MacGregorSailors.com

I am, more often than not, singlehanded (by choice) and planning some extended (2-3 week) trips next summer and am thinking that an Autopilot system would be a very worthwhile investment...so would radar but I'll wait on that. My questions are for those that have it:
do you use it often or just sometimes?
was the install a big deal or pretty straightforward?
does it work as expected, or take a lot of attention?
Would you do it again or spend the cash on something else?
I assume they work under power or sail..as long as there is forward motion...true?
Would you consider a used or refurb?
What system would you recommend, or vendor?

I am planning on checking this out at the boat shows this winter and being up and running in the Spring

Thanks for your thoughts.

Hi from sunny Tasmania.I have an and installed a Raymarine SPX-5 Wheel Pilot .Most off the time i sail solo,it takes over when i need to keep the boat pointing into the wind whilst raising & lowering the main or if i need to go forward .its a great safety devise and would recommend it.whilst installing it i replaced the original steering wheel with a 20in wheel ,the spx-5 is to big for the original and leaves little room for fingers to grip the wheel,it also makes the helm look more yachty Buy new install as instructed and there shouldn't be any probs . Andrew

I have a tiller, so install and price are different.

but next to the bimini its the best money I ever spent on the sailboat.

I single or short hand sail mostly, so raising and dropping the sails, long runs, and getting a snack are much easier. and I find I like to sit back and let 'Otto' take it when possible.

the only problem I have is it can't run down wind in any seas over 2' else it will jybe, and over 20knts wind it has a hard time going to weather. but it can handle it if you under trim, or reduce sails.

I would think the key will be the installation on the x. & cant hurt to go a little bigger if not that much more money.

I just finished installing a RayMarine X5. Pretty easy install and works as advertised. Only problem I had was putting in the stop bar that holds the wheel motor in place. The 2004 has the old style pedestal. I ended up getting an eight inch piece of SS 1/2 inch rod , put a slight bend in it to match the rake of the wheel and mounted it to the bottom of instrument housing. With planning and a little parts running, it took about 20 hours to get it in. Probably could do another in about eight hours.

Commissioning was straight forward. I set it all up at six knots under power. It works excellent from WOT at 13+ knots down to about a half knot under near zero wind. It takes getting used to to remember to disengage the clutch whe going to standby. I have even learned to use auto tack under medium winds.

I am also a frequent single hander and the workload reduction is remarkable. I sort of hate to admit it but my sailing precision is much improved when the A/P is engaged and it is a whole lot less work under power. It took me awhile to appreciate one degree course changes instead of ten.

I have not connected the A/P to the chart plotter yet but that will be done in the next month or so. I am waiting for my iMux to arrive so I can tie in my iPad at the same time.

Good Luck. Call if you need help.
Dave

Trusty bungie cord between the collar and wheel tends to work rather well under power and with balanced sails. Radar, hmmmm, I leave that one alone.

Jim

Coolchange,

Like you I mostly singlehand.

I installed the Raymarine S-1 Wheel Pilot back in 2009. Bought it new online for around $700 if I recall correctly. Install was not too difficult...if I could do it then anybody who knows which end of hammer to hold could do it. And it is even easier with the newer X5 as it doesn't need the rudder sensor which was the hardest part to install. Had to drill out a bigger hole for the steering wheel shaft.

I also went with a bigger wheel...I think I put in the 18" wheel and am very happy with that.

It works very well. I do not use it when the rudders are out of the water...so only motoring at slow speed or sailing. I can set it and go forward if necessary or go below if necessary. Occasionally it will lose lock and start beeping...just quickly reset it. And at higher wind speeds with more heeling and weather helm it will sometimes lose lock as the boat starts rounding-up. But I am very happy with it.

I would do it again in a heartbeat. Best mod IMHO.

I think that is a better use of $$ than radar...at least for a Mac...but you know what opinions are worth.

Good luck.

Cheers,
Jim

I sail almost exclusively singlehanded. I've had an autopilot on my X for 9 years. First, the SportPilot, which worked great the first few years and then for some reason started mechanically locking. It revisted the factory several times but was never totally right. I then installed the X5 with a 20" wheel. (The wheel not only gave room for my fingers between the rim and the autopilot, but I was finally able to stand totally upright while piloting--a definite plus.)

As for anchoring the X5 a/p motor on an X, like some others here, just drill a hole in the pedestal and insert the motor--no bracket needed.

Because of the length of the trips I take, A/P was definitely a must have. Never regretted it. The auto tack is super. One less thing to worry about when switching tacks.

As for refurb, never heard a bad story, but I usually go with new.

And BTW, the radar is great---got that too. The X mast lends itself well to making a quick connect for the radome. With the zone guard on and the A/P working right, it sure takes a lot of stress out of long distance night sailing. I have both tied into the GPS. (Interfacing was the hardest part because everybody uses different color wires.)

Yes, I would spend the money on it again.

Having fitted a Raymarine sportpilot(secondhand Ebay $200 odd )...it's like a second pair of hands great to free you up to do all sorts things.Handles sailing up a relatively strong wind...it has sensitivity adjustments and appears to react to stong sudden blows quick enough.We did retune our X and are now at the minimum forestay length and will have to look at shortening in case we want even less weather helm.

Hi

I love my autopilot

Want to see why go to YouTube and search user pegasus26m
You will see several videos with the auto in use and doing a great job

G

Further to all the above with which I agree, I cannot imagine my life on our MacM without an autopilot. I have had the Sportpilot plus for 6 years (without the rudder angle sensor). It always works well under sail and sometimes goes off course under power at high speeds. I think it has to do with the sensitivity of the clutch and the thrust required to turn the wheel. With my new bigger engine sometimes it slips but only in one direction, the direction that counters the prop torque. However, this is far from being a problem because I would not leave the helm at high speeds anyway, as you need to keep a sharp lookout foreward. So I guess I'm pretty happy.
I am ALWAYS singlehanded, whether the family is on board or not and the autopilot is a must for me.

Happy power sailng

Octaman

If it's being used on a boat, why is it called an autopilot?...

'auto' is a prefix from the Greek language - it means 'self', 'on its own'
'autopilot' is a 'pilot on his own', 'self-steering'
'automobile' is an independent vehicle, one that can move on its own
'automatic' is something that can function by itself, on its own
etc,
etc.

Hope this explains it.

Octaman

As we learned on "my big Greek wedding" all words are of Greek origin....

Quite so, Catigale
Incidentally, that was a great movie!

Octaman

Yeah, I was thinking of the Kimono at the time - which as you all know, comes from the Greek word "Himonos"

I've got hydraulic steering now on my and was just about to put a Raymarine Smartpilot X10 on it until the Admiral told me I have to wait till after next spring, when we sell the house (coincidental, not because!). The model package I want uses the 12v in-line pump that is more recommended for power applications and I was wondering if anyone had more to say about the differences between the X5 and the X10. Price is definitely a consideration, but is there anything else?

Ross