AutoPilot Accuracy...

[bartoma]

The straight lines are AP-1 guided - the wiggly ones are me...

Nice to see how effective the AP is on my 265 Express...

 

[luckydude]

As a newbie who has never used an auto pilot, can anyone explain why it is great? Where I fish, there are lots of crab pots (in season which is a big chunk of the year, I think November through June) so even if I had auto pilot I'd have to be watching out so I don't get fouled. Ditto for whales, lots of them, and I swing around birds and kelp. I can't imagine having the boat drive itself and not watch, that seems super sketchy.

Alan Tani loves his auto pilot, other people who have it love it, I just don't get why.

 

[Doc Stressor]

I do a lot worse steering on my own. I ran the numbers a few years back and my AP saved me 20% in fuel consumption on long offshore runs.

Some APs like my Furuno have handheld remotes that let you dodge crab traps and then automatically put you back on course. But that doesn't work in my area during stone crab season. There are floats set up 20 ft apart between 15 and 45 ft. So I have to grab the helm between October and May.

You need to be on watch at all times using an AP. But dodging occasional obstacles using a remote keeps you a lot fresher than hanging onto the wheel for the whole trip.

 

[bartoma]

For me, it's a necessity for trolling in general, solo trolling in particular... But I don't like trolling, so not particularly applicable in my case... I find it really useful when I am going slow and need to fiddle with something in the back or in the cabin (of course, knowing nothing is within a mile of me)... for runs longer than a few miles with little traffic and no obstacles, it's nice to be able to let the boat do the work while I focus on scanning... For short runs on busy days or in placed with a lot of crab floats, yea - I don't fool with it... But otherwise, it's a nice tool to have...

 

[wspitler]

Wouldn't be without one. Simple to push the stby button to avoid things. At night it allows a lot more time looking outside versus looking down at the screens. Admittedly can't use it during stone crab season down here, but for long offshore runs it saves a lot of time and gas and is super accurate and I have a14 year old Raymarine version!

 

[SkunkBoat]

Once you have one you will realize how absolutely necessary it is.
Running at night...your eyes are up and you can concentrate on throttles
Running in 3 to 5 slop...your eyes are up and you can concentrate on throttles with right hand and hold the hand rail with your left
Running on a beautiful day......your eyes are up and you can concentrate on finding whale blows and birds and breaking fish...and crab/lobster pots....
Trolling you can do an automated ZigZag pattern or...GO STRAIGHT!!!!

I find myself using the autopliot and the left/right buttons as "power steering"

Look at the straight lines on his map...it really is that good....

You can always hit Standby and steer yourself...Garmin has Shadow which gives you control just by turning the wheel...you can just avoid things by pushing the left/right buttons

 

[luckydude]

Once you have one you will realize how absolutely necessary it is.
Running at night...your eyes are up and you can concentrate on throttles
Running in 3 to 5 slop...your eyes are up and you can concentrate on throttles with right hand and hold the hand rail with your left
Running on a beautiful day......your eyes are up and you can concentrate on finding whale blows and birds and breaking fish...and crab/lobster pots....
Trolling you can do an automated ZigZag pattern or...GO STRAIGHT!!!!

I find myself using the autopliot and the left/right buttons as "power steering"

Look at the straight lines on his map...it really is that good....

You can always hit Standby and steer yourself...Garmin has Shadow which gives you control just by turning the wheel...you can just avoid things by pushing the left/right buttons

Let me get the rest of my boat sorted and maybe. Alan Tani wants me to put infra red on it (already have radar). I'm thinking crabpots and puller and winders are my next buy. After suspension seats and a better prop. There is only so much I can spend before my wife takes the kids and leaves

 

[SkunkBoat]

to put infra red on it (already have radar).

Can't look at radar or flir and drive straight

 

[SkunkBoat]

I can't imagine having the boat drive itself and not watch, that seems super sketchy.

to be clear...its not so you don't have to WATCH...its so you don't have to look down at your screen or compass and so you can concentrate on seeing more important things .
Holding a heading in open water takes a lot of concentration, more than you realize.

 

[drbatts]

to be clear...its not so you don't have to WATCH...its so you don't have to look down at your screen or compass and so you can concentrate on seeing more important things .
Holding a heading in open water takes a lot of concentration, more than you realize.

The AP will also allows you to drive a perfectly straight line offshore with no visual aids or landmarks. This is very nice because it puts less strain on the driver/operator and saves time and fuel. This is especially true if you are making long runs. Without the autopilot and having to steer the boat manually your hands and eyes will tend to wander, the AP takes this out of the equation. I was out last weekend and a thick fog bank came in and basically took the visibility down to less then 100ft. I engaged the AP concentrated on the radar and looked ahead. I don't know about anybody else but I find it is very difficult to steer a straight line in these conditions. With smaller boats and in choppy seas you may still have to maintain throttle control and may have to do some steering because of wave direction and height. I have found with larger boats including my express, in most if not all conditions I engage the AP and sit back and watch. I only end up touching the direction buttons to avoid things. In an emergency situation I can always grab the wheel and turn too if needed. The other plus is I also have a free hand to eat an sandwich.

 

[luckydude]

The AP will also allows you to drive a perfectly straight line offshore with no visual aids or landmarks. This is very nice because it puts less strain on the driver/operator and saves time and fuel. This is especially true if you are making long runs. Without the autopilot and having to steer the boat manually your hands and eyes will tend to wander, the AP takes this out of the equation. I was out last weekend and a thick fog bank came in and basically took the visibility down to less then 100ft. I engaged the AP concentrated on the radar and looked ahead. I don't know about anybody else but I find it is very difficult to steer a straight line in these conditions. With smaller boats and in choppy seas you may still have to maintain throttle control and may have to do some steering because of wave direction and height. I have found with larger boats including my express, in most if not all conditions I engage the AP and sit back and watch. I only end up touching the direction buttons to avoid things. In an emergency situation I can always grab the wheel and turn too if needed. The other plus is I also have a free hand to eat an sandwich.

If I start doing tuna runs then I'll think about auto pilot. I need to be older and wiser before I do that. My runs are all within sight of shore right now and I have radar if it gets foggy (to tell you the truth I have yet to turn that on other than to test it).

If I were East Coast and had to do those long runs to find fish, then I can see AP being a necessary thing. I feel for you guys, that big shelf is annoying.

 

[wrxhoon]

to be clear...its not so you don't have to WATCH...its so you don't have to look down at your screen or compass and so you can concentrate on seeing more important things .
Holding a heading in open water takes a lot of concentration, more than you realize.

I couldn't agree more with that statement .
In my case it is very handy trolling offshore, especially when only 2 on board towing 5 lines.