mali0056 Posted March 10, 2015 Posted March 10, 2015 I am having a little bit of a crisis i was hoping to get some thoughts on. I am looking to replace my two lowrance elite 4 units on board with a new electronic but also want to put an auto pilot on the boat. I run with a 120 Merc and a 9.9 kicker (connected manually by the connector rod). I would like to get a Lowrance unit with their new auto pilot but not sure...Can i use that auto pilot with my motor and do i have to get the HDS Gen 2? I really don't want to spend a TON of money but given the price of auto pilots this might be the best option for me without having to switch brands of electronics. I think i can get the Lowrance auto pilot for 999.99 and cabelas has a 300.00 mail in rebate so that might be my best option. It is either auto pilot this year or it is a probe. I don't have one but mainly fish lake superior being from that area with an occasional run to MI a few times a year. Thoughts?
HONDAM Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 Unless you have hydraulic steering that autopilot will not work. The cable one is more moneyEven if you do have hydraulic the Lowrance kit supplies the smallest pump ive ever seen on an autopilot. It is about half the size of a typical autopilot pump, a small pump limits its performance in making coarse changes. That compounded with the relatively low quality sensors they have to use to keep the price down and the high demand on the autopilot for trolling I don't believe it will be your best option.This autopilot will probably work fine on cruisers but I am doubtful of its trolling ability. A Simrad system or even a Garmin system will network with your Lowrance id probably examine more options before making a decision. Most modern autopilots will network with almost any current GPS, anything with NMEA.
mali0056 Posted March 11, 2015 Author Posted March 11, 2015 Thanks. I was pretty skeptical of the price to be honest. I really want the auto pilot but geez us. The price we pay......
rbenson Posted March 11, 2015 Posted March 11, 2015 Check out the Raymarine EV-100. Put one on my 21 foot Wellcraft with a similar setup 200 Ocean Pro with 9.9 kicker. Connected to my Lowrance HDS5 and works great.
smitty2145 Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Rbenson, did you do the install on your autopilot or did you have shop do it. Sent from my MB855 using Great Lakes Fisherman mobile app
rbenson Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 I did it myself. It wasn't too difficult. Just make sure you get the proper hydraulic tubing. I picked some up from an auto parts store.
smitty2145 Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Alright, one other question. Does the unit have to be hooked up to a chartplotter to work. and if it does any special hookups needed?Sent from my MB855 using Great Lakes Fisherman mobile app
rbenson Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 When not hooked up. It will plug right in to most newer chat plotters
smitty2145 Posted March 12, 2015 Posted March 12, 2015 Alright, thanks for the info. Sent from my MB855 using Great Lakes Fisherman mobile app
vetting Posted April 16, 2015 Posted April 16, 2015 I run a Raymarine EV-200 with the sport drive. I have a 25ft cable steered boat. Trolls down to 1.5mph with no issues and handles the waves just fine. I paired it up with a A7 series graph/plotter from Raymarine. I love the combo.
Line Dancin Posted April 16, 2015 Posted April 16, 2015 I have the ev 200 sport also on a 22 fter and no issues at all. have it hooed to a hds 5 unit
rpoll Posted August 12, 2015 Posted August 12, 2015 Where did you see the $300 Cabelas rebate. That seems like a great deal.
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