Right Autopilot for Morgan Out Island 41

[gchabs]

We have a Morgan Out Island 41 with hydraulic steering. It weighs in at about 29,000 # empty, add a 1,000 # when we go cruising. We use it normally for Chesapeake Bay sailing but plan on cruising the Bahamas in a couple of years. After that, maybe to the Caribbean. Any thoughts on what would be an appropriate autopilot for this boat. We already have Raymarine instruments - depth, speed and radar - with an old Garmin XL 48 GPS, and are looking for that extra hand on overnights and longer passage making. Thanks for your thoughts. George - Papagayo.

[Hudson Force]

Hello gchabs, I too have a Morgan OI 41. As a side note, my Morgan is a 1973 413 ketch that wieghs ca 26,000 lbs. empty. I was surprised at your 29,000 lb weight. What's your year and model? I also have hydraulic steering and I'm using the original Benmar drive autopilot that I combined with a Nexus control head around 1990. My system does me well, but today's technology would allow me to pump the hydraulic fluid at the same rate with fewer amps than my current 1/4hpDC motor. I don't imagine that I'll update my 37 year old drive unit as long as it keeps working so well, but I will be interested in following the results of your inquiry. Take care and joy, Aythya crew

[Captain Dad]

I've seen a few with the Raymarine (Ratheon) ST series. I have a Morgan 462 (15 ton +) that has a Raymarine SG3 computer, ST6001 control, and wired remote control. My only regret is not getting the gyro version to smooth out following seas.

I have the same steering system, and weight, the only real difference is keel and hull shape. Our system ties in well with the Garmin GPSmap 540. The only thing I had to figure out was to set the Garmin's waypoint output to "Numerical" vs "Names" in order for the autopilot to follow a route programmed into the chartplotter.

[forsailbyowner]

I have 33oi with hyd and use the Furuno navpilot after shopping around I found the standard navpilot has all the bells and whistles that are upgrades on other units. I like the interface and the smartpilot feature is great in the intracoastal and other areas with strong side currents. Reversing pumps are matched to your cu. in. cylinder volume.