Auto Pilot / GPS info
Submitted by FishOn570 on Fri, 2012-04-13 18:43
Hey guys .
have just invested in a brand new boat and tryin to suss out the electrics for it have gone with a FCV585 and 1kw for my sounder... am tossing up between a HDS8 and a Garmin gpsmap 5008 as my gps unit and radar... and just came up to the point of do i get auto pilot or not for those long boring drives back from the fads and deep drops after a long days fishing just wondering who runs wat sort of gps and auto pilots and wat they think of them...
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Faulkner Family
Posts: 18057
Date Joined: 11/03/08
wouldnt bother with auto
wouldnt bother with auto pilot. too easy to get side tract and run into other boats . plus with the way the waters can churn up a bit a small boat with auto could be dangerous to yourself and others on board. keep your eyes on what is going on and at least 1 hand on the wheel
RUSS and SANDY. A family that fishes together stays together
dodgy
Posts: 4578
Date Joined: 01/02/10
Really Faulkner family? I've
Really Faulkner family? I've used autopilot a fair bit and found it to be awesome. Use less fuel than driving by hand and certainly less fatiguing. Got to remain vigilance but that's all part of the responsibility of being a skipper.
Once you've had autopilot you won't want to go back.
Does anyone know where the love of god goes, when the waves turn the minutes to hours?
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Auto pilot
We were the first sea rescue group to fit one to our 10 metre Naiad and were questioned on why.
If you have to travel something like thirty odd miles just to reach the islands where most of our tow ins originate it makes for about 2-3 hour trip back and if you have a machine to do the hard work why not? Admitted you still have to keep an eye on where you are going but it makes it soooo much easier especially at night
Tomcat
Posts: 614
Date Joined: 24/02/11
Yes
Must agree best thing ever on bad days still steer by hand but for trolling it great I have the raymarine 1000 easy to fit and does good job
FishOn570
Posts: 138
Date Joined: 14/10/09
cheers for the input... what
cheers for the input... what sort of units are you other guys running?
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
Might depend on what your
Might depend on what your main gps is?
I thought I saw a new one at the boat show that worked with the e7? Something like the SPX units.
carnarvonite
Posts: 8673
Date Joined: 24/07/07
Stand alone
We have a Furuno but haven't connected it to the gps. Its another way to keep you alert as you have to keep a check on your course.
Tomcat
Posts: 614
Date Joined: 24/02/11
Any
You can run them of any gps just need the correct color code I run of gps if your off coarse the alarm tells you have emergence button on dash to stop if need be,some of the top of range ones you only need to grab wheel also have remote to control it from back of boat must agree there not toys and heed to to be used properly
sherbert
Posts: 4717
Date Joined: 10/09/06
You be putting one
On the toyota next lol, Good luck luke will be nice to see her finish
What happen to stop spending money lol
Assassin landbase fishing club
till
Posts: 9358
Date Joined: 21/02/08
I think that the point is the
I think that the point is the guyis looking for choices, and the GPS unit he is using may present it's own range of choices.
Great to see what other people are using, no need to be limited to that though.
FishOn570
Posts: 138
Date Joined: 14/10/09
yeh gettin pretty excited ay
yeh gettin pretty excited ay sherbs... u gonna let me take ya out on this boat?
still dunno wot gps to put ay either lowrance hds or a garmin.... leaning towards the hds but dunno got a month or so to decide
heathy66
Posts: 11
Date Joined: 21/12/11
Auto Pilot
I have a raymarine 1000 unit - interfaces to your chartplotter via a NMEA 83 connection
You need to have hydraulic steering - was fairly easy to self install (took me about 6hrs ) - but things got pretty tight behind my dash console
I use it all the time for long trips out to Rotto West End etc
Keeps a very good course - more accurate than I can steer
Also has a steer straight ahead function that doesn't need the chart plotter which is handy if you just need to let go of the wheel for a minute
As mentioned above still need to keep a good watch and I turn it off if the going gets rough and I need to steer into swells etc
Reckon they are a great investment if you travel long distances in your boat.
rayzor23
Posts: 49
Date Joined: 30/01/12
HDS
Ive got the hds mate and cant fault it easy to use and set up , if you go the 8 or 10 you get the quick buttons below screen to operate range , sensitvity ect.
Also probably the best thing is if you drive over some good ground you can scroll back on echo page, i think about a km(dont quote me on it)and shoot the lump and will become a way point on gps.
Im interested on how you go with auto steer setup keep us posted even a price ect would be good