Auto pilot

[willyp]

Best auto pilot for a 1999 Sailfish 272

 

[drbatts]

What other electronics are your running on your boat? I Installed a Garmin reactor and smart pump in the beginning of the season and have been very happy with it. On previous boats I have had both simrad and raymarine units. The Garmin has been the most user friendly and easiest to calibrate. Which ever brand you end up getting you will love having an autopilot.

 

[Fowl Hooked]

Agree with the above, match it to your primary MFD and overall operation and integration will just be easier. Had a Simrad paired with a Lowrance Hds previously, now all Raymarine and happy with both. Calibration on the Raymarine was easy - essentially go out and do a big circle, there's a progress bar that shows percent complete and if it's not 100%, just do another circle or figure 8.

 

[trapper]

Went with he Furuno Nav pilot 300. It takes fishing and touring to another fun level!

 

[SkunkBoat]

What other electronics are your running on your boat? I Installed a Garmin reactor and smart pump in the beginning of the season and have been very happy with it. On previous boats I have had both simrad and raymarine units. The Garmin has been the most user friendly and easiest to calibrate. Which ever brand you end up getting you will love having an autopilot.

DITTO!

I will add that having a separate control/display near your wheel is better than using your MFD. I literally steer the boat with the buttons.
Here's a link to my process of finding/installing an autopilot. https://www.greatgrady.com/threads/autopilot-upgrade-from-manual-hydraulic.26808/

If you want to troll with autopilot, get a big one...more is better

 

[jip40]

Went with he Furuno Nav pilot 300. It takes fishing and touring to another fun level!

x2

 

[Doc Stressor]

I went with the Furuno NavPilot 300 also after a lot of comparison shopping at boat shows and on other people's boats. All of the other brands look like toys when compared with Furuno. The installation was straightforward, but the setup and calibration instructions were confusing. I got some misinformation at a boat show that the unit would not require a heading sensor if used with GPS. This was wrong, but I had already started the setup procedure and had trouble backing out and continuing the setup after I got a heading sensor. I needed to go to Furuno customer service for help and they were excellent. They answered the phone and I got to speak with someone who seemed to be an engineer. He solved my problem in no time.

I don't agree with recommendations about getting an AP of the same brand as your MFD. I was headed in that direction since the Navico units have a neat feature that automatically lets their AP start to navigate as soon as you set up a destination waypoint on the screen. I thought this was a cool feature when I saw it on a friend's boat, but it turns out to not be a big deal. All of the different brands of APs work through NMEA 2000 and are recognized by any modern MFD. All I have to do with my Furuno is to turn the unit on after setting up a navigation target on the MFD and press the standby button twice and it follows the path.

The Furuno has a couple of features that the other brands lack. It has a handheld remote in addition to the normal display screen that lets you dodge obstacles or steer from anywhere in the boat. It also will set a path to a destination simply by pointing the remote at a target and pressing a button. Finally, it has something called Sabiki Mode that will hold the boat at a fixed position with the engine running in reverse. Sort of like a virtual anchor. This feature doesn't work as well as I had hoped on my single-engine boat. It may work better on a larger hull with dual engines.

The only thing I don't like about the Furuno is that the heading sensor is not waterproof and needs to be mounted in a protected area. Not a big deal, but it cuts down on your installation options.

My unit has worked flawlessly for over a year now.

 

[teaklejr]

I went with the Furuno NavPilot 300 also after a lot of comparison shopping at boat shows and on other people's boats. All of the other brands look like toys when compared with Furuno. The installation was straightforward, but the setup and calibration instructions were confusing. I got some misinformation at a boat show that the unit would not require a heading sensor if used with GPS. This was wrong, but I had already started the setup procedure and had trouble backing out and continuing the setup after I got a heading sensor. I needed to go to Furuno customer service for help and they were excellent. They answered the phone and I got to speak with someone who seemed to be an engineer. He solved my problem in no time.

I don't agree with recommendations about getting an AP of the same brand as your MFD. I was headed in that direction since the Navico units have a neat feature that automatically lets their AP start to navigate as soon as you set up a destination waypoint on the screen. I thought this was a cool feature when I saw it on a friend's boat, but it turns out to not be a big deal. All of the different brands of APs work through NMEA 2000 and are recognized by any modern MFD. All I have to do with my Furuno is to turn the unit on after setting up a navigation target on the MFD and press the standby button twice and it follows the path.

The Furuno has a couple of features that the other brands lack. It has a handheld remote in addition to the normal display screen that lets you dodge obstacles or steer from anywhere in the boat. It also will set a path to a destination simply by pointing the remote at a target and pressing a button. Finally, it has something called Sabiki Mode that will hold the boat at a fixed position with the engine running in reverse. Sort of like a virtual anchor. This feature doesn't work as well as I had hoped on my single-engine boat. It may work better on a larger hull with dual engines.

The only thing I don't like about the Furuno is that the heading sensor is not waterproof and needs to be mounted in a protected area. Not a big deal, but it cuts down on your installation options.

My unit has worked flawlessly for over a year now.

How well does the remote work, does it actually go to where you pint it? You do not need a rudder reference sensor correct? I have been thinking about this unit as a upgrade to our Raymarine that does not want to hold a course.

 

[Doc Stressor]

When you aren't navigating a GPS track (which you can toggle back and forth with a press of a button), you just point the remote where you want to go and press the Direction button. You can steer the boat by repeatedly using that function. It's pretty cool.

You don't need a rudder position sensor with an outboard. You tell the unit that you have an outboard during the initial setup procedure.

Here is a link for the user manual for you to see how everything works. In typical Furuno fashion, it is way too detailed to understand unless you are actually using the unit. Once you figure things out it is very simple to use.

NavPilot 300 Operation Manual