Most of the time under sail I can helm the P30 with the traction of my fingerprint on the tiller. Suggests to me that if anyone could build a reliable $250 tillerpilot, the world would beat a path to their door. Must be the high buy-in for new ones that has everybody scrambling to save $50 by scrounging. Why an object that: a) has improved markedly with the years, and bee) tends to break a lot, should retain value like fine Scotch, I do not know. I finally got tired of that game & waited for Defender's Spring Sale in conjunction with a $50 rebate from Simrad, we got the price down to $300 on a new TP10. When we were hunting them a couple years back, even very old models were asking (and apparently getting) $250 on CL or eBay. since most of them aren't supported by the manufacturer anymore. It is amazing how few used TPs are on the market, how high they are priced, and how fast they sell. This is the first one I've found in ages that I can afford, that might do the job.ĭingdingding. The supply is very limited, and the prices are near enough to new, that I would just buy a new one. I've looked for used SIMRAD TP22's and ST2000's online and at Bacon's and have had no luck. But, your boat may be a lot more stable, meaning it doesn't need as much steering, so you could use a slower auto pilot - see longer tiller above. As a result, you'd want a stronger autopilot than a similarly size boat with a spade. So, it will take a lot more force than a balanced spade, as would a skeg mounted rudder. If I remember correctly, your rudder is on the end of the keel. The length of the boat and the displacement didn't change. For example, when Stan Honey got the new rudder developed for the Cal-40 the force it took to turn the boat dropped by over 50%! That's because there is a lot more of the rudder ahead of the rudder post (it's more "balanced"). There is such a massive difference in the power required based on the different rudder types that I just don't think length and displacement are at all helpful. By using a mounting point farther away from the rudder post you can get away with a much smaller auto pilot and you'll use less power. For some boats, fast response from the autopilot just isn't required. That will slow down how fast it can turn the boat and make the tiller pilot less responsive in big waves, but it could allow you to use a much smaller tiller pilot. Also, if it's a tiller pilot, the force that's required is a function of how far out along the tiller you mount it, obviously. What would be much more useful is to guess at how many pounds of pull you're putting on the tiller when you move it at the rate required to sail the boat well. I'm not trying to cross the Atlantic, but I do want this unit to occasionally assist me during my sailing on the Chesapeake.ĭo you think this unit is adequate for that task?Ījax, I'm with Bob, I don't think displacement is helpful when sizing an autopilot.
The Pearson 30 is a well-balanced boat, and I know how to trim the sails to give the tiller a light touch to reduce the loads on the tiller pilot. Given the fact that during the era when these older units were developed, it's reasonable to assume that a 34 foot yacht could displace as much as 10,000 lbs.
See the manuals for obsolete tiller pilots here:
The older Raymarine Autohelm 2000 manual states that this unit is rated for yachts up to 43 feet. The older, Raymarine Autohelm 1000 Micro installation/operator's manual only states that this unit is rated for yachts up to 34 feet. The newer Raymarine ST2000 is rated for up to 10,000 lbs. The newer Raymarine ST1000 is only rated for 6,600 lbs. I'm trying to determine if the 1000 Micro is strong enough to steer my boat. I had an Autohelm 800 on my Coronado 25 and loved it. I've had good luck with these units in the past. I have the opportunity to buy an older, "Raymarine Autohelm 1000 Micro" for cheap.