tiller pilot for Sooner - was leaning toward Ray Marine but much negative report

[Sooner]

Have an old Simrad TP 20 but never figured out what to use to hook it up to 0183 Humminbird Plotter.  It drives Sooner under power ok  - maybe good for backup.  Amazon seemed to have quite a bit of negative feedback on the Ray marine 1000 and 2000. would like to have a more qualified opinion.  TP 22 a better option for new?
appreciate your thoughts.  I single hand a Hunter 23 that will give you a workout in 4-6 hours under sail.
jim

[CharlieJ]

It should steer under sail just fine also.

Why does it need to be connected to a plotter? Do your plotting yourself, and keep the TP simple. Mine has two Gulf of Mexico crossings, two Gulfstream crossings, and many miles under power- doesn't do anything but steer, which is all I ask of it.

I'd have to look at the unit to tell you what it is, but I bought it used.. Actually I swapped a pistol for it  :)

[Godot]

I have a TP10 I used on my Seafarer. Awesome device. On the Bayfield I have an old Navico unit. Works; but slower. I'm certain the TP10 would work fine, too; but the cockpit cushions have to be modified to fit it. The cushions are nice, and I'd hate to do without. Especially since while sitting I'm too short to see over the cabin without them (and I'm not that short!).

I'm with Charlie, there is absolutely no need to hook it up to a chart plotter. I think it is specifically undesirable (maybe OK for a power boat; but I don't really see the point there). If the chartplotter tells the autopilot to change course when you aren't ready for it, I'd be afraid of possible unpleasant consequences (unplanned Gybes or surprise corrections into other boats and the like).

[CharlieJ]

;D

Mine lives UNDER the cushion, as you can see in this pic. Was taken well offshore in GOM. I THINK it's a TP-10 also, but not positive.
I tried to post a pic, but it tells me the "Upload file is full"

BALLS-and of course once it has an "error" you have to start over totally- can't fix and repost !!! Nuts

HAH!! Already had the pic elsewhere, so here it is. The tiller pilot is tied to the tiller because the clamp bolt on the tiller was loose, I was offshore and didn't want to get the tool box out- It was rough and kept bouncing the TP loose, so I tied the sucker on!!!

[Sooner]

Thanks for the common sense Guys.  Couple months ago I brought up Sooner to the shop and started getting her ready to go again.  Don't know where - just feel the need for a trip.  The T200 was to shallow for Sooner which draws 30" a couple years ago - great fun but couldn't go where the all the fun was.  Sometimes living in the middle of nowhere is hard to overcome.  But anyway the TP20 will do -  hadn't thought of a possible boom whacking--- HMM rigging is 18 yrs old --
jim

[SeaHusky]

I want to get a Simrad tillerpilot for my boat and wonder which size to get.
The Tp10 is on the upper limit for my displacement so I am looking at Tp22 or Tp32.
When looking at the specs Tp32 is both stronger and faster but does not use more power.
Are the specs incorrect regarding power and if not, is there any reason apart from the pricetag to not go for the faster, more powerful model? Can a tillerpilot be "to much"?

[Godot]

I've been using my old TP10 on Seeker (it's faster and quieter than the Navico that came with the boat). The Bayfield 29 has a computed displacement of 7100 pounds; but an old article I found mentions that the boat is over built and probably has a displacement closer to 8400 pounds. It has been doing an excellent job, so long as I am doing my part of keeping the boat reasonably balanced. I am certainly over the theoretical Max Displacement (3.7 tons according to their web page), and I suspect above the displacement of the Allegro 27.

It is a pretty quiet unit. It doesn't seem to use much in the way of electricity. It works well. The TP22 only has 70kg of thrust vs the 65kg of thrust that the TP10 has. If your boat isn't too hard on the steering I think either would work fine for you. If steering is heavy, perhaps the TP32 is better for you.

That said, if I were to buy another one I'd probably go with the TP22. The remote control option would be a pleasant addition when I'm hiding from the weather under the dodger and I need to tweak the course! Hooking it up to the wind indicator and having it steer by the wind instead of by the compass would occasionally be useful, too. I don't know. Now that I think about it those options sound a bit gimmicky. Maybe I need to consider vanes again.

