Auto Pilot

[Jimmy]

Looking at adding auto pilot to the 11 meter. I recently updated Radar to Raymarine eS78 which has chartplotter, fish finder, Radar, cameras, and Auto Pilot capability. Pretty much does everything except clean fish. Also have a Garmin GPSmap 420. I know vey little about Auto pilot. We primarily fish the great lakes, and on days when the fish are particularly hungry, we need all hands on deck, and to have short moments of hands off the wheel and maintain course are a plus.

What brands are best? Pros, cons, and what to watch out for when selecting. Just starting to snoop the net, but lots of experience on this site. Id probably like to stick with one that talks to the eS78, but not mandatory.

All ears....

[gitchisum]

Jimmy,

I like my Raymarine unit. I use it for the same purpose that you need. My system is old (2004) so my model and specifics will be different, but I have the 6001 tied into a course computer / black box, which feeds all the MFD's. I also have a remote on the back deck which is nice when you are setting lines in a crowd.

Pump is quiet, response is good, and easy to adjust sensitivity for different sea and wind conditions.

We are just across the lake from you I believe, so send some more fish across for us!

[prowlersfish]

Both , Garmin and Raymarine Make a good auto pilot . While you could use ether brand I would go with Raymarine in your case .

[RWS]

with all the new digital equipment on the market, there is a bonanza of used, decent last generation equipment to be had.

When my Raymarine C80 blew up, I upgraded to an E120 for little coin

When my DSM unit failed, I bought a used one for $55

I even replaced the LCD display on the autopilot with a new screen

Had these failures all happened at once, might be a different result, however for the moment when a component fails for me it makes sense to simply source another used one.

When I hit the lotto I'll upgrade all my electronics

In your case it might be worth a look/see if you can get an entire working setup including radar

RWS

[Jimmy]

Ok, good to hear. Ill pop into a few dealers and see what they suggest as well First have to poke my head under the helm to see if i have Hydraulic steering. If not, then more hardware. She is still on the hard with her winter dress, but only a few more weeks.

[RWS]

likely you have the FACTORY Hynautic 3 line system - the air over hydraulic system

RWS