AUTO TILLERS

Gary Everingham, PROTEGE, #284

We have a very old Autohelm 1000 and it works just fine. Down wind in a roll causes it to go nuts.

Stephen, Black Dog, #184

I installed an Autohelm ST 2000 2 years ago and am very happy. It has more than enough power, is fairly miserly with power, and is rugged and easy to install. Sailing dead downwind or on a very broad reach it can be overcome, however, this is partly due to our heavy weather helms. I found performance here increased after I installed a larger rudder. You could probably get away with an ST 1000 on most days with light to moderate winds but I think the savings aren't worth it when you really need it.

A. J. Matthews, AY MON, #605

Ay Mon uses an old Autohelm Tiller Pilot 1000 (Raytheon brought them and now I believe they sold it to another group or company). I got it with the boat. I have used it on trips to Key West, the Dry Tortugas and simply messing around in the Bay and especially when the First Mate wanted to sleep and I

had to get dinner moving.

I find a tiller pilot of that size to be of great use. I find I get most use of it when I am single handing it and I have to put the boat away. I just set

the tiller and flake the sail before I even get into the yacht basin. That way, the only thing I have to do is to make the mooring lines fast, shut off the power and lug the vessels which held the afternoons grog up to the recycling bin. Not a bad way to spend the afternoon at all.

A tiller pilot of that size does have its limits though. In heavy winds and high seas, the recovery rate is not what I would hope it to be. But then if I really wanted to do some extended cruising, I would install a wind vane.

Larry, DOGSTAR, #607

I, too, use an autohelm 1000 built about eight years ago. They've replaced it with a couple of different units. Without doing any research on it, I'd be biased to get the bigger of the two new ones.

I'm quite happy with my 1000, by the way.