[Seacod]

Im about to spring for a unit for my Morgan 24...keep talkin guys...,im learnin!

[Godot]

;D

Mine lives UNDER the cushion, as you can see in this pic. Was taken well offshore in GOM. I THINK it's a TP-10 also, but not positive.
I tried to post a pic, but it tells me the "Upload file is full"

BALLS-and of course once it has an "error" you have to start over totally- can't fix and repost !!! Nuts

HAH!! Already had the pic elsewhere, so here it is. The tiller pilot is tied to the tiller because the clamp bolt on the tiller was loose, I was offshore and didn't want to get the tool box out- It was rough and kept bouncing the TP loose, so I tied the sucker on!!!

Charlie, since your post I've been doing the same thing. Seems to work.

[SeaHusky]

Thanks! I will probably go for the Tp22 and remote. Especially since my pointed stern forces me to mount the whole thing rear of the cockpit and actually outside of the boat.

[w00dy]

I have heard people cursing both Raymarine and Simrad products. I can't say anything about either company or their product lines. It is, however, often too easy to blame equipment failure on poor quality control/engineering when the real failure is owner/user error, lack of maintenance, or pushing the unit beyond its design tolerances.

In the past 5 years, I have logged over 6000 nm on three different sailboats, none of which had an electric/hydraulic autopilot. When sailing, I would often use sheet to tiller techniques and our current boat has a mechanical servo-pendulum windvane, which works adequately though not in all conditions or points of sail. A significant amount of that mileage, perhaps as much as 33% has been under power. Every single mile motored was steered by hand.

I admit that I would like to motor less. We have just finished a trip of 2500 miles up the east coast and we have firmly decided that our next cruise will involve no set schedules, deadlines, or firm goals, which should allow us to relax and follow the wind as opposed to pushing and motoring more. The wind vane works well enough in most cases, and I am hoping to be able to improve its performance even more.

All that being said, an electric autopilot installation is still at the top of my list of boat improvements as I hope that it will significantly improve our comfort and safety, if not our arm muscles. Anyone else here with tiller boats that has woken up with sore shoulders? We have proven that we don't need one, but it is my belief that a good autopilot will earn its place in a short time.

To this end, I have been researching the various products available on the market and trying to decide which would best fit our boat/situation. I am considering trying to engineer my own installation, using independently sourced components that I can build and program myself. If I am careful, I hope to be able to assemble a system that will equal or exceed what is available on the market while potentially saving money. I don't have any fantasies about the skill and knowledge that goes into engineering a product, though, so it is likely that at the end of the day, reinventing the wheel may not save me money at all;certainly not time. The upshot though is that I should be able to customize the system to fit the my needs, for my boat, in a way that I wouldn't otherwise be able to if I just took what was on the shelf at West Marine.

Basic idea so far involves a linear actuator, electric compass, motor controller software, and a Rasberry Pi or Arduino logic board. If I can interface this with my laptop running Open CPN, or some other open source navigation suite, so much the better.

http://www.robotshop.com/en/servocity-actuators.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduino

Would anyone else here be interested in trying to come up with an open source design that we could share among sail far members? Am I foolish for trying to reinvent the wheel? Would you rather just spend $1000 and hook up a simrad?

[Leroy - Gulf 29]

There's a discussion taking place right now about the same topic on the CSBB.  There's a gentleman there that has it appears done significant research on the topic.  Might be worth dropping him an e-mail to discuss.  http://cruising.sailboatowners.com/csbb/index.cgi/page/1/md/index/

[matt195583]

I use a raymarine st 2000. That's on a 4.5 ton 34 footer, the key is to balance the boat so the TP isn't working for nothing. The TP has steered at least 2000 miles without a drama. I've never felt the need to sync it with the plotter as I like to keep a close eye on everything anyway although syncing it with a wind instrument would be handy when the wind is swinging around a bit especially with the asymmetrical spinnaker flying.
I also use Charlie's method of tying the TP to the tiller although I generally use a piece of bungee cord so it has a bit of give.