Auto Pilot

[Huntfrisco]

Looking for THE RIGHT auotpilot for a 20' Lund with hydraulic steering. On other sites there was mention that the Raymarine S1000 had problems picking up a reading at low trolling speeds. Ant thought or experience on this out there?

Almost all of my time is on the Finger Lakes trolling between 2.0 to 3.0 MPH.

Any thoughts on the S1000 or other units for hydraulic steering?

Ken

[reel escape]

Ken,

I have the Raymarine S1000, I had it on my last boat which was a 19' CC and will be installing it in a couple of weeks on my 21' seaswirl striper.The unit did loss the signal sometimes when I would troll below 1.5 for walleyes but for the salmon and trout fishing it was fine.I have been in 4' to 5'waves with my last boat and the thing would track prefect.The wireless remote is nice can steer from anywhere on the boat. I didn't play around too much with the steering options but I did use the zig zag a few times in the spring which worked well.For the price and how easy it is to install the unit works for me.

[Hookedup]

Ken

I have the S1000 also I dont know if it is because of the Lowrance GPS I have it hooked to but it is less forgiving about 2.2 is as slow as I can go. So when im on the Finger lakes it is usualy off. I wish I would of went with another option.

Sean

[borderline 350]

Dear AP users,

The Raymarine AP's are good units. YOU MUST use a rudder reference sensor in order for them to properly work at low speeds (trolling!) unless you like to wrap your lines around your prop!

Sincerely, Jet Boat Bill

[Sluggo / NY]

Ken.. I've been running the Raymarine Sportpilot Plus on a 19' Lund for 3 years and have no complaints. We mainly troll slow for walleye .. between 1 and 2 mph and it controls fine.. unless you try heading into a heavy wind. I think they've discontinued the Sportpilot series, but I know you can still get them. Just do a "search".. you can probably find some good prices on them if they are discontinued. Good Fishing, Sluggo (Chris)

[Yankee Clipper]

Ken, I actauly talked to teck at Raymarine about two weeks ago. After running a google on it and reading a numbr of posts I got a little worried about the low end speed as I also troll for Walleye's. They explained that you need to get the boat up to about 3 MPH to allow it to start tracking and then back it down. They went on to indicate that the low end speed for the tracking to work is about 1.3 to 1.5. Im sure you also saw thier web sight that has vidio clips that walk you through how to install it? I'm still not sure if I'm goin to invest in it this year since a lot of my $$$'s has gone into tackle but it looks like a good deal, easy to install and should do the trick for what I'll need it for.

mark

[GAMBLER]

Ken.. I've been running the Raymarine Sportpilot Plus on a 19' Lund for 3 years and have no complaints. We mainly troll slow for walleye .. between 1 and 2 mph and it controls fine.. unless you try heading into a heavy wind. I think they've discontinued the Sportpilot series, but I know you can still get them. Just do a "search".. you can probably find some good prices on them if they are discontinued. Good Fishing, Sluggo (Chris)

I have the Sport Pilot Plus on my boat and would not reccommend it to anyone. I have problems with it from day one. It was sent back to the company 2 times and they finally got it right.

[mudflat]

Ken, I have had a S1000 for about a year on a 21' and what Yankee Clipper said is right on the mark. Mine holds ok below 2mph but you do need to be over 2.5 to get it to engage. When they first came out they would shut off at low speeds but then Raymarine updated the software to work down to about 1.25. I understand that you can have the older units updated if you send in the brain.

Installation is pretty easy. My only complaint would be that the pump is fairly noisy even after insulating it. Still quiieter than having the wife steer.

Mudflat

[Huntfrisco]

Thanks folks for everyones input. What I got out of it was there were problems when the S1000 first came out and it looks like they have been resolved.

Now I have to decide between the Raymarine S100 & Simrad AP16.

There is about a $1000 difference!

Never knew catching fish was so stressful

[goin deep]

The Simrad AP16 is for boats over 25 feet. I think you need either the AP12H or the AP14H. Good luck!

Brian(Goin Deep)

[Huntfrisco]

Thanks Brian...will keep researching

[Yankee Clipper]

Mudflat .. you said the replacment pump was noisy I spent a few $$ for a quiet 4 stroke 200HP and would hate to loose that peace!! i know its hard to explain noise but how bad is it and is it only noisy when the AP is engaged??

Mark

[southshoremarine]

www.ssmarineelectronics.com

check out my prices here

[southshoremarine]

Add to cart for price

[mudflat]

Yankee,

I also have a 225 4s that is very quiet when trolling and enjoy the humm of the rigger cables, that's probably why I notice the AP noise more.

The noise comes from the hydraulic pump only when it is running, it will turn on and off briefly each time it needs to make a course adjustment. It is a med-low pitch "buzzing" noise probably around 75 decibels. The pump comes with 18" hoses which T into the back of the steering box and on my CC I had to mount the pump underneath the console where it is only covered by a plastic shroud. I insulated it and the lines with 1" foam rubber which helped. I searched on THT before I purchased the S1000 and comments there indicated that all AP's with hydraulic steering make similar noise.

I've gotten used to the "buzz" and hardly notice it when I'm at the back of the boat. I was thinking of trying some more sound deadening foam under the cover and maybe lowering the sensitivity of the AP so it doesn't make as many course corrections. When I am running with the wind there are less course corrections needed so it is quieter. It isn't bad enough that I shut it off and I would buy the same unit again.

Hope this helps

Mudflat

[Yankee Clipper]

Mudflat .. this helps .. thanks for explaining it ... got to work on the wife now.

mark