A mate of mine is looking for a wheel pilot I recomeded the ST4000 although now it seems to be replaced with the EV 100 has anyone upgraded to this new model and if so what are the improvements?
This is something I would also like to know. I do a lot of coastal sailing and my spare tiller pilot has just given up the ghost. I have read good things about the new technology in the new autopilot but have not yet read anything from a user, only the blurb that Raymarine like to throw at us.
We all know how slow the older models were and how while they kept you going in the general direction there were times when they would wander all over the place.
As someone who covers a lot of sea miles single handed a good autopilot is my best friend. It would be great to have something more responsive and better at keeping the boat on the desired course than the past things we have been forced to put up with.
They are a little dearer than the older fluxgate models but I would be willing to pat more for a beter product.
Scruisin did a blog a while ago
found this below
I read up and looked on the Internet seems like they don't have to many problem thats the EV100 you may need a EV200
EV100 is for little fish like me I think
www.seabreeze.com.au/forums/Sailing/General/Raymarine-Autopilot-which-one/
I'm getting a Raymarine EV200 installed in my Jeanneau SO349 during January. By all reports it seems to be the best one around but until it's had a bit of use I can't give any more in the way of personal feed-back.
An autopilot system comprises of three major components.
1/ a hydraulic or electric servo ram. must be powerful and fast enough to handle the steering loads. Not sure of Raymarine make hydraulic ram. These are fitted to the steering quadrant and work exactly the same as "tiller" versions. Some units use a motor and belt drive to turn the wheel but not much chop in my opinion.
2/ the course computer, this is the brains behind the pilot. mine has a gyro inside and fuzzy logic so that it continually responds to rate of change in course ie waves lifting and throwing the boat around to optimise steering.
3/ flux gate compass and gps/course data including wind angle steering.
Items 1 2 and compass component of 3 are built into the ST1000 and ST2000 tiller pilots. These are great little units but should be protected from the elements as best as possible cause they don't like water inside the electronics.
i have Raymarine system now about 10 years old appropriately sized for a 45 footer. The thing steers better than a racing helmsman downwind at 35 knots plus in the middle of the night. It feels as the bum is lifted by a sea and responds with the appropriate correction to the helm to keep the boat tracking along. Seems to even do a better job of picking waves and surfing than a human and never loses concentration or gets tired.
Thanks for that frant I do know what they consist of but my question is does anyone know the diffrence/upgrades between the st4000 and the replacement model the new EV100.
I expect going by the Internet pics they have upgraded the face unit to led/LCD screen and it seems some gearing upgraded to cope with greater sea conditions that's really all they have done from what I can see. 
and dont wake up and have to put these on 
Ok
God that was boring and besides I never trust what a pom says!
Select to expand quoteHG02 said..
I don't have to say a word S.A
Hope your watching her strumming hand
but my favorite is this lady
born and bread in South Australia
She's cutte ho2 but you can get away with a lot playing electric nothing like old olive oils traditional skins! Haha happy new year!
Oh now your just googling sh#t as u do but anyways I like his gutar! Go dream of auto pilots and long safe passages!
Back to topic, I have had a SIMRAD TP32 for about 7 years. It has never let me down and holds a very good course in all sea states I have encountered. 25kts on the quarter hasn't been a problem.
I usually use it when coastal and when there isn't enough wind for the Fleming.
The SIMRAD is fully self contained so no drilling holes for a control panel. If they do a wheel pilot it might be ok.
From my experience with autopilots, up until now there doesn't seem to have been an autopilot made for smaller to medium boat that does the job well. I have had several over the years that have done the job but none actually kept the boat on the desired course and continually moved anywhere up to 30 degrees off the desired direction. Sail trim, balance, and rudder trim make a difference but I have seen some boats going all over the place on auto's.
I find that if I balance or trim the sails to enable the pilot to keep reasonably close to the desired course that the result is usually a loss of boat speed and while I no longer race we all like to make decent progress, particularly on longer passages.
A lot of my sailing is either single handed or short handed and my two ST2000's have been super reliable until now. Now that one seems to have retired I am considering the EV 200 as a replacement but would rather repair or replace the 2000 if the EV doesn't do a better job.
If you believe Raymarine then the EZ's are what we have all been waiting for but I won't be parting with $2k+ without the knowledge that I am getting something better for my money.
I covered some 7,000 NM over a 5 year period using the ST4000. I belive the Pilot sailed a better coarce than any helmsman I had onboard. Proof of this was retrieved from my electronic breadcrumb tracks. Franrick I would say your balance and sensitivity settings where not adjusted to suit your yachts. if loss of boat speed is reached during a balance I would start thinking about hull design effecting your performance or autopilot setups.
Select to expand quoteMorningBird said..
Back to topic, I have had a SIMRAD TP32 for about 7 years. It has never let me down and holds a very good course in all sea states I have encountered. 25kts on the quarter hasn't been a problem.
