems can be found in your price range the Garmin and other systems will be closer to 3 grand or more by the time you get them installed. Last I heard Garmin required a certified installer for them to warranty the unit. Calumet Marine is a sponsor here and they will get you whatever you need at a good price.

[Fishjay]

Thanks for your input mainiac,I will do some more investigating on diff units