Auto pilot options?

[Jdvoost]

Hey guys.. I have a kicker on my 26 foot CC and I am looking for a auto pilot.. I have heard from many that the TR1 is the best one out there, with that being said, is there any other options? TR1 will go for around $2500.. Is there anything that will go for a little less? Just need to go straight, don't need a lot of bells and whistles!!

Thanks for your imput!!

Jake

[coralee]

I just received my ST1000 meant for sailboats but another guy told me how he rigged it up to a kicker and I'm going to try it as well. Its 400.00 so its a lot less but needs a little ingenuity to set up. Its very doable. It may be a month or so before I get at to set it up though. I see your not too far away and can stop by and take a look if you want or just google it, I found a video of a similar installation online. It just has a push pull rod that works off an internal compass.

[1mainiac]

Keep in mind the tiller pilots are meant to be removed when not in use, Also the controls are on it with the ST1000 and ST 2000 so you have to be able to reach it to make changes.

[sjk984]

I use the st100 plus also. You just have to fabricate a bracket the will give it a square mount. If the motor is on a bracket this could take a while. Mine is mounted (motor) to the transom and the AP is mounted to the gunnel.

They also make a cabled remote that allows you to control from the helm. I had a 2000 and the reaction time was to fast. It rocked the boat because it would steer to fast on my small boat

[1mainiac]

The difference between the 1000 and 2000 is mostly how much force it uses to move the tiller. I have never tried one but did read the manual and rudder response is supposed to be adjustable and the unit should learn to drive your boat. However it will be a wild ride while it learns at times. The hard over time on the 2000 is faster than the 1000 so that could be a issue when teaching it to drive your boat. One other thing is if you look at how they are installed on most sail boats they can't turn the rudder as far as they will on a shorter linkage with your motor. If your kicker is on a bracket and has remote options you might want to consider running a steering cable to the kicker and using a ST1000 to drive the cable this would make the operation nicer. Or you could mount it on the kicker and run the Sea Talk to the dash with a remote control and network your GPS plotter as well.

The next step up would be the SPX5 Tiller pilot which would be closer to the Garmin unit for about half the money.

Without knowing what your kicker is and how it is mounted it is tough to guess what will actually work.

[Jdvoost]

I have seen a few videos on the tiller pilots and wondered if anybody has made them work? I was wondered if going 2.5 mph would be fast enough for the internal compass to work? Where did you buy it from? And my kicker is not on a bracket.. It is mounted right to the back wall.. I have a pic but can't get it to load!