I usually use it when coastal and when there isn't enough wind for the Fleming.
The SIMRAD is fully self contained so no drilling holes for a control panel. If they do a wheel pilot it might be ok.
That is good an endorsement as any and as I have tiller steering this is the unit I will eventually get.
My mate has just fitted a Raymarine Evolution on his Adams 31 and speaks highly of it.
Hi Southace. I have used several tiller pilots on all four yachts that I have owned. The only time I had a well balanced setup with the pilot was on my first boat which was a nicely balanced Endeavour 26. I sailed this boat up and down the coast for many ears and it was the only time I was happy with a tiller pilot.
To give you a bit of background. I have raced yachts (not mine) both inshore and offshore for nearly forty years. I am an experienced racing helmsman, sail trimmer and fore-deck hand. I think I know how to balance my sails and keep my boat moving. I'm not saying this to big note my crack but to say I am not new to this.
My idea of a decent auto pilot is one that keeps a decent course, not one that takes ten seconds to respond to a decent gust of wind and then over-reacts and has to correct again. Time and time again. The problem with older pilots is the time it takes them to initially react to a course change and then they often overcorrect and have to go through the process again.
I know anyone can go to sea in light winds and set up their pilot and it will steer the boat on a good course. I can do that too. Using these things in those conditions is a breeze but when you are in blustery conditions you need an autopilot that keeps a decent course much more than you do in light conditions.
On a recent trip from Coffs to Lake Macquarie we had a strong wind warning with winds from the stern quarter. My current boat is a Roberts 31 that has a reasonable beam that carries almost right through to the stern. Neither one of my tiller pilots could keep the boat anywhere near the set course and we zig zagged our way down the coast with the compass showing up to 25 degrees of variation at times. This was with a second reef in the main and a partly rolled out headsail. I spent hours trying to get the sail trim correct and fiddled with the seastate controll numerous times, usually after a sail adjustment. My auto needs to be reset for a change in seastate control and nothing seemed to make things any better. In the end I dropped the main and used the headsail alone. This was better for the autopilot but at a cost in boat speed.
Don't get me wrong, we had a very quick trip but I am sure the variations in the steering direction added a little to our mileage.
Another thing is that I am not a fair weather sailor, I have a fairly heavy boat that likes a bit of wind and thats how I like to sail it.
Cheers, Rick.
Select to expand quoteFranrick said..
From my experience with autopilots, up until now there doesn't seem to have been an autopilot made for smaller to medium boat that does the job well. I have had several over the years that have done the job but none actually kept the boat on the desired course and continually moved anywhere up to 30 degrees off the desired direction. Sail trim, balance, and rudder trim make a difference but I have seen some boats going all over the place on auto's.
I find that if I balance or trim the sails to enable the pilot to keep reasonably close to the desired course that the result is usually a loss of boat speed and while I no longer race we all like to make decent progress, particularly on longer passages.
A lot of my sailing is either single handed or short handed and my two ST2000's have been super reliable until now. Now that one seems to have retired I am considering the EV 200 as a replacement but would rather repair or replace the 2000 if the EV doesn't do a better job.
If you believe Raymarine then the EZ's are what we have all been waiting for but I won't be parting with $2k+ without the knowledge that I am getting something better for my money.
I have been thinking about this for a couple of days, and specifically what is "good" control from the autopilot.
i have a Raymarine EV200, fitted to my Cavalier 37.
Motoring this week we had around 20 knots, about 45 degrees off the stern, swell was short chop. The auto pilot was responding quickly, moving the wheel around 10 degrees to keep the boat on course.
Earlier sailing, into the wind on the beam degrees around 18 knots gusting 25. We probably had a bit to much sail up. If I had been racing I would have had crew on the main sheet adjusting the main to hold course. The auto pilot was moving not adjusting the wheel a lot and allowing the boat to point higher in the gusts and then returning to course when the wind dropped. This is what I would do if hand steering. The course variation would have been up to 30 degrees. The boat kept moving and was under control at all times. There was nothing dramatic, and at no time did the boat feel out of control. The set heading was maintained, over a period of time. I was happy with this.
I am interested in others thoughts, in this condition and hand steering would you fight the wind and hold a tight course, or allow I the boat to move around a fair bit? Yes, we could have reduced sail a bit, but needed to head down wind later so kept the sail on for that.
it also seems that the autopilot recognised the difference between motoring and sailing and responded differently, which is pretty clever.
I still don't know what model my autopilot is but one thing I know is that it's hydrolic and it works!
Select to expand quotesouthace said..
I still don't know what model my autopilot is but one thing I know is that it's hydrolic and it works!
Think yours is an S2 or S3 or S2G or S3G . G denotes internal gyro. Mine is an S3G and is brilliant. Should be able to see which model on the little logo above Raymarine.
