raymarine s1000 autopilot?

[Little Crappie]

Im thinking about switching to hydrolic steering because my 21ft outboard turns like it wants to punch me in the face and came across this auto pilot. wondering if anyone has had any experience with it trolling?

[Limitman]

I'm installing one this year so I will have to get back to you after I get out hopefully mid march or so.

[ERABBIT]

If your steering is that hard you may have another problem and putting a AP will not solve it. It sounds like your cable needs to be cleaned/replaced. I would disconect it from the motor and if it still steers HARD time to replace it......

[mtboxess]

I agree with Erabbit. Disconnect the motor from the steering and see if the motor swings easily by hand. Try the steering without the motor attached. That should tell you where the problem is. Hydraulic steering may not be the answer and having installed it myself, it is not as easy as it sounds. Email me if you have anymore questions.

MT

[borderline 350]

Dear Rugger,

A Teleflex hydraulic helm with the ST1000 is just the ticket for steering and fishing auto-pilot. Have installed 3 of the ST1000's and two teleflex hyd. helm pumps. The teleflex helm brings steering effort down to near zero effort. While the cost is higher then push/pull cables, it will absolutely astound you on the ease of steering. Maximum performance for your money. ST-1000 easily connects with Tee-fittings during installation.

Respectfully submitted,.....Ex-Jet Boat Bill

[mudflat]

The s1000 and the ST1000 are completely different auto pilots. The s1000 works off just your gps nema 0183 output and doesn't use any type of heading sensors. I've had one for four years and it works ok, most of the time. It will shut itself down sometimes when your speed gets down around 1.7 mph or slower and occasionally does a crazy Ivan turn to port when it feels like it. The hydraulic pump is fairly loud when it's running but not unbearable. Basically you are getting what you pay for but it is worth the money and is much better than not having any auto pilot. There are better ap's out there, like the ST1000, but they will cost 2-3x as much.

I agree that you should check your cable, your outboard shouldn't steer hard at trolling speeds. You might just have to service or replace the cable and then could install an SPX-5R for an auto pilot for a lot less investment than switching to hyd.

[Little Crappie]

Thanks everyone, The cables are hard to turn at all times so I figured if i have to replace the cables, it would be a lot easier to replace with hydrolic steering instead of rack n pinion cables. so many nooks in a boat i had a pain just replacing my outboard and steering cables.Came across baystar kit seems reasonable. So then i start thinking about auto pilots, especially thinking about last season trying to fish by myself setting up rods in 3ftrs. going in circles. Shoot, even with a passenger who doesn't know how to steer or set up rods is difficult so i thought gee... auto pilot what a dream. started looking and found the prices match the dream. I came across the s1000 but read that at trolling speeds it sometimes doesn't register on another forum? needs like a minimum of 3 knots to operate efficently? Well that's no bueno. but it did state that it was easy to set up with hydrolic steering. As far as GPS goes I have a 500series hummingbird, nothing too fancy but still like 5 bills, now im worried i need a different set up with different GPS function compatible with an autopilot system. I have a 8hp kicker but it's pull start (not sure if that matters) but the gladiator system for small outboards still a couple $$$. so i guess Im confused. Any thoughts? Thanks guys.

[BURNIN DAYLIGHT]

I HAVE THE RAYMARINE AUTO PILOT CAME WITH THE BOAT IT WORKS GOOD IT HAS BEEN PUT TO THE TEST OVER THE LAST 5 YEARS I WOULD NOT HAVE ANOTHER BOAT WITH OUT AN AUTO PILOT TO ME THEY ARE WORTH EVERY DIME BUT IT IS A LITTLE NOISY KINDA BUGS YOU AFTER WHILE BUT IF YOU FISH YOURSELF OR WITH A BUDDIE OR TWO YOU WILL LOVE IT I DO ANYWAY GOOD LUCK AND GO FOR IT JUST REMBER TO STILL LOOK AHEAD OF YOU FOR OTHER BOATS YOU WILL SOME TIMES GET CAUGHT UP IN EVERY THING ELSE THAT IS GOING ON