How Often Do You Use Your Autopilot Offshore ?

[MarkJ]

Originally Posted by roverhi

Used Windvanes turn up fairly regularly in the SF Bay Area on Craig's List. .

Windvanes are often the most prolific things on niceboards. Here there are 3 at one marina for sale. new biggie is wind generators.

I wonder why so many would be for sale?



mark

[surfmachine]

My Aires lives under the vberth now. The zodiac is on davits at the back and the raymarine X5 autopilot is great!

[Norsksailor]

Originally Posted by capt_douglas

The only thing I didn't like about the now antique Autohelm 3000 was the noise. Talk about being spoiled. In my next boat, I'm giving serious consideration to a quadrant autopilot but the 3000 sure let me know when the sails weren't trimmed though.

HA! Yeah! I just replaced (on Memorial Day) the old 4000 in my boat. It was noisy as hell! Squeak squeak squeak...it finally died and I replaced it with the Raymarine X-5, which, to my extreme delight, is MUCH quieter...and actually works very well.

[conachair]

Originally Posted by maxingout

What percent of the time do you use an autopilot when sailing offshore?

Aries all the time. If there is enough wind to move the boat then the aries will steer. Only exception is if I get bored in calms and decide to motor for a while. ST2000 autopilot has been the most unreliable bit of kit on the boat. Bad luck I think as they get very good press normally, but the chandlers in Horta, Azores has a very big pile of bust autopilots which didn´t make it half way across the Atlantic.

[anotherT34C]

Another Raymarine x-5 wheel pilot here. "Wash" steers pretty exclusively, unless there's traffic.

The 'whirr-whirr-whirr' is kind of annoying, though. Sucker only draws about an amp, amazingly. Don't think I'll ever bother with a mechanical vane.

I'd like to add a sub-question... how many (when offshore) use their autopilot in windvane mode, rather than compass or GPS/waypoint mode?

[Norsksailor]

Originally Posted by anotherT34C

Another Raymarine x-5 wheel pilot here. "Wash" steers pretty exclusively, unless there's traffic.

The 'whirr-whirr-whirr' is kind of annoying, though. Sucker only draws about an amp, amazingly. Don't think I'll ever bother with a mechanical vane.

Yeah...but compared to what my old 4000 did...it is QUIET! The 4000 SCREECHED whenever it moved.

[barnakiel]

Windvane here.

But it is nice to have an autopilot too. And I think there are boats for which the only option is either an auto or plenty of drivers.

b.